Assets for Afterschool and Summer Programs
Assets to Increase Access and Engagement in STEM for Afterschool and Summer Programs
This portal includes a subsection of the IF/THEN® Collection assets that are especially relevant for afterschool and summer practitioners. These assets align with the Access to STEM Framework, developed by the National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP) for the Million Girls Moonshot, and relate to key strategies for increasing equity and inclusion in afterschool STEM such as addressing STEM stereotypes, making STEM personally relevant, implementing engineering mindset practices, and engaging in career exploration.
If you haven’t already, please watch the IF/THEN Collection Video Tour. Then browse the curated collections below or search the Full IF/THEN Collection.
Supporting Positive Youth Development
IF/THEN assets that showcase positive youth development strategies can help afterschool and summer programs create more engaging STEM learning experiences for girls, including encouraging confidence and self-efficacy in STEM and promoting youth voice.
Presenting Diverse STEM Role Models
Use IF/THEN assets to help girls see STEM professionals who are as diverse as they are, strengthening their ability to identify with STEM and see STEM as a potential career pathway.
Highlighting the Relevance of STEM
IF/THEN assets that show how STEM is relevant to girls’ lives, building on their interests and experiences and address topics and issues they care about can help engage girls in STEM.
Engaging Curriculum
Use IF/THEN assets to encourage implementation of strategies to engage all youth in afterschool and summer programs, such as using Engineering Mindset Practices and implementing hands-on, inquiry-based STEM activities to help youth connect STEM to their lives.
Focusing on 21st Century Skills
In addition to focusing on STEM, IF/THEN assets also encourage the development of 21st Century Skills that engage girls in STEM such as collaboration and a growth mindset.
Exploring STEM Careers
Use IF/THEN assets to present a variety of STEM careers and help girls explore diverse career pathways of STEM professionals to expand their vision of STEM careers and potential pathways to those careers.
The Million Girls Moonshot seeks to re-imagine who can engineer, who can build, who can make. It will inspire and prepare the next generation of innovators by engaging one million more girls in STEM learning opportunities through afterschool and summer programs over the next 5 years.
The vision of the National Girls Collaborative Project is to support and create STEM experiences that are as diverse as the world we live in. NGCP helped develop and manages the IF/THEN Collection.