Helping Empower Youth, Inc. (HEY!) works across Atlanta to introduce students to STEAM disciplines outside of the norm. A lot of students we work with in Title I schools have an aversion to STEAM thinking that they have to be math and science geniuses in order to be successful. Well, Math and Science may not be subjects that all students are interested or excel in. However, STEAM is a part of our daily lives. Our thought is, if we can engage them in activities that they don't immediately imagine as STEAM, we can show them that Math, Science and Technology is just about all that we do.

We are able to slowly initiate the Engineering Design Model and thinking process by providing opportunities to engage in things that students don't normally associate as STEAM. Such as: bikes, go karts, gardening, sewing, cooking, cosmetic making, etc. This allows us to bridge their own limitations around math and science with more traditional STEAM disciplines so that they too can be competitive. While we do have activities around coding, robotics, mechanical engineering, we generally start with bikes, go karts, circuits, and sewing.

Our initiatives are centered in after school programs, community outreach with churches and hosting events in community centers throughout the year.