How to Start a Student-Led STEM Chapter

A chapter needs a home base. STEM Sprouts chapters exist at schools, such as Alpharetta High School and Osborne High School, and in cities or regions, such as Tampa, Dubai, and Odisha. Pick the setting where you already have access to students and a place to meet.

If you are not sure whether a chapter already exists near you, check the STEM Sprouts locations page first. Joining or supporting an existing chapter is a good way to learn before you lead.

You do not need a large group to begin. The STEM Sprouts chapter application simply asks roughly how many students you think would be interested, with options from 5-10 up to 50+. A handful of reliable friends who can help teach and set up is enough to get going.

• Split simple roles: someone to plan activities, someone to handle scheduling and supplies, someone to talk to the host school or library.
• Agree on how often you will meet and how you will communicate.

Elementary school students need a safe, supervised place to learn. Schools, libraries, and community organizations are the usual partners. Approach them with a short, specific ask: who you are, what you want to run, how many students, and how often.

Plan for adult supervision from the start. STEM Sprouts notes that its curriculum materials are designed for supervised, live learning and that adult guidance is recommended for all activities.

Keep the first session small, hands-on, and forgiving. STEM Sprouts shares lesson plans and activities from its previous workshops in its curriculum folder, and Pinboard lets students build and test virtual Arduino and Raspberry Pi circuits in a browser with no hardware required.

• Choose one activity and run through it yourselves before the session.
• Prepare for things to go wrong: spare supplies, a simpler backup activity, and a plan if the internet is unreliable.
• Decide how you will tell whether the session went well, such as a quick show of hands or a short feedback question.

When you are ready, fill out the short chapter application. It asks for your name, email, school, city and country, what interests you about starting a chapter, and the number of students you expect. After you submit, STEM Sprouts emails you its Chapter Starter Guide with what you need to launch.

After each session, note what worked and what did not, and adjust. Stay in touch with the STEM Sprouts team at hello@stem-sprouts.org, and share what your chapter is doing so others can learn from it.