The STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) E3 program is a hands-on, real-world program emphasizing education, employment and entrepreneurship (E3) for young women of color in 5th – 8th grades using STEM technology. This program strives to provide educational opportunities, career exploration, and mentorship for young students of color interested in STEM fields through jam sessions with local and national tech leaders, coding cohorts during the school year and summer camps.

I was in 6th grade when I participated in STEM E3. I decided to participate because I was interested in learning something new. My experience with STEM E3 was meaningful to me because it gave me an idea of something I might want to do in the future, and it helped me gain confidence and new skills. After participating in STEM E3, I’ve been interested in STEM related activities and I do see myself being in more STEM and computer science related classes in the future. I personally do see myself pursuing a STEM or computer science related career in the future, and I thank STEM E3 for that.

STEM E3 Participant

2021 STEM E3 Summer Coding Camp

YWCA Boulder County’s recent STEM E3 Virtual Summer Coding Camp introduced students in Boulder Valley and St. Vrain Valley school districts to computer science skills and STEM careers. Partnering with the City of Longmont and the Innovation Center, the STEM E3 camp was open to students entering 6th through 8th grade.

Presenters included Skylar Shaver, seen in the photo above sharing her work at CU Boulder studying black holes. Other presenters included a materials engineer from ExxonMobil and a chemist from Pfizer. Participants also spent time learning coding skills with Curated Pathways.

For more information about STEM E3, please contact Karina Corral at kcorral@ywcaboulder.org.

About the STEM E3 Program

Program Background

In 2019, YWCA Boulder was selected as one of two YWCA branches in the country to be awarded a grant by Google.org to increase black and Latina students’ access to computer science and artificial intelligence education. Google.org granted YWCA USA $2 million over three years to be split between 15 YWCA branches around the country to support the YWCA’s STEM E3 (Education, Employment and Entrepreneurship) program, which works with young women and girls in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

Year 1 of the 3-year STEM E3 pilot program began with coding sessions for more than 300 students ages 9-14 aimed to introduce more young women of color to computer science by teaching them programming. The sessions included introductory Level 1 sessions offered at local high-tech companies, including Google. More advanced Level 2 sessions were offered virtually as a 6-8-week extracurricular activity to teach more sophisticated programming tools and engage the students more fully in coding activities.

Recent Achievements

In response to the impact of COVID-19, the STEM E3 program switched to an all-virtual format in the spring of 2020. Introductory Level 1 sessions connect young women of color to STEM professionals through virtual panel discussions.

Level 2 advanced programming cohort sessions use Curated Pathways to Innovation™ , a web-based app developed by YWCA Silicon Valley and partners that provides an engaging, culturally responsive platform for learning computer science skills.

Through these innovative tools and community partnerships, the STEM E3 program continues to thrive:

Our spring 2020 cohort of 24 girls completed more than 600 technology badges and 350+ hours of STEM and coding programs.
Our first Youth Who Code STEM E3 Virtual Summer Camp was held in July 2020. In partnership with Casa de la Esperanza and the City of Longmont Youth Center, we offered a four-day, two-hours-per-day program that sent 21 young students of color on their journey to learn the fundamentals of coding.
The STEM E3 program curriculum was recently approved by Boulder Valley School District as meeting district standards for extracurricular activities, opening the door for more extensive program implementation.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) hosted a STEM E3 Virtual Jam Session on October 19, 2020. Zayo hosted another Jam Session on November 16, 2020. Learn more in our blog post.
NIST hosted another STEM E3 Virtual Jam Session for Longmont-area students on February 12, 2021.
30 students from Boulder Valley and St. Vrain Valley school districts participated in our seven-week cohort program in spring 2021, using the Curated Pathways platform. Students who completed the course received a free Chromebook to continue practicing their coding skills.

In the News

Google Tech Session Kicks Off Boulder County YWCA Stem Program for Girls of Color – Daily Camera, September 16, 2019

Google Hosts “Made with Code” Party for Local High School Girls – Daily Camera, December 6, 2018

Get Involved

If you would like more information about this program or how a young person of color in your life can participate, please email Karina Corral, Manager of Community Engagement and Equity, at kcorral@ywcaboulder.org.