Girls' Summit: Kids Day for the Community

For years, the most common request received regarding Kids Day was “Can you extend the age range?”  Unfortunately, our school/work days are constrained by room availability and class schedules.  It has also proven difficult to increase the number of groups, increase group sizes across the board and to increase the range of ages within a group.  Thus, when Girls Inc. approached a few years ago, we realized that there was another way to accomplish this, and simultaneously increase our reach.  We worked with Girls Inc, C-STEP, SU STEP and with support of individuals in student Affairs and Outreach to plan and execute the 3^rd Annual CNY Girls Summit STEAM Career Conference at ESF for area middle and high school girls on April 29, 2017. 

Of the eight workshops offered during the program, half had very close ESF ties. Alumna Ms. Tiffany Brookins-Little, now with Bristol Myers-Sqibb, steered participants though a fermentation exercise.  ESF SCIENCE staff led exercises in watershed modeling and with wind turbines.   In addition, our students delivered the keynote address (Madison Morely) and joined the College Preparation Panel (Alana Lindsey and Shewa Shwani) with moderator Mel Menon and students from Upstate Medical University, FM High School/ESF in the High School, and Le Moyne College.  They also served as “Group Guides,” along with students from other institutions and community members (all vetted as per the SUNY Child Protection Policy).  We changed the age-range slightly this year, to focus on grades that can build on their experience next year through SU STEP (or similar program that works with their home schools) and the ESF in the High School program.   

Post-workshop surveys indicated that participants left with a greater interest in science and math than when they arrived. They were introduced to new careers as well; 88% rated the topics as important to them, and 98% rated the overall program as interesting and the experience as good to excellent.  Despite the school-day length of the program, 20% of the suggestions called for more or longer sessions, saddened the schedule only allowed four workshops each.