Youth Outreach in Science

“Expenses advertising and promotion 3,165 software 1,298 background checks 380 office supplies 1,120 insurance 1,118 robotics expenses 16,311 stem saturday 1,867 yes to stem 4,357 science fair 27 gstem 1,442 state forms and taxes 20 training 874 payroll admin fees 1,374 community events 781 donation fees 482 total 34,616”

“Inventories for sale or use 0 1,792 total 0 1,792”

“Accounts payable and accrued expenses 1,012 130”

“Youth outreach in science technology engineering and math (yo-stem) is a nonprofit organization whose aim is to empower underserved students by educating them through hands-on stem experiences and engaging them in stem through independent ownership. We serve students in grades prek-12 as well as the following demographics: cultural minorities, girls, lgbtq+, and students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds. Yo-stem provides 3 programs to expose students to stem: girls in stem (gstem), stem saturday, and a co-ed competitive robotics club. We want students to have a fun experience exploring the vast range of what stem has to offer, while fueling the pipeline of diverse students into stem. Outreach initiatives that introduce young students to stem professions that look like them allows more women and minorities to make valuable contributions to their field of study.”

“Thanks to the funding we received from donors we were able to conduct our 3 flagship programs, exposing students to stem via: girls in stem (gstem), stem saturday, and competitive robotics club. In alignment with our overarching mission, we emphasize the importance of exploration within stem disciplines while imparting essential research and engineering methodologies. We engage stem professionals from diverse backgrounds to provide students with the opportunity to interact with role models and gain insights from real-life scientists and engineers. The presence of individuals who resemble our students and are successfully engaged in their desired professions serves as a powerful source of encouragement, reinforcing the belief that their aspirations are attainable. Yo-stem hosted afterschool programs at two middle schools in east tennessee. We hosted ourrobotics program at vine middle school, a priority school where 84% of the student population is black or hispanic, 53% are economically disadvantaged, and only 6.5% are mastering grade-level standards in math and ela compared to 37.2% for the entire school district and 37.6% for the state(state of tennessee, 2024). Girls in stem is hosted at south doyle middle school, where 32% ofthe student population is black or hispanic, 32% are economically disadvantaged, and only 11.8% are mastering grade-level standards in math and ela compared to 37.2% for the entire school district and 37.6% for the state (state of tennessee, 2024). Students involved in our clubs exhibit ability in stem, yet could be impacted by the challenges ofattending a tsi (targeted support and improvement) school. By engaging them in stem activitieson a regular basis and promoting ownership, we are ensuring a long-lasting lovefor stem, igniting an interest in stem careers, both of which will contribute to their academic success and college readiness. During the 2024-2025 robotics season we have served 15 students (2 girls, 11 boys, and 2 non-binary individuals) to form 4 teams: team ultramainium (co-ed), team g (co-ded), uraniumdonkeys (boys), and radium (co-ed). Students competed in three vex iq robotics competitions for the opportunity to qualify for the state competition. Teams ultramainium and uranium donkeys won judges award and 2nd place teamwork champion, respectively, in their first roboticscompetition that was held in chattanooga tn, november 2024. Team radium took home the judges award at the february vex robotics competition held in corryton tn. The game thisseason was very challenging, unfortunately, none of the teams qualified for the state championship.the game this season was very challenging, unfortunately, none of the teams qualified for the state championship. Our gstem program at sdms has successfully reached its capacity, providing weekly stemprogramming to 15 girls. These students participate in the building and piloting of drones, learningelectronic circuitry, and studying formulations for cosmetic sciences. With the help of 33 volunteers, we have been able to bring impactful stem programming and activities to over 200 students via our after-school programs and community involvements, at no cost to the studentsfiscal year 2025.”