The Problem
My name is Joanna, and I'm a sophomore at Cambridge High starting a youth-led initiative called Project Paper STEM! As a kid, I've always loved exploring science, whether it was playing with Snap Circuits or making 3D paper structures. This inspired me to make two low cost and fun STEM kits: a Paper Robotic Hand and Mini Treasure Trove Kit. I hope to distribute these to 2-3 after school programs that primarily serve low-income kids in Atlanta. Through conversations with one organization (STAR House Roswell), I learned that afterschool programs often faced time constraints in providing their students hands-on STEM activities. Several organizations we hope to reach rely on limited community and government funding to operate and keep attendance free for kids. Our kits help lower the burden of programs to plan, buy, and assemble activities. They also take a relatively short time to complete, and can reach more students.
