Celebrating 20 Years of Excellence
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Actua 2013 - 2014 Annual Report Celebrating 20 Years of Excellence 20 Years of Engagement 2 What We Do 3 ACTUA ANNUAL REPORT 2013-2014 CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE Actua has two decades of success as a leading national science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education outreach organization. We represent 33 network members located at universities and colleges across Canada that annually engage 225,000 youth in 500 communities nationwide. Our for-youth-by-youth program delivery model demonstrates real-world applications of STEM and is contributing to a new generation of scientists and engineers who understand and can apply the innovation process and drive Canada’s entrepreneurial engine. Actua is a national leader in breaking down the barriers that prevent many of Canada’s youth from accessing transformational STEM education experiences and participating in STEM studies and careers. Our national inclusivity programs are customized to engage girls and young women, Aboriginal youth, new Canadians, as well as economically disadvantaged youth, and youth living in remote communities. Canada will not achieve its full innovation potential without the full participation of these groups. Working together, with our university network-based members, our corporate partners, government agencies and other like-minded groups, we are moving the dial on Canada’s future economic and social competitiveness and prosperity. Investing in Economic Growing from a and Social Prosperity Position of Strength 4 Message from the Chair Message from the CEO 5 ACTUA ANNUAL REPORT 2013-2014 CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE Science, technology and innovation will continue Providing access to one workshop, one week-long This year marks an important anniversary for us. grateful to our supporters of past and present and we to be essential for Canada’s future economic and camp, or a science club can be a life-changing We reached our 20-year milestone. Over the last continue to seek unique partnerships that allow us social prosperity. For the country to compete on experience. It is no wonder why STEM education two decades, Actua has grown – as an organization, to inspire youth – all youth – to reach their potential. the international stage, Canada will have to invest is being touted as one of the best investments for a in reach, in the breadth of programming and in in the next generation of scientists, engineers strong economy. experience. Through all of our growth and accomplishments, we and innovators today. We – parents, teachers, remain true to the same principles that first fuelled community leaders, industry champions and I’m proud to play a role as Actua breaks new ground Back in 1993, we began as a national coordinating our passion twenty years ago - engaging youth early government – need to start seeing our youth as in reaching youth with inspiring STEM experiences body with a mandate to advance the scope of a and often, breaking barriers to participation in the driving force behind the innovation-focused in the years to come. handful of science clubs led by undergraduate STEM, ensuring relevant content and facilitating economy of tomorrow. engineering students. Their enthusiasm to inspire connections to mentors and role models. We will young Canadians through science spread to other build on these core values as we move into our next We need to ask some hard questions about what universities and colleges across Canada. Today, we phase of impact and growth. we’re doing to support our youth, so they can work with 33 university and college based members– contribute to that economy and reach their full Suzanne Corbeil from Victoria to Iqaluit to Antigonish. potential in the workforce that awaits them. Chair, Actua Board of Directors Actua is on solid ground in our twentieth year. As a long-standing Board member and Chair of We boast a strong framework of staff, members, Actua, I have witnessed the impact of reaching all volunteers, community leaders, experts from Jennifer Flanagan youth through transformational experiences in industry and advisors in youth engagement. We are Actua President and CEO STEM. Follow my blog actua.ca/blog Twitter @ActuaCEO Actua’s Program Delivery Model We mobilize the dynamic enthusiasm and skills of young leaders across Canada who share their passion for science with Canada’s youth. LEADERSHIP 6 7 ACTUA ANNUAL REPORT 2013-2014 CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE Board members from the public and private Actua’s national team provides on the ground training, sectors provide strategic leadership. resources and support to our network members. NETWORK MEMBERS OUTREACH TEAM 33 network members, located at universities Delivering programming in rural and remote areas and colleges all across Canada. not currently served by our members, including communities in the Arctic. Together, we are STUDENTS COMMUNITIES VOLUNTEERS Communities play a vital role in 500 volunteer engineers and 650 undergraduate student engaging and inspiring supporting local programs scientists, taking time away from instructors and 600 over 225,000 Canadian their daily jobs to act as mentors high school volunteers. youth across the country. 