Spotlight on STEM: First of Three Regional Partner Profiles Shines Light on Great Lakes Bay Regional Alliance
This is the first of three Michigan profiles spotlighting MASP’s regional partners in the Million Girls Moonshot project as they reimagine a future with more girls exploring STEM and engineering fields in out-of-school time programs. The stories address topics including best practices, equity and inclusion, family engagement and professional development.
Mount Pleasant, MI – In the Great Lakes Bay Regional Alliance (GLBR), the future is inclusive. Founded 16 years ago by business leaders and educators committed to building the workforce of tomorrow, the eight-county region isn’t about to leave anyone out of its mission to promote in-demand STEM experiences in afterschool programs, especially if it means breaking barriers that have stymied girls from discovering STEM and the engineering field.
Through its aptly titled STEM Access & Equity Initiative Mini Grant Opportunity, the Region has a track record of bringing STEM programming to schoolchildren, with special insights for reaching girls. In an initiative launched in 2018-2019 before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Region developed a winning formula for reaching out-county youths in underserved rural communities by offering rare STEM workshops at four branches of the Chippewa River District Library system in Isabella and Gratiot counties. It’s a formula that’s earned high praise from partners.