Boost11 is small group of caring people primarily focused on the educational process of, but not limited to, youth and young adults, ages 14-30 years of age. Beneficiaries must actively contribute some level of their own resources and/or effort. Boost11 help can be in the form of monetary funding, mentoring, coaching and/or networking.
Boost11 Supports Science Leadership Academy Middle School in Philadelphia
At the Science Leadership Academy Middle School (SLA-MS), our 8th-graders participate in a 5-month-long capstone project for our tech and pre-engineering programs. Students write proposals to work individually or in pairs to work on a project of their choosing. They self-select into the tech makerspace or the pre-engineering lab based on the skills, tools, and materials they need to make their ideas a reality. Students have worked on such projects as making an electric guitar from scratch, building a dog house, a workbench, and bookshelves for classrooms, making a desk for their home makerspace, or using vinyl cutters and a heat press to make their own clothing brands, resin to do art pieces or jewelry, or designing their own comics. Thanks to the financial support of Boost11, we have been able to diversify the project offerings and expand on what we do with the 5th through 7th grade students as well. Specifically, we can anticipate student needs and have materials on hand to reduce supply-chain delays, we can have additional tools/technology on-site for students to use, and we can approve more adventurous projects. Boost11 is a proud supporter of the SLA-MS program.
Boost11 and Chester Arthur STEM & Makers Space
The Wildcat Workshop, Chester A. Arthur’s makerspace, is in its third year of existence, in large part due to the financial support of Boost11.
At Arthur, we believe in Project, and Problem-Based Learning, and the Wildcat Workshop gives students the flexibility to build anything they need to for their projects. We provide students with the materials, tools, and know-how, and they supply the ideas.
Students use the space during school for classes as well as after school for a standalone Maker Club, where they can stay after and learn how to use tools/make whatever they want. The only limitation is their own imagination and creativity. Learning and applying the design process, the students create objects for a variety of projects as stand-alone assignments and as part of their regular classroom curriculum.
Boost11 Helps The Firebirds 433 Robotics Team of Mount St. Joseph’s Academy
In June of 2013, Boost11 supported The Firebirds of Mount St. Joseph’s Academy to continue their outstanding support of girls in math and science, as well as their outreach program STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) to younger, less fortunate school children.
The Firebirds have an excellent track record of sending their graduates to college for math and science. Their significant outreach efforts to youth in the inner city of Philadelphia helps build a pipeline of kids excited to build robots and learn math and science.
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