Staff member Josie shares her experience facilitating the first ever Australia/New Zealand cohort of the AFS Global STEM Changemakers programme
Earlier this year, 75 young leaders from Australia and New Zealand came together to participate in AFS’s Global STEM Changemakers programme, and I was lucky enough to become one of the facilitators for the group! This incredible full-
Over the course of 12 weeks, the participants completed learning modules, met in smaller groups on Zoom each week, conducted interviews, developed their understanding of global STEM challenges like the climate emergency, and capped it all off by creating a prototype of a solution for a problem they had identified in their community. These problems included food waste and lack of access to affordable food; lack of education and empowerment in communities around issues like the climate emergency and natural disasters; lack of career planning and financial support for young people wanting to go into jobs that make a difference; and so much more.
Some final project highlights from the 2 Global STEM groups I facilitated:
- Alex was concerned about the lack of safe access from his neighbourhood to the local shop alongside a busy highway. He designed a new pathway and is now in talks with his local council to implement it!
- David developed an informational brochure in te reo Māori and English about geothermal energy. He wanted to support his iwi’s understanding of the economic and environmental potential of the geothermal activity in their rohe. He plans to pursue a career in this field to contribute to his community and to the climate justice movement.
- Hina prototyped a rangatahi group to address the disempowerment and lack of connection among her peers in a small community. Her prototype involved leadership from older teens to support younger students, creating a space for learning around issues that affect them directly, and building a local movement where teens can become engaged in politics and activism in meaningful ways.
The AFS Impact
Facilitating this Global STEM course was a magical experience. It really reminded me that the principles of AFS can be communicated in so many different formats apart from just the traditional in-person exchange programmes. Through their Global STEM project, the participants developed empathy, multiple ways of looking at a situation, and the sense of being part of a wider global community and having a responsibility to make that community better – all skills which our exchange students learn on programme, but created through a different experience. It was really satisfying to bring the AFS message to a whole new group of teens who wouldn’t necessarily have the chance to go on an AFS exchange, but who care about the same values and want to make the world a better place.
AFS NZ has already experienced the benefit of this expansion. Each Global STEM cohort had a student mentor – a recent graduate of the programme who volunteered to help as a junior facilitator – and our mentor Emily had already signed up to volunteer with AFS NZ because she wanted to stay engaged! The Nelson Press also wrote a wonderful article on the three students from Nelson who participated. We’re looking forward to welcoming new alumni from this special edition as volunteers in the future.