Youth explore future in science
Four-day camp introduces young people in Tuktoyaktuk to new educational opportunities
Elaine Anselmi
Northern News Services
Monday, September 7, 2015
TUKTOYAKTUK
Using cardboard, masking tape and blown up plastic bags, Tuktoyaktuk children were challenged to protect a water balloon from a swinging weight - simulating safety features in a vehicle.
The project was a part of the DiscoverE Science program that ran out of the Jason Jacobson Youth Centre from Aug. 18 to 21.
DiscoverE is run out of the Faculty of Engineering at University of Alberta, and travels across the NWT and Northern Alberta, bringing the sciences to children 12 years old and under in remote communities. Since taking over running the youth centre in town three years ago, Sophie Stefure said DiscoverE has come through town every year.
"They're lucky that we get them to come in," said Stefure.
"Down south if they want to attend this camp they have to pay, so they're lucky they get it for free."
Numbers were down slightly this year, Stefure said, adding that it could be because everyone is out enjoying the last few days of summer weather.
The approximately eight participants that did show up for the programs, she said, seemed to really be enjoying it.
By showing children how fun the sciences can be, the program aims to encourage children to continue on in the subject.
"It gets them thinking, 'Hey, you know what? Not only is science cool but I could be doing it as a job,'" said Max Wagg, an instructor with DiscoverE, and engineering student at U of A.
"It gets kids considering post-secondary education."
Specifically, he said it encourages youth to consider engineering, though instructors of the program are students from various faculties at U of A, including sciences, education and arts.
DiscoverE instructors, such as Wagg, work with youth through various projects over a four-day period, giving them hands-on experiences. The seatbelt design project kept participants busy for a day and gave them an idea of how relevant science is to their daily lives – and how fun it is.
"We talk about safety features in cars, airbags and seat belts and various other safety constraints in place to keep us safe during a crash," he explained.
"We do projects like that to get them thinking about science and how it pertains to their daily lives."
As well as the summer camp – which Wagg said steers away from being too much like the classroom – DiscoverE runs 75-minute workshops throughout the school year.
The program was in Tuk earlier this year, though Wagg said he wasn't an instructor for that portion.
"One big part of discovery is making sure underrepresented groups in science are given, not only a chance to participate, but a chance to thrive," he said.
"We do come out too these aboriginal communities because, for the most part, they might not have the same access to scientific resources as they do in a big city like Edmonton."
And it's an opportunity that Stefure said is not lost on the children.
"They're exited about it," she said.
"When they're doing it, they're excitedly telling you about what they've made."
