On January 24th, the Chicago STEM Pathways Cooperative (STEM Co-op) hosted its first-ever Happy Hour. Many thanks to our friends from Shedd Aquarium for being such wonderful hosts!
The Happy Hour was a space for Co-op members and partners to build new connections and strengthen existing ones, while enjoying food, drinks, wonderful views, and learning more about how our work as a Cooperative fits into the national framework coming out of the White House. In alignment with the work of the Executive Branch’s Office of Science and Technology Policy and the STEMM Opportunity Alliance, Co-op Leadership has identified seven scopes of work that we hope to focus on in 2023 and beyond:
Capacity Building, Direct Service, Dismantling Barriers in College Admissions, Research, Volunteer Capacity, Workforce, & Youth Voice. These scopes of work will help guide our meetings and initiatives going forward, and all Co-op members will have the opportunity to meet in smaller committees around each of these areas. Please see below for more information about these scopes of work and to sign up for the subcommittee(s) you’d like to join!
Finally, Dr. Nichole Pinkard of Northwestern University spoke to attendees about the South Side STEM Learning Landscape Survey, the goals and potential of the project, and its synergy with the Co-op’s Citywide Surveys. Dr. Pinkard stressed the importance of relationships and connections between a wide variety of stakeholders as we work to provide STEM opportunities to youth.
