Young people are the thinkers and inventors of tomorrow. That’s why it’s important to foster excitement and confidence in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) at an early age. Avnet (Nasdaq: AVT) recently announced its continued support of Chief Science Officers (CSO), a global program that inspires youth to become STEM leaders.
What is Chief Science Officers?
CSOs are 11-18 year-old youth trained as STEM leaders and ambassadors in their schools and communities. At the program’s core is a commitment to teaching youth, including those from underserved, at-risk, and underrepresented populations, the critical skills and attributes needed to be lifelong leaders and active citizens. A key program goal is to place youth squarely in the center of STEM awareness, promotion, experience, and community action.
Avnet’s support has grown the program
Avnet became the largest corporate supporter of the CSO program in 2022, with a 2-year commitment to help grow the program globally. During that time, the number of CSO cabinets (groups of CSO that work together in a particular community) grew from 10 to 25. The number of youth involved in the program as a whole grew from 800 to 1,500.
New for year three – Avnet mini-grants
Each CSO is required to complete an Action Plan to amplify student voice by bringing their peers and community leaders together to ignite new opportunities in STEM and innovation. As part of its third year of support, Avnet is underwriting mini-grants to support the action plans of CSOs. CSOs will have the opportunity to apply for small grants (up to $250) to support their work. This opportunity will help take ideas from concept into reality.
“STEM education is one of our main focus areas for Avnet Cares,” said Nicole Freeman, vice president of Corporate Marketing and Communications for Avnet. “It is unusual to find a STEM education program that is truly global, impacting youth from across the world. Chief Science Officers brings together youth from diverse cultures to amplify the voice of STEM in their communities.”
“Research shows that youth bring a unique perspective to problem-solving,” stated Dr. Jeremy Babendure, Executive Director of SciTech Institute – the organization that runs CSO. “With this tremendous support from Avnet we continue to grow CSO and see youth increase their leadership capacity which will have lasting impacts on our communities long into the future.”
For more information, or to consider adding a Chief Science Officers cabinet to your community, please visit: https://chiefscienceofficers.org/
