STEM Initiative

NYLC’s Background in STEM

NYLC is in the third and final year of the Generator Go Green (G3) Initiative. G3 has assisted more than 7,150 economically disadvantaged middle school students and 130 teachers in creating more environmentally sustainable communities through STEM-focused service-learning. A select group of 25 schools are using high-quality service-learning practices while working with national and local partners to identify environmental sustainability issues that generate student interest in science, technology, engineering, and math.

Results of the evaluation of the Generator Go Green Initiative showed that students made significant gains in environmental knowledge, attitudes, and responsible behaviors as a result of the project. In addition, results showed that students' ratings of the quality of their service-learning experiences significantly predicted the extent of their growth in environmental attitudes and environmentally responsible behaviors.

students with large carpWhy is STEM important?

Engagement of students in STEM is an economic imperative. In President Obama’s 2012 State of the Union address, he emphasized that business leaders are constantly looking for workers with the right skills. “Growing industries in science and technology have twice as many openings as we have workers who can do the job. Think about that: openings at a time when millions of Americans are looking for work.”

STEM careers are drawing on a very small portion of the population to fill those positions since many women and people of color feel discouraged from pursuing STEM careers. Students of color and those from low socioeconomic backgrounds often lack access to a rigorous and engaging STEM curriculum and therefore are severely underrepresented in STEM majors and occupations.  This lack of diversity is detrimental to work in the STEM field because the workers are not representative of the demographics that they are serving. Diversity of perspectives in STEM is important to make business more responsive to the diverse clients that they serve.

Students taking measurementsWhy service-learning?

The hands-on nature of service-learning projects is an ideal way to bring real world problem-solving into the STEM classroom. Through meaningful service-learning projects, students can discover that a career in science and engineering can go beyond the lab and begin to see the socially beneficial aspects of what a career in STEM could do. By working with schools and community organizations to develop service-learning experiences that expose students to rigorous and engaging learning experiences, we are preparing innovative and creative thinkers who are prepared to lead in the future workforce.

What does NYLC offer?

Building on our demonstrated success in STEM initiatives, NYLC is working harder than ever to increase awareness and implementation of service-learning as an effective teaching methodology. NYLC has a wide range of resources and hundreds of project examples from our partner schools and the GSN community to help get you started.

NYLC is committed to working with schools, districts, and community based organizations to develop curriculum and programming that provides quality service-learning experiences to young people that allows them to become innovative and creative thinker who are prepared for the future.

Learn and Serve The Generator Go Green Initiative was made possible with funding from Learn and Serve