The BIPOC STEAM Ecosystem
we are building collective power to disrupt who has access to STEAM Pathways
Why
Students from low-income communities, immigrant communities, and Black and Brown communities have fewer opportunities and limited access to meaningful Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) learning and career connection experiences. In most circumstances, STEAM learning for BIPOC youth is gated behind systemic geographic, economic, educational, language and cultural barriers.
One meaningful solution to this problem is to support BIPOC youth and families to build or strengthen a love of STEAM, STEAM knowledge, and an understanding of STEAM pathways from an earlier age, before they may have self-selected out due to lack of opportunities. We believe that no one is better situated to provide this intervention than culturally specific organizations who share languages, cultures, relationships and trust with youth and their families.
In order to build this solution at scale, the Portland Metro
STEM Partnership (PMSP) joined with partners focused on
providing services to BIPOC youth to create the BIPOC STEAM
Ecosystem in 2020. Support from Meyer Memorial Trust provided the partner staff time and investment in partner programs to launch the Ecosystem. Today, six partner organizations work together to secure funding to plan and deliver culturally specific STEAM programs to youth, plan collaborative events, and support each other in critical work.
The Ecosystem’s primary goals
To design and implement an ongoing system of support for high quality STEAM education for underrepresented BIPOC youth and girls
To expand access to culturally affirming, high dose, STEAM and career connected learning for children, youth and families across the region.
Our Partnership
Ecosystem decisions are made by the Ecosystem partners, with each organization having a voice in crafting decision choices and a vote in making each decision. Portland Metro STEM Partnership is dedicated to working as an ongoing *ally to support the BIPOC STEAM Ecosystem collective and the individual organizations; Portland Metro STEM staff do not vote in Ecosystem decisions. We believe that situating decision-making power and programming ownership with partners from culturally specific organizations is best for youth and families. PMSP’s role has been to convene the Ecosystem partners, to support grant writing, to support facilitation of regular meetings for Ecosystem partners to plan programs, events, and fundraising efforts, and to support the management of funds from the various grants.
The Portland Metro STEM team staff and Co-directors (at the time) Kristen Harrison and Jerian Abel met to discuss the opportunity and quickly identified a goal to support community based organization partners with a focus on those serving diverse youth and youth underserved in STE(A)M fields. This includes girls, youth of color, and youth navigating poverty. Portland Metro STEM committed from the outset that funds raised would not pay for Portland Metro STEM staffing or programming. Thanks to the Ignite Partnership, a total investment of $3.7M was made into STEAM programs, further expanding access across our region.
Results of the Partnership
Programs: The $3.7M in funding has made it possible for organizations to hire STEAM education staff, host additional programs, create community focused STEAM events, and to purchase materials to support STEAM programs. To date, Ecosystem funds have supported over 4700 youth experiences, funded the creation of over 2500 STEM kits for families, and provided over 1800 hours of STEM programming for young people.
STEAM Leadership infrastructure: As part of the work as an Ecosystem, members have created a shared decision making process, ensuring every organization gets a vote and a voice in how decisions are made. Leadership from the six community specific organizations meet regularly to share program updates, strategize pursuing additional funding, and support one another. PMSP continues to support the Ecosystem by convening partners, hosting meetings, leading grant writing efforts, and supporting administrative tasks, thus allowing the partner organizations to focus their energy on decision making and impact.
As a collective, Ecosystem partners raised $2.1M to support expanding access to STEAM programming for BIPOC youth, $1.6M of which was then matched by the Ignite Partnership grant via OCF. Ignite partnerships was a “challenge grant” opportunity funded by the Oracle settlement dollars that went to the Oregon Community Foundation. It was only open to Oregon STEM hubs. The phrase “challenge grant” was used to mean that for every dollar the applicant raised they could be matched by the Community Foundation with another dollar, a one to one match.
“I want to share a testimony of the incredible impact the STEM program has had on my family's life. I am a proud parent of a 10-year-old daughter who has been part of this program since its inception last year.
As a family from a low-income immigrant background, we have faced our share of challenges. But thanks to the generosity of the Iraqi Arabic School and the opportunities provided by STEAM, our journey has taken an extraordinary turn.
When my daughter first received her STEM kit midway through last year, we embarked on a journey of discovery and learning, unlike anything we had experienced before.
Watching my daughter immerse herself in the world of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics has been nothing short of inspiring.”
