There’s no pressure here, just people being helpful and lots of laughter”. “The Young STEM Leaders are friendly and helpful, like a cross between students and teachers. Chizzy explains that she travels a long distance to come to Paisley YMCA every week but that it is well worth the journey. Michelle and Chizzy are not yet YSLs themselves but they do work with them and enjoy the different style of STEM learning compared to school. Joanne, when asked about how it felt to lead these sessions and work with others, responded: “It was sometimes scary, I have learned to be patient, stay calm and I have definitely used experience of having a younger sister”.
To date, over 100 Rainbows, Brownies and Girl Guides have been hosted at Paisley YMCA, each achieving their Digital Challenge Badge. The STEM Girls were asked to plan and deliver sessions for their visitors and they rose to the challenge: producing session plans and facilitating sessions on Micro:bits, coding, digital animation, digital design, printing and music technology. This was the perfect opportunity to put everything they do at the Makerspace into practice – peer-to-peer mentoring, youth empowerment and leadership skills. Girl Guiding Scotland became aware of the Makerspace at Paisley YMCA − a collaborative digital workspace − and approached them to facilitate sessions. She has worked with Rainbows, Brownies and Guides to help them complete their Scottish Digital Challenge Badges. Joanne is a Young STEM Leader in the centre and has supported STEM engagement in many different settings. Katie goes on to explain how a learning project on broadcasting using green screen technology gave members of the group opportunities to present in front of a camera by producing news broadcasts about alien invasions during Brexit this helped the YSLs build self-confidence and resilience.
Leadership roles among the STEM girls are not a function of age or current ability, they are simply taken on by those who feel ready. Many of them are Young STEM Leaders (YSLs), others can become YSLs should they choose to. This group is made up of a broad range of young people from all over Renfrewshire and Glasgow.
#Ysl ymca stands for code
Girls Who Code is listed as their next project.Įvery Wednesday night, The STEM Girls of Paisley YMCA gather to work and learn together in a digital STEM context. The lowest tech item on display is a whiteboard at the front of their impressive space but even this displays a list of the next digital learning programmes and opportunities which they have chosen to participate in. STEM is at the heart of the centre and has invested heavily in modern digital technology, from smart materials to Micro:bits, augmented reality headsets to gaming devices, laser printers to video production resources.
Paisley YMCA is rich in STEM capital, encouraging a wide range of opportunities for its young people, particularly in digital technology.
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