The grant allows Operation Pathways to expand their drop-in youth programming for 30 children and families at Bayview Towers. The expanded program will include a series of formal maker and computer science (CS) activities that are personally meaningful, culturally relevant, and support youth development, as well as academic support. Programming will begin in Fall 2024 and will culminate in a makerspace showcase where the youth will showcase their work to family, friends, and the local community.

The recent National Educational Technology Plan called for closing the Digital Access, Design and Use Divides. As noted in the report, there is a gap between students who are “asked to use technology for creation, exploration, and critical analysis and those who are not – often students from historically marginalized backgrounds”. However, utilizing the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework, pioneered by our partner CAST, supports an inclusive and equitable education environment for all learners.

Makerspaces provide an additional layer of social and emotional learning, essential for individuals to thrive professionally. According to Dell Technologies and the Institute for the Future, 85% of the jobs that will exist in 2030 have not yet been invented. “Operations Pathways’ expanded makerspace youth programming aligns strongly with Infosys Foundation USA’s mission to engage underserved youth in inclusive computer science and maker education,” says Kate Maloney, Executive Director of Infosys Foundation USA. “Establishing a makerspace within an affordable housing community not only gives historically marginalized groups access to the technologies, digital skills, and experiences needed to shape the future; but, also inspires them to address critical community challenges and explore careers in computer science and STEM fields more broadly.”

“Universally designed makerspaces provide a range of ways to engage and provide lots of onramps and then opportunities to extend into more complex making. Co-designing an onsite makerspace with residents is a great way to ensure the maker movement draws on the talents of many and there is so much creativity within the Bayview community” Sam Johnston, CAST’s Chief Postsecondary and Workforce Development Officer.

The after-school youth program at the Bayview Towers Makerspace will leverage specific resources and courses from Infosys Foundation USA’s Pathfinders Online Institute, along with additional resources from other Foundation grantees and partners where relevant. Operation Pathways supports affordable housing residents in 20+ communities and, in collaboration with CAST and MakerUSA, plans to develop makerspaces and maker education programming in several additional communities, including Houston, Washington D.C., and New Orleans. The after-school programming developed through this grant could serve as a blueprint and model for these other affordable communities to use.

Beyond the broader benefits affordable housing creates within a community, the expanded youth program and homework support at Bayview will encourage residents to feel welcomed into the broader STEM community and Connecticut’s economic development landscape. Underrepresentation of low-income communities is often attributed to identity gaps. With this exposure, residents will build STEM identities and be more likely to pursue careers in STEM.

Colin Lacy, Co-Founder and CEO of MakerUSA explains, “Integrating makerspaces into affordable housing communities can increase interest and engagement in science, technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship, contributing to better access and success in STEM education and careers. This is an important step towards increasing social mobility and economic opportunity.”

About Operation Pathways 
Operation Pathways (OP) is changing the face of affordable housing. A subsidiary of The NHP Foundation, OP provides resident centered, innovative coaching within affordable housing communities, which residents choose to use to live their most successful and fulfilling lives through improved financial, health, educational and aging outcomes. Operation Pathways’ services expand resident opportunities and demonstrably improve life outcomes for adults and children, allow seniors to age in place, and provide a financial benefit for property owners and management.

About Infosys Foundation USA:
Infosys Foundation USA’s mission is to expand access to computer science and maker education for K-12 students and educators across the USA, while working to digitally upskill all learners for 21st century technology-enabled opportunities. The Foundation achieves impact through the delivery of professional development programs for teachers, K16 digital skills learning platforms, partnerships with leading nonprofits, and innovative media campaigns that inspire everyone to be creators, not just consumers, of technology.

About CAST: 
CAST is a nonprofit education research and development organization that created the Universal Design for Learning framework and UDL Guidelines, now used all over the world to make learning more inclusive. The acronym “CAST” derives from the original name of our organization, Center for Applied Special Technology. Now we’re simply CAST. CAST | Until learning has no limits®

About MakerUSA:
MakerUSA’s mission is to partner with the communities that have been most marginalized by unequal access and opportunity and support their goals to leverage maker education to drive community-led innovation and maker career pathways. MakerUSA’s model is built on community agency and the process begins when prospective Innovation Sites submit a letter of interest (LOI). Pending a financial sponsor for the Innovation Site, MakerUSA then locally recruits, embeds and continually trains and supports full-time Program Managers (PMs) on 12-18 month, renewable contracts. Meanwhile, through the Learning Network, MakerUSA engages over 30 leading institutions and organizations in shared learning, discussion and collaboration. MakerUSA currently has 49 pending Innovation Sites across 25 states.

Media Contact

marijane funess, www.nhpfoundation.org, 9148303754, [email protected], www.nhpfoundation.org

SOURCE www.nhpfoundation.org