STEM Activities Excite Youth

Youth and their families recently came to San Bernardino to take part in the, Read and Grow Rich S.T.E.M. Program, at the Henderson Auditorium at Community Hospital of San Bernardino. Mobile Commerce Digital Technology Alliance together with Mobile Science Labs and other key organizations hosted the free local event to expose San Bernardino youth and their parents to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) related activities. Cynthia Frazier is the founder of the Mobile Commerce Digital Technology Alliance and started the program two years ago and shares that she is committed to bringing STEM awareness to the San Bernardino Community and surrounding cities in the Inland Empire. She said, “It is a technology non-profit to bring [technology] out of the box and bring awareness opportunities to the community in regards to technology. My heart is in San Bernardino and I would really like to see technology discussion in the community, outside of school. My passion is getting it on the ground of the community, I really want to encourage people to be more tech-savvy. When we think of STEM, we automatically think of schools, in order for STEM to be effective, in the community and need community-based programs because the schools can only do so much. They need the community support behind what they support what they do during the day. When you get involved on the community level, it enhances their education.” The Read and Grow Rich S.T.E.M. Program had many different elements and stations kids and their families took part in over the course of the day. Thirty children came with their families and Frazier said, “Our event is run by other student leaders and run by youth and the kids love seeing other youth involved.” There was a portion of the event called “Stop Drop and Read” where young children either read out loud to the kids or everyone read a book silently. She said, “The kids were so impressed by a 4 year old who read to them and they all wanted to read too.” Other stations included; an electrical station where kids took a plastic Easter egg and put a light in it to light it up, a fossil station where Robert Porter, also known as Indiana Rob The Fossil Guy came to show youth his fossils, and a youth leader who showed the kids how to make an arrow shooter to pop balloons. One popular station was the bunny car station where kids used Twinkies, marshmallow bunnies, peppermint candies, and pretzels to make a car. Frazier said, “It’s simple and it’s making something and using their hands which [brings] together cognitive thinking and its fun while making them think about the tools they need to use to make the bunny car work.” 5th grader, Daniel Patterson of the radio show, “Ask Danny” came to speak with kids and the kids were really impressed with him said Frazier who said, “I think if you can impress children then you’ve made a big hit.”