Teachers are our most strategic ally in the eradicating the interest gap. Their hard work and determination builds a strong educational foundation on top of which the leaders of tomorrow are built. We at Latino  STEM Alliance consider ourselves an extension of their team and complement to their in-class activities with hands-on experiences, such as competitions, workshops, and science fairs.

Partnering with other organizations is at the heart of the Latino STEM Alliance’s beliefs and it is through collaboration with such groups that we grow and learn the most effective techniques for reaching not only our immediate audience (students) but also their most important influencers (their parents and guardians). From providing volunteers to sites to soapboxes, everything is easier with friends.

K12 & Nonprofit partners include:

• Dudley Square Neighborhood Initiative

• Hyde Square Task Force

• Boys & Girls Club of Boston

• Boston Public Schools

• Lawrence Public Schools

• TUGG

Are you a teacher interested in delivering STEM content at your school or community center? Please contact us: [email protected]

Are you a principal at a school that is interested in initiating a program at your school, please contact us: [email protected]

Latino STEM Alliance is fortunate to have relationships with local Colleges and Universities that provide mentoring and curriculum support.  College students mentor our students throughout the year to help support their STEM learning. In addition, students and faculty lend their knowledge to building the curriculum delivered in the classroom.

We embrace all College students regardless of their major and encourage them to engage as volunteers and otherwise work with Latino STEM Alliance for their individual growth.

Some of our College & University partnerships include:

• Northeastern University

• Suffolk University

• Tufts University

• Wentworth University

Ranging from several hours a week to a one time engagement, volunteers dedicate as much or as little time as they have available. Volunteers will spend their time doing job show-and-tells, connecting academic subjects to the real world, and building robots with LEGOs!! PLEASE NOTE: You do not have to work in a STEM field to volunteer with Latino STEM Alliance!! Another important role individuals play is as donors. We need your help! The people that volunteer with us understand its very hard to climb the socioeconomic ladder and that organizations like Latino STEM Alliance are a necessary leg-up for many underserved youth. Although LSA’s model is very cost-effective, it still requires significant financial investments to pay for qualified instructors, materials for hands-on activities, and even to have interns engaging students via social media to create excitement around STEM careers.

Coming soon!

Latino STEM Alliance has great respect for those that have achieved success and now aim to share it with others. Your commitment to education and to the economic empowerment of the less fortunate will be best executed via a partnership with our organization. Latino STEM Alliance is in a unique position to offer a service that delivers a tangible ROI for our country as a whole AND also a much needed philanthropic movement to rally around. Our activities are cost effective:

• We work with existing community organizations & schools, which means that we don’t spend money on infrastructure nor money/time recruiting kids.

• We only execute proven best-practice activities... we don’t reinvent the wheel, but we ensure that great tool is accessible to those who need it most!

Our model is scalable:

• We leverage existing partner resources, such as teachers from within the same school, to deliver much of our programing (after being trained by LSA). This cuts down on political conflicts, ensures alignment with other in-class activities, and helps build capacity within the partner institution.

• We work with many partners and thus can both distribute as well as share resources across many sites. Volunteers, who are always hard to find, are a good example of this... they can change jobs or have new family  commitments. We’ll offer a different location and/or a less intensive activity to participate in.

• The organization is nimble and agile. Because multiple programs and locations are running concurrently, we can immediately apply lessons learned and not make the same mistakes.

Our work is focused:

• The Department of Labor estimates that 80% of the fastest growing occupations require math and science competency and that by 2018 STEM jobs will grow by 34% while qualified candidates will only increase by 14%.

• A 2011 study by Education Trust indicates that by the time Latino and African American students graduate from High School, their math and reading skills are roughly the same level as 13-yr old white students. The study also found that the gap continues to widen.

• Latinos have a national High School dropout rate of around 42%.

• LSA focuses 100% of our work in the communities with the highest poverty rates in MA.

Our corporate partners understand the seriousness of improving diversity in the STEM pipeline. They are committed to developing the communities they serve and/or operate in using their own internal community programs or sponsorship of events or competitions, and are constantly looking for ways to increase diversity and inclusion. We welcome the opportunity to serve as a bridge between them and minority students.

Some organizations may or not have internal diversity programs but would like to see their employees play a more active role in the community. STEM focused educational outreach is an opportunity for companies to fulfill community outreach goals while also making a tangible investment in the company’s future.

Please contact us for a discussion regarding your company’s initiatives to build the STEM pipeline and how the Latino STEM Alliance can be of assistance!

Corporate partners include:

• Advoqt Technology Group

• Thermo Fisher Scientific

• Suffolk Construction

• iRobot

• Eastern Bank

• Parametric Technology Corp

• Raytheon

• Kronos

• Verizon Foundation

• Vera Roca Digital