Young students in Ibero America have limited access to high quality STEM Education. This problem is coupled with a lack of role models and educational resources which put students in disadvantage in a globalized world that demands higher STEM qualifications and skills. We target youth to educate, inspire, and empower the next generation of innovators and scientists in the region.
Teams in our network implement a series of free, project-oriented, hands-on, Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Innovation (STEM) workshops for high school and undergraduate students. These workshops, also known as “Clubes de Ciencia” are lead by young scientists from top universities in the world and are focused on contemporary topics ranging from bioengineering and artificial intelligence, to genome editing.
A "Club" is designed and implemented by two instructors; one based abroad (US, Europe etc) and one based in one of the countries where we operate (Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, Spain, Paraguay). Each club selects between 15-25 students for a full week of activities (minimum 40 Hrs). The Clubes are primarily taught in the local language or in English, according to the needs and level of our target population. Our model is innovative because we empower young scientists, to create an educational impact in underserved youth communities.
The "Clubes de Ciencia" Program started in Mexico in 2014 and it is currently implemented in 8 countries, in over 21 cities. More than 15,000 students, and more than 850 instructors have participated. We have delivered more than 600 Clubes de Ciencia to date. Each country has an organizing team, mostly volunteers who are responsible for the program implementation. We partner with with local universities and schools in host countries to obtain access to computers, labs, classrooms, and equipment. By bringing the students to universities, the clubes also offer them the opportunity to be completely immersed in a higher education and a research environment. Our program has been recognized by the United Nations because we meet several of the 2030 sustainable development goals.
To be part of the network of Science Clubs International we encourage interested teams to contact us to discuss partnership opportunities. We provide support to plan, organize and deliver a pilot project. Through our network we provide organizational support and resource sharing.
