Model D, 12/3

Michigan Science Center's Explainers aims to encourage Detroit high schoolers to consider STEM

By Amanda Rahn

The Michigan Science Center was recently awarded a $75,000 grant from the Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan to hire 15 Southeast Michigan high school students at $10 per hour to work as docents, helping visitors navigate the museum, leading floor demonstrations and more. It is the first program of its kind in the museum's history. The pilot project focuses specifically on Detroit youth as they are the most underserved in the region with respect to attaining Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) skills. The name "Explainers" reflects the idea that those who can explain a topic to someone else truly understand it. In addition to being an "explainer" of STEM concepts, MiSci's youth docents will also be "facilitators of learning." They will guide MiSci visitors in asking questions and discovering scientific phenomena by modeling how to engage in an active learning environment like a science center. James Holly Jr., an assistant professor at Wayne State University whose work focuses on teaching educators how to engage urban youth in STEM fields, says the Explainers program is a good employment opportunity for students of color who have been marginalized. "Some of the challenges this program can help address involve removing barriers for people of color and students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds," he says. "We need to ask, 'What does it mean to empower a kid who's been disempowered?' "

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