PBS KIDS in partnership with WGBH Boston, the National Science Foundation, and the Lemelson Foundation is launching an after-school program this month to provide kids with both real-world engineering experience and global awareness.

Design Squad Global’s Clubs Initiative involves 16 states and six countries and will be providing students with weekly activities designed to provide first-hand engineering experience and exposure to different "cultures, perspectives, and concerns.”

The 16 participating states are Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Wisconsin while the six participating countries are Botswana, Brazil, Costa Rica, Jordan, Malawi, and South Africa.

Students will be participating in the same events week after week and will be encouraged to collaborate with students from other clubs.

The program has been created to enhance the technical skills of STEM learning with the similarly important skills that are related to global competency.

“There is a growing awareness that technical skills alone aren’t enough to compete in a global economy,” says Terry Fitzpatrick, WGBH VP for Children’s Media and Education in a statement.

“Design Squad Global is a kid-centric, tested way to both inspire the next generation of engineers and increase kids’ global competency.”

For after-school programs and teachers interested in hosting Design Squad Global (DSG) Clubs, registration for the next round of programs is open now.

Further information can be collected from one of DSG Clubs’ strategic partners, which are: FHI 360, Girl Scouts USA, YMCA of the USA and Global Centers of Excellence, DiscoverE, Sister Cities International, National Girls Collaborative Project, Society of Women Engineers, and Every Hour Counts.

Nicole Gorman, Senior Education World Contributor

10/13/2016