One of the most important skills children can be equipped with is a foundation in STEM. While STEM education has been around for decades, the emphasis on STEM courses and STEM camps has become more and more popular in recent years. That’s because providing children with problem-solving tools to tackle science, technology, engineering, and math goes beyond building skills in solely those areas – it helps children think critically and gives them the tools to tackle any field they may end up in.
At North Carolina Esports Academy, we are driven by this STEM mission. Not only are we dedicated to building character and life skill development through productive video gaming, but Caleb, Vinny, and the entire staff are committed to creating premier youth development experiences to create pathways for youth in STEM careers. Our goal at the Academy has always been to extend our esports and education footprint well beyond Cary, North Carolina, to encompass the entire Triangle.
Read on below to learn more about the importance of STEM and how North Carolina Esports Academy is helping children build these STEM skills.
STEM teaches problem-solving skills
The foundational components of STEM specifically include analytical reasoning and critical thinking, training children to tackle problems with a new mindset. When young students build upon these skills, they can come up with solutions on their own and use this training in any other subject matter or field.
STEM promotes teamwork
At the core, STEM involves hands-on, interactive projects. With these projects, children are taught the power of collaboration and working together, rather than working individually. No matter what career students end up in, they will always need to learn to collaborate and work together.
STEM introduces children to career paths that are the future
The age group for STEM curriculum often falls in the late elementary and middle school range. This is a time when students can create unfavorable notions about math and science, so it’s important to make it fun for them, which STEM does. Career aspirations often begin during these critical years so if they are having interactive and “fun” STEM opportunities, students will seek out opportunities in high school, college, and for their careers later in life. With STEM employment opportunities expected to grow 8.8% by 2028, children are being set up for later success when they are exposed to this field early. This is especially true for young girls because this field has been previously dominated by men. If girls are exposed to STEM early, just as much as their male peers, they will feel just as empowered to seek out STEM programming.
Plan a STEM camp in the Triangle
Our most recent STEM programming at North Carolina Esports Academy took place during spring break where we hosted a pop camp at the Avery Street Rec Center in Garner. PCs were brought to this Garner rec center so we could run our STEM program for local students. Following this portable STEM camp, we have been looking to continue our relationship with the town of Garner, as well as make our popup STEM day camp for kids accessible throughout the Triangle by working with municipalities in the Triangle.
Other popup STEM day camps for kids we have run include a 4-day camp that taught STEM using Minecraft, Roblox, and Scratch. As we continue to pilot new programs, like this portable STEM camp, at our gaming center in Cary, we plan to roll those lessons into all of our popup STEM day camps for kids that will be taking place. Currently, we have been working with the town of Garner and Holly Springs, and we have events lined up with the town of Apex. Beyond those towns, we are looking to expand our work with Cary, Raleigh, and Morrisville.
If you are interested in learning more about our portable STEM camp or our popup STEM day camps for kids at North Carolina Esports Academy, get in touch with a member of our team today.
Photos from our recent 4-day STEM camp in Garner, NC at the Avery Street Rec Center.
