STEAM Hub 4 CISS

There is no better time than now.

There is no linear process when creating an organization. Sidesteps are part of the creative process and interconnected activities that may appear to be unconnected. Networking is a long term process that will help the organization to flourish and give fruits that are, sometimes, unexpected. This is what The Hub (STEAM Hub 4 CISS) is experiencing.

In a short time, end of March we will start welcoming students at the Chemeketa College Woodburn Center (CCWC). We are starting the recruiting process. Supported by peer mentors recruited from CCWC, high school students will be able to come and enjoy a safe space where they can thrive and develop the skills necessary for success. We will start by opening our doors two days a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 4 to 7 PM. All of this is thanks to Dean Elias Villegas who has supported this effort from the very beginning.

What will the outcome be? We have some ideas for sure, but only time will tell the full extent of the outcomes. One immediate and direct will be the better school performance in school, demonstrated by better grades. The other, more subtle, will be the psychological wellbeing of the students, as their self confidence will increase. And finally, they will benefit from a safe space that will provide the opportunity of keeping out of trouble.

So now that the paperwork is done, and The Hub has been registered as a Tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization, the hard work of the adventure continues. Looking for areas where we can implement it and organizations with which we can collaborate. The possibilities are enormous.

Besides working with CCWC we have been working with The Hope Center in the Rockwood neighborhood of Gresham hopecenterpdx.org; with Experiment PDX in Portland; with BestHQ and the STEAM Pathways organization In the hope that soon we will have a regular presence in these sites. With STEAM Pathwas we are organizing a summit at the PCC Willow Creek Center with the idea of creating a coalition of organizations that are currently working on STEAM. Including those like Code Ninja Hillsboro who have been doing a great job educating our youngsters in computer science.

Other step we need to take is fundraising! We will start a fundraising campaign ASAP and we hope that you can join us in this effort.