IVLP Impact Awards Webinar Panel: Youth & STEM

On Wednesday, August 23, 2023, Meridian International Center hosted a virtual webinar panel of IVLP Impact Awardees with projects related to youth & STEM. The awardees discussed their IVLP Impact Award community impact projects, their work, and their inspiration & outreach.

Melissa Monge moderated the discussion with featured panelists Anantya, Angéla Jedlovszky-Hajdú and Awa Sy. The panelists connected over their shared experience on their IVLP project Hidden No More: Empowering Women Leaders in STEM, organized by the U.S. Department of State and FHI 360 and how their exchange experience influenced their IVLP Impact Award project.

For Anantya, her visit to Orlando exposed her to the power of involving families in STEM education which inspired her to create the Mother-Daughter STEAM Camp Project. Similarly to Anantya, Awa was inspired in Orlando and recalled meeting with "young girls at the Orlando Science Center, and they were showing us things that they created with robotics, and it was amazing. They showed us how they used this passion… and their creativity to be able to show it to their community.” Angela Jedlovszky-Hajdú also spoke about the various companies with whom she met on her IVLP project and the critical role the private sector plays in the long term and sustainable support of STEM education.

The panelists further discussed how the field is evolving with many now adopting the acronym STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math). The panelists answered questions from the audience about their respective IVLP Impact Award projects, community outreach and challenges in the field.

 

“We need to encourage children to explore, to ask questions and to discover things in a simple manner and through games and especially to let them make mistakes. It's very important for the learning experience” – Awa Sy, Panelist

If you have any questions, please reach out to the IVLP Impact Awards Team at IVLPImpactAwards@meridian.org.