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STEM initiative comes to Henderson

The Daily Dispatch - 7/29/2018

July 29--Community leader Melissa Elliott of Henderson and her nonprofit have been chosen as part of the first wave in a new push from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to introduce more STEM opportunities to low to moderate income families.

The initiative is being led by Virginia-based nonprofit 360 Cradle to Careers, which has partnered with HUD to spread ENVISION Centers, or STEM Centers, all across the country starting with five pilot locations.

Henderson is one of those five pilot locations, along with locations in Texas, Maryland, Indiana and Virginia.

Each location will focus on bringing all kinds of service providers to their communities with specific focuses on educational advancement, economic empowerment, health and wellness and character and leadership.

Faith Linton is on the board of directors for 360 Cradle to Careers and said that they were looking for emerging areas around the country with passionate leaders that would be able to carry out the new STEM initiative.

"When we visited Henderson and knowing the challenges Henderson has... with kids not having accessibility to these kind of resources. It seemed like a no brainer for us to make sure that we included them as a pilot location," Linton said. "Melissa just fits the mold. She's doing wonderful in Henderson... she's hands on."

In order to carry out her part of opening a STEM center in Henderson, Elliott had to attend a four-day training program at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, where she learned new STEM activities to do with children and to teach to partners that will assist with the program.

"We were supposed to be empowered to train someone else. It was well over 90 activities. We did a lot of chemistry. We did just a lot of science. We did a lot of STEM," Elliott said.

This approach to teaching others how to teach STEM is called the Train the Trainer program, and tasks leaders like Elliott with bringing own partners to collaborate with to spread the STEM center's reach.

"They learned how to bring their STEM engagements back to their community and teach others how to advance the cause of teaching STEM in low income communities, get them excited and get them on board," Linton said.

Seeing as the initiative originates from HUD, the main collaborators for all five pilot locations will be the housing authorities in each of their respective communities.

Elliott will be working with the housing authorities in both Vance and Granville counties to reach families in both communities and train more individuals in STEM training.

"This is all about HUD and empowering youth that won't have the same opportunity as other kids that may have more resources and support," Elliott said. "So that's really what it's all about."

Elliott has already begun teaching STEM to the kids that attend her youth-centric nonprofit Gang Free Inc. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to noon not only can kids at Gang Free, but also kids from the wider community, can come to Gang Free to participate.

Some of the activities Elliott will be doing with the children will revolve around things like coding, chemistry and robotics.

Elliott will eventually find a standalone facility in Henderson where she can expand the STEM Center even further. However, for now she will continue to operate out of her Gang Free facility on County Home Road.

Elliott said she will be focusing on a STEM curriculum that caters to 5-year-olds up to middle schoolers.

"I want to get them early," Elliott said. "Get them engaged early... When I was asking some of the students here about careers in STEM they had no idea how many different careers you can actually do through STEM."

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(c)2018 Henderson Daily Dispatch, N.C.

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