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$175,000 Enhancement For Western Engineering Outreach's Free Digital Youth Programming

 

Western Engineering News | January 22, 2018

Western Engineering’s Outreach program is set to receive a generous and staggering contribution of $175,000 from Actua, a national charity dedicated to preparing the youth of Canada for any career path by building the foundations of knowledge in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).

Alongside 35 other university and college-based organizations, Western Engineering Outreach is a network member of Actua. With a collective reach of 250,000 youth each year, Actua provides resources to assist with STEM programming across the country.   

This grant is a portion of a Government of Canada funding program called CanCode, a $50 million-dollar fund, announced in the federal budget 2017, that is supporting the development of coding and digital skills for youth across Canada.   

Western Engineering Outreach has been providing programs, camps, workshops, and opportunities for youth to explore STEM for the last 28 years. Last year, Outreach provided programming for over 9,500 youth; almost 3,000 more than the previous year.

This investment serves as a major boost to provide free programming in the areas of digital skills and literacy. Western Engineering Outreach programs such as summer camps, high school leadership training, and partnering with the Boys and Girls Club of London, provide instruction in digital skills by engaging youth with hands-on activities around coding, building robots, and in some programs, even recreational hacking.

Additionally, this government initiative has planned for the investment to encourage more young women and Indigenous Canadians to pursue education and careers in STEM. This will enrich Outreach’s existing programs run specifically for these minority groups. Presently, Outreach runs a number of programs developed to encourage women in engineering, like a mentorship program for girls who are matched with women currently studying engineering at Western, as well as hosting two Ontario-wide events as part of ONWiE; Go CODE Girl and Go ENG Girl. Outreach has also partnered with the Chippewa of the Thames for both elementary and high school programs.

Western Engineering Outreach is committed to providing opportunities for elementary and high school students to explore the wonderful world of STEM. This investment of $175,000 means the free programming for youth and their families can continue to move forward with more resources, a greater community reach, and more hands-on coding and digital experiences.

For media inquiries about this story please contact,

Joanne Moniz
Manager, Engineering Outreach Programs
Western University
Rm. 2082, Spencer Engineering Building
London, ON, Canada, N6A 5B9
e. joanne.moniz@uwo.ca
t. 519.661.2111 ext. 86988| f. 519.661.3421