#BackToSTEM Twitter chat August 15!

Are you ready to start fresh this fall with great STEM activities in your after school program?

The Coalition for Science After School will host a Twitter chat Wednesday August 15 at 12PDT/3EDT about getting ready to start a new school year - and a new year of after school -  full of programs rich in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).  

During this conversation, you will have the opportunity to share your tips for getting kids excited about science, discuss strategies for incorporating science into other after school activities, and learn about STEM resources and best practices in after school science education.

The chat will be co-hosted by The Coalition for Science After School (@sciafterschool), The National Girls Collaborative Project (@NGCProject), The New York Academy of Sciences (@NYASK12), and The Afterschool Alliance (@Afterschool4All).  

Featured Tweeters joining us will be other special guests from community organizations who are bringing STEM into learning experiences, including the Partnership for Youth Development (@NOLAYouthDev), the Executive Director of the National Afterschool Association Gina Warner (@NatAfterSchool), and the Director of the Coalition for Science After School Carol Tang (@CarolTang1).

To join the chat and see what others are saying:

1. Go to tweetchat.com and search for the hashtag #BackToSTEM.
2. You do not need a Twitter account to follow the chat, but you do need one to comment or ask questions. If you need to set up a twitter account, you can sign up at http://www.twitter.com. It’s free to join and only takes a minute.
3. To join the discussion, sign into TweetChat using your Twitter account and enter your tweets in the box at the top of the page. TweetChat automatically includes the hashtag for you.
4. Each tweet is limited to 140 characters (including the hashtag #BacktoSTEM) but feel free to multiple tweets to pose a question or respond to a comment.

The Coalition's Twitter handle is @sciafterschool.  Feel free to submit questions in advance, either by sending us a message on Twitter or emailing them to sarah.elovich@berkeley.edu. 

Looking forward to seeing you on the chat!

21st CCLC Summer Institute

Last week we teamed up with the National Afterschool Association to co-host a reception for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers' Summer Institute.  The Louisianna Children's Museum provided a fun environment for us to bring together science-rich institutions and youth development organizations.

At the reception Coalition Director Carol Tang and National Afterschool Association Executive Director Gina Warner expressed support for the work being done towards STEM programming in out-of-school time.

The Coalition for Science After School also held its annual retreat in New Orleans that week, with the purpose of connecting with many science after school stakeholders attending the 21st CCLC Summer Institue.  We are thankful that our friends at the local Partnership for Youth and Development let us use their lovely meeting space for the retreat!

Thank you to everyone who helped make the 21st CCLC Summer Institute a success!