2013 Impacts Accessing New Communities In Numbers Through Outreach 8 In 2013, we delivered programming in 503 Actua’s Outreach Team reaches youth in communities not yet served by 9 communities, sustaining our presence across every our members. This gives us the capacity to be responsive and quickly ACTUA ANNUAL REPORT 2013-2014 CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE province and territory. reach youth – anywhere. Our Outreach Team also develops and pilots new curriculum aimed at exposing youth to specific career opportunities This year, 32,907 youth were engaged in week-long including health, mining and mineral exploration, and more. camp experiences, 4,743 youth participated in year- round club experiences, 178,083 youth experienced In 2013, Actua’s Outreach Team delivered 173 workshops and 27 camps school workshops and 20,232 youth participated reaching 3,843 youth in 32 communities throughout Nunavut and in other community-based STEM events. Overall, Northern Ontario. 235,965 youth experienced 1.14 million face-to-face hours of transformational STEM education outreach programming. We continued to break barriers to youth engagement in STEM through programs designed to engage target underrepresented youth reaching: Aboriginal 29,842 Youth We were very impressed with the level of professionalism of your instructors and their ease at interacting with the youth of our community while delivering valuable educational experiences. Girls Your willingness to work cooperatively in offering this program to the youth of our community 6,107 is greatly appreciated. Our local youth mentor, Elder mentor and camp cook were pleased and honoured to be part of this exciting program and look forward to its return to our community. New Canadians, at-risk-youth and youth facing Thank you for taking the time to make the youth of our community your priority.” challenging socio-economic condidtions 34,503 – Chris Dickson, SAO, Hamlet of Taloyoak, NU Impact 2013 Actua and GE Award in Stories for Leadership and Innovation 10 Our impact starts with the individual - building Engineering Science Quest (ESQ), Actua’s network entrepreneurship is making a significant difference 11 self confidence, opening doors, and empowering member located at the University of Waterloo, in the lives of youth in southern Ontario,” says ACTUA ANNUAL REPORT 2013-2014 CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE youth to believe in their own potential. It received the 2013 Actua & GE Canada Award for Jennifer Flanagan, President and CEO of Actua. “As develops leadership and inspires innovation Leadership and Innovation. The award recognized one of Actua’s founding members, we are especially and entrepreneurship. It contributes to the ESQ’s excellence in the delivery of high impact pleased to recognize Engineering Science Quest’s development of a new generation of inspired STEM programming reaching more than 20,000 success during Actua’s 20th year.” professionals. The youth that we inspire not Ontario youth in 2013 and outstanding leadership only include our participants (age 6-16) but within the Actua network. “As a Cornerstone partner of Actua, GE Canada the older youth (age 18-25) who deliver our is proud to recognize the excellence and impact programs and enter the workforce. “ESQ’s ongoing commitment to engage achieved by ESQ,” says Kim Warburton, Vice underrepresented youth audiences and President, Communications and Public Affairs, GE continual expansion into new topic areas such as Canada. Actua programming had a huge impact on my career path. I was involved with Actua’s SCI-FI Science Camps at the University of Saskatchewan for a dozen years. When I was a camper, my instructors fostered curiosity, experimentation, and inquisition; camp was a highlight of the summer. As a high school volunteer, I looked up to the instructors as role models. They influenced my decision to pursue engineering in university. As an instructor, I delivered high-impact programming to young minds all over the province. A few years later, as director I had the privilege of growing and optimizing the program, expanding its reach and effectiveness, and leading a fantastic staff to share the wonders of science and technology with every kid in Saskatchewan. Curiosity, experimentation, impact, leadership, optimization, effectiveness: these are qualities that help me every day in my role as a process control engineer at one of Saskatchewan’s potash mines. – Brahm Neufeld, Former Director of Actua Network Member Program Breaking Barriers to Youth Engagement in STEM National Aboriginal Go Where the 12 Outreach Program Kids Are Program 13 ACTUA ANNUAL REPORT 2013-2014 CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE Actua’s customized programming builds on local cultural knowledge and Actua’s Go Where Kids Are Program is a highly effective strategy for ways of knowing to engage First Nations, Inuit and Métis youth. We work engaging youth that would otherwise never come to our programs.