2019 is going to be an amazing year for our organization and we need your help to continue to drive results. Starting tomorrow you will begin to see and hear some exciting news regarding our progress as an organization and the work we have accomplished. We have our upcoming Code-A-Thon program that is now in its fourth year of running. Normally we would send out our metrics post the program to share with our sponsors and supporters of our organization. This year I thought we might take a different approach and share some metrics earlier, with the goal to get more sponsors to help support our success.

Week One of Creating S.T.E.A.M. 2017!

We wanted to provide you and update on the CreatingSTEAM program and our first-week summary. Week one was a big success, students arrive by bus each day from Long Island to the Microsoft facility in Times Square NYC.  The students join with other students from the NY Metro area, coming in from NJ and the NYC communities.

As I reflect on 2016, I would like to share with our community our organizational changes, our growth, and a look ahead into 2017. Instead of creating one long blog post that would be difficult for most busy people to find the time to consume, I will be posting a series of short blogs to ensure that each update gets the attention it deserves. I hope you find it informative and valuable. 

Another year of CreatingSTEAM has passed and it is with deep emotion that our team separates after almost three weeks of preparing, training, and then delivering an incredible ten-day program for students ages 13-18 years old.  Students enter the first day confused, nervous, and unsure of what to expect.  They exit energized, more mature, with new friendships, mentors, and empowered to continue learning. How can all this be possible in just 10 days, you might ask? In its third year of development and continuing to be shaped each year this immersive program challenges students to find their strengths and stretch outside their comfort zones. 

CreatingSTEAM 2016 is quickly approaching. In just a few weeks, students from all across the New York Metro Area will arrive at Microsoft NYC for two weeks of immersive STEAM learning, team building, and entrepreneurial challenges, working together to solve real problems facing humanity and learning valuable skills for the future. This year, students will also enjoy working with our international partners from Australia, as their team of students, teachers, and industry professionals will be joining us for the program to see how the model can be applied back at home. 

What does "community" mean today? In a fast-paced world where we are all running in many different directions to manage our work schedules, family obligations, and personal commitments, how do we support our communities? How do you find the time and resources to get involved?

From January 8-10, 2016, students from Western Australia, New York, and Philadelphia collaborated across the internet to solve global challenges using technology.  With the support of Microsoft, ILuka Resources as our host in Perth AU, and our US hosts, St. Joseph High School in Brooklyn and Penn Wood Middle School in Darby, PA., this program provided students an opportunity to explore coding HTML5 (the Hypertext Markup Language) and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), two of the core technologies for building Web pages. HTML provides the structure of the page, CSS the (visual and aural) layout, for a variety of devices.

I ask my students and my team every day to “get uncomfortable to get comfortable.”  In order to move forward in life, you have to be willing to stretch yourself out of your comfort zone (“get uncomfortable”) to begin to feel comfortable with new ways of working or learning to do things differently. Today, I am practicing that by writing this blog post.  And I will be asking you to do the same as well (read until the end).  Our education system seems to be at a crossroads.  If you are a parent, a teacher, a board member, a business owner, a student, or anyone involved in working in or around our schools today, you are probably aware of this. 

If you have been reading my Giving Tuesday Student stories you have heard mention of the concept of getting uncomfortable to get comfortable. What exactly does that mean?    This is a message we express in all of the programs we deliver.  When you are learning something new it can feel quite uncomfortable.  Once you push yourself beyond your comfort zone or the boundaries of what you already know it can take on a feeling of awkwardness and make you want to run in the other direction.  But pushing yourself to let go of that sense or feeling allows you to open yourself to new knowledge. As you stretch into new territory whether it be learning a new skill, starting a new job, or reinventing yourself into an entirely new career your brain has to adjust to the new emotions that come along with it. 

My mom was very much a networker, someone who realized in order to be successful in business she needed to engage wherever possible to meet people that could support building her network of potential customers.  She was in the real estate market and belonged to a number of women's organizations as well as the chamber of commerce.  She modeled for me the value of building networks and that being successful meant you needed to get as much help as possible to support your goals. As I struggled to build my career she played a role in her network to introduce me to a business owner who ran a small business equipment supply store who then hired me.  That introduction was key to where I am today.  It was a stepping stone that helped lead me to my next opportunity and build a foundation of skills for me that allowed me to move to bigger opportunities.