Why you should become a STEM Ambassador
And why being one means learning the difference between Justin Bieber and Shawn Mendes
STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, and a STEM Ambassador’s role is to encourage people aged 4–21 to get involved in these subjects, to motivate them to study it further, or even look into the related career paths. I have been volunteering as an Ambassador for two years now and, if there’s one thing I’ve learnt, it’s that the road to getting kids interested in STEM can be very bumpy.
To become a STEM Ambassador, you must fill in an online form on the STEMNET website, then wait until you are verified through DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check. Once the formalities are done, you are invited to your local STEM Hub where you are introduced to the scheme, given training and tips on how to interact with children, and finally encouraged to take part in the upcoming activities.
The reason I decided to join the STEMNET is because I was inspired by my mentor at work who used to tell me about the lectures on programming and code clubs with children he would participate in. They always sounded fun and rewarding, and he encouraged me to give it a go one day. I am very thankful for that little push that day, as I believe I have now helped dozens of pupils become interested in STEM.
Some pupils attend STEM events because they have role models working as scientists and they aspire to be like them. Others do it to gain extra credit for participation, to bump up their grade at the end of the year. Finally, there is a group that is obliged to attend by their school, have zero interest in the matter, and don’t really want to be there. Convincing these people to get into STEM is the most challenging but also the most rewarding.
There are different kinds of activities you do as an ambassador; some can take the whole day at a given school, others can be as short as a half an hour Skype call from your workplace. I try to vary the activities I take part in, to gain different kinds of experiences, but also to stay excited and curious about new challenges. Below are some of the types of STEM events that I have participated in.
Group Mentoring
For several hours, with support of their teacher, I lead a team of students, usually between 5 and 20, through challenges they were given by the event organiser. The important point here is that I don’t do their job for them. I encourage them to co-operate, think for themselves, and analyse the problem from every angle.
One time they had to build a tower out of dry spaghetti and marshmallows, the other reconstruct furniture using PVC pipes, relying only on a reference photo. As silly as these tasks sound, they kept the students curious, teaching them more about planning, teamwork and how these problems related to real life (civil engineering in this case).
Interview Practice
The vast majority of the students I have met have never gained any work experience, or even written a CV. Having a STEM professional come to their school and analyse their applications significantly increases their confidence. The pupils often do not know what to write down and they undermine themselves. I point out the values that companies always look for through their interests and hobbies, e.g. basketball team captain — leadership, looking after a younger sibling after school — responsibility, etc. There’s a surprising number of qualities you learn about them when you ask “if you were an animal, what kind of animal would you be?”.
‘Speed Dating’ Q&A sessions
During this type of event, each ambassador sits at a table and in groups the students move between them. They usually ask similar questions, which can be quite tiring as you feel like repeating yourself over twenty times, but you have to remember that each time you are talking to a different person. It’s crucial to keep them attentive in what you are saying too, as teenagers can quickly lose interest if you do not share anything in common with them.
I once had a group of teenage girls who started their Q&A by asking if I prefer Justin Bieber to Shawn Mendes. I had to admit that I had no idea who Shawn Mendes was, which resulted in them not wanting to talk to me about STEM! The conclusion I drew from that session was: if you don’t seem “cool”, the students won’t be interested in what you have to say, be it programming, robots, or lasers.
If you work with younger people, research what kind of music or films they are into right now, you never know when this knowledge may come in useful.
Career Fairs
This activity is fairly straightforward — you promote your business or career path to students, showing them that learning STEM can lead to far more opportunities than just “becoming a scientist”. Pupils are often unaware of the post-16 options out there, other than going to university (e.g. apprenticeships).
Last year I had a group of 11 year olds try to guess the ambassadors’ jobs, based on available props in front of us. They incorrectly thought I was a manager because they couldn’t imagine “a girl programming a Sports website” — yet I was working as a Software Engineer in BBC Sport at the time. It was a very important life lesson for the pupils on stereotypes and assumptions.
Business Challenge
The longest of the events, it always takes a full day for students to come up with a product, design it, calculate possible costs, plan marketing, and finally prepare a pitch about it.
These projects are usually linked with a competition, my last one was based on “Dragon’s Den”, to encourage pupils to put more effort in their work. My role here is usually to supervise, explain the rules and requirements, and to give examples from my own workplace how project management is handled etc.
Most of the time students co-operate well, there can be however some tensions I must be prepared for, for example when a few strong-willed individuals argue whose idea is best. My usual approach to this situation is to organise team voting and if there is no clear winner, decide together with the teacher. Another frequent problem I see is a joker figure in the group disrupting the others — my advice here is to give them a personal task to occupy them.
Being a STEM Ambassador is more than just going to schools and talking about your job — it’s about crushing stereotypes students have, igniting that spark of interest in science, and talking honestly about what they want to do in life.
I am neither their parent nor their teacher, so they are often more direct with me, perceive me more like a “senior student” than a “supervisor”. It’s a way for them to open up about having problems with classmates, being uncertain about what to do after school, or sharing their insecurity and lack of confidence.
I highly encourage everyone to give it a go, at least once. Two years ago I could not imagine myself working with teenagers on a regular basis, yet it has now become my second “job” I genuinely enjoy. I was a teenager myself, not so long ago, and I remember wishing I had this kind of support and encouragement at school. It simply feels right, helping others discover their potential and strengthening their interest in STEM.
If you think this is something you would like to challenge yourself with, then head over to https://www.stem.org.uk/stem-ambassadors/join-stem-ambassador-programme, find out more about the STEM opportunities in your area and sign-up to become a STEM Ambassador online.
P.S. I prefer Shawn Mendes.
