The Aviation Community Foundation Works With Youths To Promote STEAM Education

Those of us in general aviation have long known that participating in aviation has been a proven way to expand the horizons of youths by having them look towards the sky. In this report, we found an organization that works with youths, many of them disadvantaged, to promote what is referred to as STEAM education.

Briefly put, STEAM education is science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) with the added ‘A’ to represent the addition of Art + Design.

The Aviation Community Foundation held its first annual "Elevate Workshop" October 14-15 at Centennial Airport in Colorado which brought together aviation educators from around the country to participate in a first of its kind, intensive workshop. The Elevate Workshop aimed to give educators tools and resources to take their programs to the next level.

Over the last six months, the Aviation Community Foundation visited and researched over 30 aviation related educational programs, including aviation high schools and STEAM programs led by museums and nonprofits. They visited both successful and struggling programs across the country.

A key finding was that every program, even the successful, face challenges that are difficult to overcome because they do not have access to resources and best practices. "Visiting these programs allowed our team to see the tremendous opportunity which lies in the power of collaboration," said Ethan Martin, founder of Aviation Community Foundation.

Currently, there is no central hub for aviation education, but ACF’s mission is to change that, beginning with the October Elevate Workshop. Guest speakers represented a full range of entrepreneurial, executive and industry leadership perspectives including Google, Jeppesen, Gulf Coast Avionics and US Air Force.

The workshops took a strategic business approach, focusing on topics such as building a solid board, fundraising tactics and utilizing technology. “[I] really appreciated the high-level and fresh approach to the subject areas – good combination of established best practices and innovative ones” said one Elevate participant. In addition, participants will be able to collaborate with peers for the first time ever.

Based upon the success of the first event, additional programs are being developed for 2017.

FMI: www.Aviation-Community.org