Agoura Hills, CA – To help prepare local community youth for the future workforce as the next generation of scientists, tech innovators, engineers and mathematicians, local companies are joining with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley (BGCGCV) to provide STEM education.
Both the Amgen Foundation and Sensata Technologies Foundation are providing grants to help fund the BGCGCV STEM program. This vital program typically provides over 4,000 elementary and middle school youth with differentiated STEM education that develops their skills (technical and social-emotional) and begins their trajectory toward community strengthening STEM jobs. In 2021, due to COVID restrictions, the program will reach at least 2,500 youth.
The grant program also enables the BGCGCV to continue outreach activities to underrepresented youth and girls, including increasing scholarships to those most vulnerable to the academic impacts of COVID-19 school closures, while expanding the pilot Tech Girls Rock program at the BGCGCV.
“Even though STEM education is so important, unfortunately many youths are not adequately prepared to take advantage of these opportunities,” stated Dr. Crystal Nāone, President/CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley. “Public schools struggle under funding constraints and have to deal with socioeconomic concerns on top of academic concerns,” continued Nāone. “Many parents can’t afford out-of-school STEM programs and we are so fortunate that the BGCGCV is in the position to bridge the broad disparities affecting youth ability to access and succeed in STEM. “We are opening our doors for full-day programming during school closures and we will do everything we can to ensure that STEM instruction is made available to our most vulnerable and all are prepared to enter the competitive workforce in the future,” she added.
About STEM Careers
STEM careers offer secure futures for youth and are projected to grow significantly over other professions with higher earning potential. Forecasts indicate by 2022 California will have the largest STEM workforce in the nation. Studies have shown in California that there are two STEM-related online job postings for every jobseeker with STEM skills. Local companies much recruit from outside of their communities, even outside the country, for qualified staff. A June 2020 McKinsey & Company study predicts if in-class instruction did not resume until January 2021, “students who remained enrolled could lose 3-4 months of learning if they receive average remote instruction, 7-11 months with lower-quality remote instruction, and 12-14 months if they do not receive any instruction at all.” Reports also indicated that further loss will be “greatest among low-income, black, and Hispanic students.”
For more information on the Boys & Girls Cubs of Greater Conejo Valley, visit www.bgcconejo.org.
About the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley (BGCGCV) is currently open all day at 6 locations to support youth that are attending school virtually. In typical times, they are open at 9 sites before and after school, during lunch, on weekends, for summer camp, and all-day during school vacations. Tours of the Clubs are available upon request. The Boys & Girls Clubs also offer a variety of employment positions with excellent benefits and ongoing professional development. For more information about employment opportunities, supervised youth programs, to donate, volunteer, or register online, log onto www.bgcconejo.org or call 818-706-0905.
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