Actua’s STEM programs reach 225,000 young Canadians each year.
Science-and-technology learning needs to start early to ensure the economy keeps growing through innovation
The camps and workshops are part play, part mental gymnastics. Depending on the program they sign up for, children might build a robot or bridge, create an animated 3D movie, or map out a plan for extracting minerals from the earth.
It may sound like all fun and games, but there's a serious purpose to these programs, offered each year to more than 225,000 young Canadians across the country. Actua, the national Canadian charity behind the programs, has been working for the last 21 years to get young students interested in studies and careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics – or STEM for short.
"We know that in Canada, there will heavy demand for STEM professionals in the future," says Jennifer Flanagan, president and CEO of Ottawa-based Actua, which has its origins in an engineering and science camp for children delivered by students at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont. "We're helping to open doors for future generations of scientists, mathematicians, technology developers and engineers, who are critical to innovation in Canada."
To unlock these doors to STEM studies and careers, Actua works through its 30-plus members – science and engineering outreach organizations located at universities and colleges. These student-run organizations lead camps, workshops and after-school clubs where kids can learn hands-on about STEM concepts. At the University of Waterloo, for instance, participants in Engineering Science Quest do things like build water wells – a lesson in simple machines and civil engineering – and mix chemicals to synthesize their favourite smells.
Actua also has its own outreach team of instructors who deliver programs to rural and remote communities beyond the reach of Actua member organizations. This outreach team has travelled as far as the Arctic to get young minds engaged in science and technology.
In addition to its member-led and outreach activities, Actua brings in volunteer mentors who engage kids in hands-on science activities and provide a glimpse into their lives as STEM professionals. A number of GE Canada employees, for example, have visited Actua camps and clubs to talk about the work they do at GE, says Flanagan.
"We're providing different experiences where young people can see how science and technology affects them and the world, and maybe get them thinking: 'This is a career I can have,'" she explains. "We know a lot of kids struggle with the relevance of what they're learning in school; these experiences connect the dots so they understand why science matters to you, your family and the world."
Actua's goal is to empower all young people through science, says Flanagan. This is why the organization is working to remove barriers for groups that are typically under-served and underrepresented in STEM fields.
"We have customized programs for girls, young women and high-risk communities," says Flanagan. "We work with immigrant associations and organizations such as the YMCA to reach these communities."
Through partnerships with than 200 Aboriginal organizations across Canada, Actua also brings its programs to more than 20,000 Aboriginal youth each year. About 10 years ago, the organization created an 'Actua in the North' program that holds workshops and camps in communities throughout the Northwest and Yukon territories, Nunavut, northern Quebec, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
"For kids in the North, getting to interact with someone who is in university and to learn all the neat things this person is doing in his or her science career, that can be a transformative experience," says Flanagan.
Many Actua programs are designed to address local needs, says Flanagan. For example, in Nunavut, where there is a dire shortage of health care professionals, Actua runs a health careers camp.
Last year, the organization launched a national mining program to promote careers in the country's mining sector. The organization expects to reach about 30,000 young people through this new program, including about 7,500 Aboriginal youth.
"Our intention with the national mining program is to be reflective of the opportunities in mining in Canada," says Flanagan. "And we especially want to ensure that Aboriginal youth can get careers in the sector and take leadership roles."
In addition to helping kids develop an interest – and in many cases, a passion – for science and technology, Actua also recently started to infuse its programs with lessons in entrepreneurship.
"We want to make sure our future scientists and engineers are thinking in an entrepreneurial way," says Flanagan, "because innovators need to understand the development process and how to get their products to market so they can bring an idea to a point where it can make a difference to a significant number of people."
Actua's efforts are making a difference, according to a three-year study by a University of Ottawa scientist. Surveys of thousands of participants found that, after going to an Actua camp, more than 80 per cent became more confident in their ability to do science, engineering and technology, and close to 75 per cent said they were more likely to study science in university.
"I've heard from people who started off as campers who became junior instructors, then became directors of our programs," she says. "And we have a lot of stories across the country about people who attended one of our programs and are now practising in the field."
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This content was produced by The Globe and Mail's advertising department, in consultation with GE. The Globe's editorial department was not involved in its creation.