Science, technology, engineering, arts, and math programs have been sweeping the nation and its classrooms, but some teachers are finding that not all students embrace the idea. Just because you built it – robots, in this case – doesn’t mean students will come.
Haitian-American Neirda Thompson-Pemberton had a successful career as a civil engineer, but she was dismayed by the lack of other people of color, especially women, in her profession. In the 2000s, Thompson-Pemberton made the decision to transition from her profession to help pave the way for more underrepresented kids to have the opportunity to explore coding, robotics, and even forensic science.
She volunteered with professional organizations, including The Florida Engineering Society, The Society of Civil Engineers and other organizations that hosted STEAM- based events for kids. But Thompson-Pemberton wanted to do more.
“We found that in some cases the complexity of the activity was enough just to scare a child away,” Thompson-Pemberton said. “It’s understandable. If they’ve never touched a computer before, how can you expect a child to sit down and learn how to code? They don’t even know how to save a file.”
In 2019, Thompson-Pemberton founded FUNducation as a better way to inspire students to dive into the STEAM world. FUNducation recently decided to focus on a quickly emerging market: video games and Esports.
“I realized we have to meet the kids where they are,” Thompson-Pemberton said. “The fact is that today kids are gaming in their free time or watching Esports, but they don’t realize there’s a whole world to learn from that industry.”
Support from Barancik Foundation
FUNducation recently received a $120,000 grant from Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation to expand its work, the largest gift the organization has received to date. The funds will be used to hire more staff and help build more community partnerships. FUNducation plans to team up with Sarasota County Schools and also create a pipeline with local colleges that already have Esports programs.
FUNducation is one of the first organizations in the country to get HADO, an augmented reality game that acts like a virtual kind of dodgeball. Kids as young as 6 can participate by putting on virtual reality headsets, which turns the environment into a digital interface with virtual objects in the real world (indoor or outdoor).
“PE is the only subject in schools that hasn’t been touched by STEAM,” Thompson-Pemberton said. “If you think about it, gym class is still being taught like it was in the ’50s and ’60s. This technology could be revolutionary because it not only helps kids learn and become more digitally literate, but they are also active and utilizing their bodies.”
FUNducation’s Esports program also aims to engage students in the skills and careers they will find in the booming, multi-billion-dollar industry of video games and Esports. The plan is to teach children the ins and outs of design, video creation, event planning, online streaming, and even Esports law and team management.
“Many people don’t realize that the young people who are gaming professionally these days are entrepreneurs,” Thompson-Pemberton said. “There’s a lot we could all learn from them.”
FUNducation Inc. is a nonprofit with a mission to engage and inspire youth to be the innovators of tomorrow. For information, visit funducation.org.
The Barancik Foundation creates initiatives and awards grants in Sarasota and beyond in the areas of education, humanitarian causes, arts and culture, the environment, and medical research. Visit barancikfoundation.org.
Submitted by Murray Devine
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