About Resource
The Teen Science Café Network (TSCN) is an NSF-funded project on a mission to “grow and sustain a national network of teen science café programs that support youth leadership, 21st century skill development, and demonstrate STEM career pathways through direct access to STEM experts.” The cafés themselves are out-of-school-time programs where teens collaborate with STEM experts to explore science topics in-depth through collaborative presentations and hands-on activities.
Research highlights from the fourth year of the TSCN project will be notable to ASTC institutions for their strong mission alignment. For example, network members find teen science cafés contribute to their organizational priorities by:
- Promoting STEM discovery
- Enhancing teen empowerment
- Enriching community relationships
- Diversifying STEM participation
To learn more about teen science cafés, access café resources, and to engage with the Network, visit https://teensciencecafe.org/.
How to Use
Considering hosting a teen science café? The model is well suited for ISL centers for its scalability, opportunity to deepen engagement with local science institutions/scientists, and thematic flexibility - successful events range across topics including herpetology, emergency response, and cybersecurity (for more examples, visit https://teensciencecafe.org/cool-cafes/).
Teen science cafés are particularly well-suited for those ISL centers already engaged with, or looking to deepen, their engagement with teen leadership programs, as each event is spearheaded by a team of teen leaders with adult sponsorship. Teens play a linchpin role in planning and marketing the event, engaging high-quality speakers, and ensuring attendance: where teen leadership is a success, the “by-teens for-teens” model results in measurably higher levels of teen engagement and attendance maintained across events.
Other practical Year 4 research highlights to consider include:
- Target age: the café model is used across the Network to serve students from middle through high school, most typically serving 9th - 11th grade.
- Event size: events vary substantially in size across the Network from 5 to 300 teens, but typically attract 14 students.
- Event cost: costs range substantially across the Network from $175 to $1500 per event, with a median event cost of $500.
Location: USA
Author(s)/Organization: J. Sickler Consulting for STEM Next Opportunity Fund
Publication Year: 2024
Tags
Attributes:Centers Community Priorities, Shares Leadership
Outcomes:Increased Science Agency, Strong Community Partnerships, Sustainable Solutions for Society
Approaches:Dialogue & Deliberation
Type:Reports & Articles