SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - Usually, STEM education includes science, technology, engineering and math. But in a recent event, STEM students traveled to the Illinois State Capitol to learn about civics as well.
Due to concerns over funding cuts, organizers with Afterschool for Children and Teens (ACT NOW) brought local STEM programs to the Capitol to share the importance of STEM curriculum.
"We're here today in the capital to highlight the importance of STEM programming that's being done statewide here in Illinois," said Emma Giamberdino, deputy director for policy communication and external affairs for ACT NOW. "We also want them to know that they can be civically engaged, to know that their voices matter and what they stand up for."
Students from across the state were able to share projects they've been working on throughout the school year, especially in after-school programs. One of the groups that attended was the ABE Robotics team, with more than 20 students from schools in Springfield.
"We created a robot for an FRC competition and when we went to St. Louis, we got fourth place," said Yandel Leyva, a member of the ABE Robotics team. "Our robot is meant to shoot balls into a hoop, to score points."
Leyva talked to people at the Capitol about all of the things they learned from working on a STEM-based team program. Leyva said he learned about communication and working through conflict.
Giamberdino says a large part of the visit was to encourage legislators to consider the importance of after-school programs and STEM education when it came to drafting the state's annual budget.
"We know that it is a very tight fiscal year, especially with threats from the federal funding situation for after-school and education as a whole," Giamberdino said. "We recognize that the state isn't able to necessarily cover all the gaps of federal funding that we won't be getting this year and maybe the next few years."
Regardless of funding concerns, the students who showed off their STEM projects were excited to teach others about the process and all they have learned.
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