Let's STEM together!

The awareness, distribution and accessibility of extracurricular STEM initiatives is not yet optimal for every child between the ages of 3 and 12 in Flanders. "Let's STEM together!" is an invitation to change this together, actively and sustainably.

Onderzoeksthema: Jonge makers; Ruimte voor verbinding en groei

Interessegebied: Education; People and Society

Looptijd: 1/09/2019 - 31/08/2023

Financing: VLAIO; PWO

Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) have become an integral part of education. Through STEM academies, children and young people also have the opportunity to experience (starting) STEM concepts, practice 21st-century skills and acquire STEM literacy outside school hours. However, the awareness, spread and accessibility of extracurricular STEM initiatives is not yet optimal for every child in Flanders. "Let's STEM together!" is an invitation to change this together, actively and sustainably.

We focus on municipalities in East Flanders where STEM provision for children aged 3 to 12 is currently still limited:

We list and promote existing initiatives that are still little known.
We broaden and enrich the offer of existing STEM academies.
We also create and implement additional STEM initiatives in new, easily accessible contexts.

We pay special attention to vulnerable and hard-to-reach target groups, such as children from underprivileged families, girls, children with learning disabilities, ASD, mild motor problems and gifted children. To achieve this, we establish various collaborations and build a broad network with various partners.

Geographical region: focus outside centre cities
Creating accessible contexts
Various sustainable collaborations
Broadening the offer of STEM academies
Creating a learning network

STEM-academy Artevelde UAS coordinates the project from the teacher training programme preschool, primary and secondary education and the programme PJK: education and coaching. The college works closely with STEM academy Fablab Astertechnics. We also enter into partnerships with a range of organisations ...

with expertise in STEM (such as existing STEM academies, nature education centres);
with expertise in reaching our target groups (such as De Katrol vzw, House of the Child);
who contribute to broadening and spreading the insights of this project (e.g. HoGent and Odisee).

We will set up a partnership that succeeds in appealing to hard-to-reach target groups with varied and creative STEM activities. We will roll out these activities broadly in the region north and south of Ghent. In addition, we want to share the insights on how to reach these target groups (what are the success factors and thresholds?) with the partners and other networks in Flanders. This way, we give more children the chance to deepen their intrinsic interest in (starting) STEM concepts.