Make an Impact
Join Science Club!
Scientists have volunteered their time since 2008
Kids have learned through Science Club
Additional hours of science learning for Science Club members
We love having new members and new mentors join the Science Club family!
We are now accepting new mentor applications, please fill out an application here:
Mentor Application link: bit.ly/3s9TVrn
If you’d like to know about short-term volunteer opportunities sign up for our listserv
MIDDLE SCHOOL YOUTH
SCIENTIST VOLUNTEERS
Science Club is an after-school program designed for youth in grades 5-8. The program runs at the Boys & Girls of Chicago Clubs (Uptown’s Pedersen-McCormick Club and Little Village’s True Value Club) and is free to BGCC members. Youth in Evanston can also join Science Club at the McGaw YMCA MetaMedia location. Many members walk from school with peers to the program!
Science Club youth are strategically paired with their peers and scientists in small groups for 90 minutes. Groups have the opportunity to build authentic, strong relationships over time due to their weekly investment.
Every week, groups work on hands-on experiments and activities while solving real-world science challenges. These weekly sessions offer a safe space for both youth and scientists to openly communicate and share personal experiences and thoughts related to the topic at hand.
By working as a team, youth and scientists design fun group projects while strengthen their critical thinking and science reasoning skills. Each quarter ends with a big finale event where youth and scientists share their projects and are celebrated for their collaborative efforts!
Not only do middle school youth have the chance to learn about real science but they also have the chance to have real fun with amazing professional scientists.
Anyone can be a Science Club Mentor, and yet these individuals are very special. Mentors make this program possible, personal, and fun for all the youth involved. Although typically graduate students, a mentor can be anyone with an interest in community, teaching, pedagogy, and has a steady schedule. Leading weekly sessions with the same small group of kids, both youth and mentors learn about each other and build relationships based on trust. Many mentors stay in the program for over a year and over time, they have the opportunity to watch kids grow.
Mentors report that Science Club helps them to be more inspired and interested in their own work, revisiting their initial interest in science through the lens of their youth mentees. One of the most important things about Science Club is the opportunity to build real, strong relationships between mentors and kids, not only boosting their science skills, but instilling confidence through encouragement and regular support.
But we don’t make you do this alone. Each new mentor receives an in-depth small group training session and is paired with a more senior mentor for at least their first quarter. Subsequently, we provide on the ground coaching, quarterly orientations, and brown bag professional development opportunities throughout the year. For some Science Club is a spark, going into science education and science advocacy careers.
FAMILY FOCUS
• 2010 Dewey Ave, Evanston • (847) 475-7570
McGAW YMCA METAMEDIA
• 1000 Grove Street, Evanston • (847) 475-7400
PEDERSEN-McCORMICK BOYS & GIRLS CLUB
• 4835 N. Sheridan Rd, Chicago • (773) 271-8400
TRUE VALUE BOYS & GIRLS CLUB
• 2950 W. 25th Street, Chicago • (773) 247-0700
• Phone: (847) 467-3297 • Email: sis@northwestern.edu
I always kind of knocked myself down when I didn’t do good. But Science Club allowed me to understand that there are times where errors are made….And all you have to do is reprogram yourself …What do we have to do in the experiment so that we get the results that we are looking for? And I took that mentality and that idea out of Science Club and put that into my life.
Because of Science Club, I now understand the importance of outreach as a way of building trust between scientists and the communities they serve.