ACJ was born out of the need to support educational communities in STEM education, promoting the development of science, engineering and entrepreneurship projects under a didactic strategy of Project-Based Learning, constantly training and supporting teachers to promote the development of STEM and 21st Century Skills in their students.
ACJ is a comprehensive intervention program that seeks to transform educational communities through STEM education in Chile and Argentina. Through an annual extra-curricular workshop that is led by a leading teacher from each school, and in which students between 12 and 18 years old participate, they develop STEM and 21st Century Skills. With the support of a tutor, teams of students carry out a scientific research, engineering or entrepreneurship project under PBL methodologies, which seek to answer problems in their context. In parallel, teachers are part of a process of teacher improvement through training and weekly reflections with the tutor, acquiring new tools to improve day to day pedagogical practices, becoming leaders within their educational communities. The process culminates in a STEM Fair, where young people present the results of their projects, impacting their communities through STEM.
Thanks to the alliances made with partners in the STEM area, the program began in the city of Quilicura, Metropolitan Region of Chile, in 2015. Due to the success of the program in its first implementation and the generation of new alliances, the program was replicated in other cities of Chile, impacting 66 schools in 5 years. In 2018, the program expanded to Argentina and began its impact on youth and schools.
To be part of the ACJ, your school must apply online, and then be interviewed and selected by the organization. In this way, we look for the best way to work together. We invite you to be aware of our future calls!