By Dominic Abassi

Local Kickstarter effort aims to bring unique science, technology program to Nanaimo

May 31, 2017 | 11:04 PM

NANAIMO — A campaign is underway to bring a unique type of education to Nanaimo, while at the same time supporting an existing program growing in popularity.

Nanaimo couple Clayton and Sarah Bromley have launched a Kickstarter campaign hoping to raise at least $20,000 to bring a science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) curriculum to the community, enhancing the educational opportunities available to local kids.

Clayton Bromley, a founding member of community lab MakerSpace Nanaimo, said the Young Engineers curriculum is unlike anything currently available locally.

“We want to open the technology and STEM world up to the community so they can experience it as well,” Bromley told NanaimoNewsNOW. “We figure if we can get kids interested, it may be something they are more actively embracing in the future.”

The course is developed by a company out of Israel and comes with a $40,000 price tag. Bromley said he has done the research and it’s the most complete STEM lesson plan he’s found. The initial buy-in entitles the franchisee to ongoing changes and developments, so the program is constantly evolving.

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Young Engineers‘ website states their education method is different than traditional teaching, using hands-on experiments and demonstrations to engage.

“It’s being able to expose kids to something they can understand on a conceptual level that brings them to understanding technology instead of just using it,” Bromley said.

The plan is to offer a 10-month course package for six to 11-year-olds as an out of school program.

Bromley said when MakerSpace started their events for children, several teachers approached them and mentioned a need to meet STEM requirements laid out by the province was being hindered by a lack infrastructure within the school system to make it a reality.

“MakerSpace has had a lot of opportunities that we haven’t been able to fill, because we’re a volunteer community, of schools coming to us and wanting to do a field trip there to meet those curriculums. This is our attempt to meet that need.”

Bromley acknowledged the success of the venture relies on strong participation levels. He said the goal is to run the business in a way that it can cover all start-up costs, as well as pay for teachers and facilities.

Any profits will either be invested into MakerSpace or into developing the curriculum. After years of trying to slug it out as a non-profit, Bromley said he wants to create something that supports itself, with a goal of bettering the community.

dom@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @domabassi