Something that makes the SIM organization unique to the industry is the powerful relationships that members have at the local and national levels, internally and with their communities. The passion SIM members have for our industry is unmatched, you can see that through the various STEM Outreach efforts.
Since 2005, SIM chapters have engaged in local community "give back" programs to encourage students from elementary school through early adulthood to pursue degrees and careers in Information Technology. These extensive efforts serve the industry’s best interests; for-profits, non-profits, governments, and academics which employ the next generation of IT leaders and fulfill a key part of SIM’s mission by promoting IT careers.
STEM Outreach is central to most existing Chapter Community Outreach programs and STEM initiatives are expected to expand. Through the extraordinary efforts of our chapters, SIM’s Outreach Program has mobilized hundreds of volunteers and donated over $1.7 million last year towards scholarships and funding of local STEM initiatives.
We spoke with four chapters about their STEM outreach efforts and best practices, to share amongst the overall organization. We believe this shared information and synergy among chapters will increase the impact of our STEM Outreach program.
The value of STEM outreach doesn’t come from a chapter’s size or the scale of their donation; it comes from passion. Whether it’s time or money being dedicated; it’s all about our members going out into their communities and offering out a hand to the next generation. We first spoke with the
Capital Area chapter, a smaller chapter, whose STEM efforts are still in the beginning stages.
Regardless of the challenges that come with their chapter size, geographical location, and that the area is mostly government organizations, they're starting to see some traction! Focusing mainly on the “T” in STEM, their goal is to develop an interest in tech, specifically the IT field for the future workforce. Starting at the K-12 level and young adults, post-high school and college, they’ve implemented various programs in their community.
About 10 years ago, the program started solely based on providing scholarship assistance to students of the
Year Up organization. Focusing mainly on STEM in recent years, the Capital Area chapter has also worked with local Girl Scouts and other organizations/events such as
STEM for Her,
She Rock the World, and
FIRST Global. New this year, they’ve implemented a golf outing where the proceeds will be exclusively for STEM.
As the STEM Outreach program grew so did the chapter. Migrating from a small to medium chapter, this year they surpassed 100 members, so their ability to draw funds and audiences are beginning to change for them. Joe Malfesi, the Capital Area Outreach Chair, suggests other chapters getting started should think nationally, but act locally and focus on STEM as part of their philanthropy efforts.
Next, we spoke with Enoch Timothy from the
Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter. The goal they want to achieve through their chapter's philanthropy is to reach out to as many independent school districts in their area and share the STEM message, which includes knowledge of STEM and the potential value it has as a career.
To reach this goal they have several programs, some of which involve monetary grants. In particular, their robotics program has seen major success in the last decade. In addition to providing grants to robotics students, the Dallas/Fort Worth chapter has also been the primary source of judges for a robotics competition in their area for many years now.
They also work with ex-military personnel with an organization called
NPower that gives a crash course in IT and helps secure entry-level jobs. The Dallas/Fort Worth chapter works with the organization twice a year holding speed mentoring with graduates of the program and helps refer them to jobs. This benefits the individuals and the overall industry by getting capable people the knowledge of STEM and preparation to join the workforce.
As for advice, Enoch says that the road to success is paved with failure and disappointment. First, don’t give up. There will be challenges and obstacles, a successful outreach program won’t happen overnight, but you can reach people that will be receptive and get involved. Be sure to use your membership for resources and be creative!
Jim Wallen of
SIM Boston says the chapter’s goal is to make connections in the community and give back by supporting programs that support the vitality of the industry. They achieve this through various programs and grants, but their primary focus is on partnering with skill development pathways and alternative career pathways, meaning it’s not all about a college education.
These “pathways” include organizations like
YearUp,
Hack Diversity, and
Resilient Coders operating in their local market and very much focused on developing skills and providing pathways to diverse individuals. In addition to providing funds to these partners, they work to connect them with member companies for the mutual benefit of the IT profession. The partners create the workforce supply, and SIM Boston has the demand.
SIM Boston measures success through connections with the community and the local economy. Throughout the year they find opportunities to get their partners in front of their members by inviting them as well as students and speakers to any of their 40 plus events. They also recommend building a constant awareness by sharing their partnerships on their social channels.
Lastly, we had the opportunity to speak with Gonz Roman from the
St. Louis Chapter. While the chapter may be smaller, as far as membership goes, that doesn’t hold them back from making connections in their community.
Their strategy behind their outreach program is to get volunteer hours and dollars to give to local organizations for the STEM initiatives, with the main focus on Information Technology. Their main vehicle for getting this done is their conference, Gateway to Innovation which started 14 years ago, and has now grown from 86 attendees to 1500 and gave $310,000 last year to nonprofits and schools reaching over 1600 students from Kindergarten to College.
As for finding success with the Outreach program, Gonz suggests, involving the business community, partnering with local companies and have them help sponsor events, which helps drive funds and attendance. They position it as a benefit for the companies, because where else can you see 1500 IT professionals in one day?
Of course, these best practices are scalable and can be modified to fit your chapter’s size, budget, and goal. No matter the effort, it's important for all of us to get out in our communities and make connections and increase awareness of STEM. By continuously reaching out to the next generation of IT leaders, we will not only grow the industry with capable professionals but also grow our SIM network and increase our organization’s standing.