As we bring in a new year, the Outreach Committee is very excited to share with you the accomplishments of the FY20 committee and our plans for the second half of the fiscal year. Below is a highlight of some of the work done by the work groups so far and what you can do to help!
One of our biggest accomplishments of 2019 was to start up the new Outreach Committee Structure. The new structure was developed as part of the plan to focus the Outreach Committee on adult advocates and the newly created Student Programs Committee on K-12 students/SWENext Program. With the support of outstanding outreach volunteers, new Outreach Committee Work Groups were created and focused on empowering adult advocates (members and non-members alike) to introduce girls to engineering, cultivate a STEM identity and bring those students into SWENext. Below I would like to introduce to you our FY20 Outreach Leadership Team.
I would also like to welcome all of you who read this blog and who are interested in outreach. Your interest is very important to this committee and we look forward to your participation in outreach through your sections/affiliates and those efforts you make on your own. Ultimately, outreach is a lot of fun, but it is even more rewarding to know we are encouraging the next generation of students to choose engineering for a great and rewarding career! To help support all your efforts, we have a lot of activities going on.
Please feel free to reach out to me, Sadaf Qazi FY20 Outreach Committee Chair, at outreach-chair@swe.org if you have any questions or would like further information!
Publications Work Group
The Publications Work Group is developing the Annual Section Outreach Guide which is an annual publication that includes programming provided by the Outreach Committee, a calendar of events, social research related to Outreach, and resources from our partner. They also create the SWENextED Publication which is a monthly newsletter with information sent to K-12 Educator Members and public subscribers, including webinars of these resources, social media of the publications, and posting resources on the SWENext website.
How You Can Help: Help us increase newsletter subscribers!
Do you know a K-12 STEM Educator? Are you curious about how to inspire the next generation of engineers? STEM teachers, counselors and adult advocates appreciate tips on how to talk about engineering and the SWENextEd Educator Newsletter provides everyday tips you can use to introduce engineering into the classroom. Subscribers of the newsletter will receive regular updates on SWE resources designed to build a more inclusive engineering experience particularly for young women.
Subscribe to the K-12 Educator Newsletter and let K-12 Educators in your area know about our FREE subscription to the K-12 SWENextEd Educator Newsletter.
Research and Development (R&D) Work Group
The R&D Work Group is focused on providing data-driven recommendations to the SWE Advocacy leadership team regarding outreach initiatives related to adult stakeholders, including parents, teachers, and other significant partners. They also facilitate development of new programs to help adults be better advocates for SWE’s messaging and establish framework for global advocacy, including local infrastructure to support SWE’s mission.
One of the key areas of effort for this work group is developing a global outreach process. These efforts will enable adult advocates globally to plan and deliver outreach in support of SWE’s mission through our global affiliates and partners. Our current international teaming efforts are with SWE India.
Resources Work Group
The Wow! Innovation Challenge recognizes the innovative outreach techniques being used by SWE sections, MALs, and global affiliates. SWE hosts two “challenges” per year where a section/MAL will be recognized for a unique, creative approach to a component of outreach. SWE will award a $1,000 outreach stipend to the winning section/MAL/affiliate and will share the winning entries with the entire society.
We have just completed our first Wow! Innovation Challenge of FY20. For this first round we received 14 qualifying submissions. The judges are currently reviewing the submissions and will announce the winner in late January.
How You Can Help: Participate in our “Wow! Innovation Challenge”
Stay tuned for the second challenge – below is a sample of the first challenge:
“There are many great organizations that share SWE’s core values to foster an interest in STEM and empower young women. Partnering with organizations such as Girl Scouts, FIRST Robotics, SWENext clubs, and more can allow SWE outreach groups to engage with a wider audience that have similar interests. How has your SWE section partnered with other groups in outreach? How did you identify and involve the other organization?”
Outreach Metric Tool (OMT)
This data is collected from our SWENext membership and the Outreach Metric Tool (OMT). SWE’s Outreach Committee relies on member feedback to tell an accurate story about the outreach we do as a society, to improve our programming and secure grant funding. Check out the Assessment Work Group’s latest SWE Counts Newsletter on All Together highlighting the impact SWE members have.
How You Can Help: Don’t forget to enter your K-12 outreach events into the Outreach Metric Tool.
The Outreach Metric Tool is a simple 10-question survey, and an easy way for you to share your great outreach efforts and best practices with SWE.
Training and Certification Work Group
The Training and Certifications Work Group members are working diligently to create new and update existing training for adult advocates and SWE members interested in working with youth via outreach. Their key deliverable is to establish a certification process for key areas to ensure that SWE members/adult advocates have the necessary training and experience to perform in outreach roles. The Introducing Girls to Engineering team is evolving online training and certification for individuals on best practices related to introducing girls to engineering topics and working with underserved youths.
This work group also moved the Invent It. Build It. (IIBI) Volunteer Orientation training to SWE’s Advance learning platform. The purpose of this course is to provide a roadmap for volunteers, so they know what is expected to help make IIBI a successful event for all! After completing this course, you will be able to identify the required training for IIBI volunteers, outline the role model training requirements, identify key IIBI volunteer logistics (location and check-in), and describe the responsibilities of each IIBI volunteer position.
Related content:
- SWE & Milex Host Hands-On Outreach Event for SWENexters in Nigeria
- Eastern NC SWE Inspires Girl Scouts to “Be That Engineer!”
- Engineer Stays on Course With Help From Mentors
