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Role Models Matter – One-hour online, on-demand training – Role models play a critical role in shaping a girl’s STEM identity, interest and aspirations. Although many STEM professionals are well intentioned to share their journey and experience, many don’t quite know how to go about engaging girls in conversation or telling their personal story. To support role models and increase their effectiveness, Techbridge Girls developed the Role Models Matter (™) training program. The training helps role models develop skills to engage girls from marginalized communities through videos, reflection questions and more.
This course is hosted in Circle, Techbridge Girls’ learning platform. When you click Start Course, you’ll be prompted to create a free account. After signing in, you’ll be taken directly to the course and can begin the training right away. Sign up for training here.
STEM Next AI Professional Learning Network – Out-of-school time is the perfect launchpad for AI literacy. Unshackled by the constraints of standard school-day testing, OST programs offer the hands-on, highly human, and creative spaces youth need to demystify and master these emerging tools.
This Professional Learning Network is designed for OST directors, site coordinators, and network leaders looking to level up their programs between October 2026 and January 2027. This collaborative network is designed to help scale adult AI literacy, introduce engaging AI-STEM activities to youth in grades 5–12, and build clear pathways to the workforce. Learn more here.
Beyond Keywords, Helping Kids Think Through Word Problems, November 2, 2026 – Word problems don’t have to feel intimidating. Explore engaging, hands-on strategies that lighten the mental load and empower students to understand the situation, make meaningful connections, and solve problems with confidence. For more information, email acres@mmsa.org. Register here.
Building AI Literacy for Inclusion in STEM: Tools and Resources to Empower Educators, November 3, 2026 – During this webinar, attendees will explore tools, curricula, and innovative platforms that make AI education interactive, accessible, and inclusive. Tune in to gain actionable strategies for choosing tools and resources that will empower young people to critically and creatively engage with AI technologies.
This session is the third installment in this 3-part AI literacy webinar series, created as part of the Building AI Literacy for Inclusion in STEM, an initiative developed by NGCP in partnership with Ingenia Learning and STEM Next, made possible through the generous support of the AMD Foundation. Register here.
AI for Education Summit – On Saturday, November 7, join the AI for Education Summit, a free, one-day virtual event focused on what AI literacy actually is, why we need it more than ever, and how to build it in your school, district, and community. Register here.
America After 3PM: Key Insights for Supporting Girls in STEM, November 10, 2026 – The Afterschool Alliance’s special report funded by Overdeck Family Foundation, “Afterschool STEM Takes Off: Programs Offer More STEM Than Ever, But Too Many Young People Still Miss Out,” delves into parent priorities and expectations for STEM learning in afterschool, STEM subjects and skills young people are accessing in afterschool, and where the gaps are. Findings from the report highlight how access to STEM in afterschool programs is now nearly equal for boys and girls, but a gender gap persists in how much parents prioritize fields like computer science and engineering. Speakers will break down these findings and connect national data directly to ground-level practice. Together, participants will discuss the implications for girls and share actionable strategies to help practitioners close the subject-specific gender gap in afterschool STEM learning. Register here.
Bring Career-Connected STEM Activities to Life, November 17, 2026 – Explore STEM Next’s new collection of hands-on, career-connected STEM activities designed for afterschool. In this interactive webinar, educators will get familiar with the Out-of-School Time Top Ten Activity Bundle and learn practical tips for bringing the activities to life with youth using common, low-cost materials.
Participants will explore how the activities build durable skills like problem-solving, collaboration, creativity, communication and critical thinking while helping youth make meaningful connections to real-world STEM careers. Participants will leave ready to use the activities in their afterschool and summer programs. Participants will also have an opportunity to win STEM kits or a $100 gift card for their programs. Register here.
Community in Nature Prize Challenge – Enter STEM Next Opportunity Fund’s 2026 Community in Nature Prize Challenge to win up to $5,000 for your program! STEM Next Opportunity Fund has launched the 2026 Community in Nature Prize Challenge, inviting afterschool programs to design and complete activities that connect nature, community impact, and future careers. Youth teams will identify a nature-related issue or opportunity that matters to them, explore the careers connected to it, and share what they learned in a project artifact. All submissions are due by December 10, 2026. Learn more and sign up here.
Career Profiles to Help Connect Youth to STEM Careers in Afterschool – STEM Next has developed a new set of ten career profiles to help youth explore career paths in STEM. Each profile introduces a different profession, explains how it contributes to the industry, and highlights the skills, education, and day-to-day responsibilities involved. These profiles complement the Out-Of-School Time Top Ten Activity Bundle for all grade levels. Educators and families can use these profiles to demonstrate to youth the variety of STEM career paths that are open to them in fields they are interested in. Download the career profiles here.
Aeronautics & Aerospace Career Profiles – Explore five STEM careers that help make modern aviation and aerospace possible. Each profile introduces a different profession, explains how it contributes to the industry, and highlights the skills, education, and day-to-day responsibilities involved. View the Career Profiles here.
Launching Futures: A Toolkit for Afterschool Programs – The Launching Futures Toolkit, powered by RTX, was created specifically for afterschool and summer programs. This free resource makes it easy for educators to bring aerospace careers to life. This toolkit gives you access to a rich database of career-connected resources.
Research-Based Practices & Career Awareness and Exploration – STEM Next aims to raise awareness of research-based practices proven to increase the quality of STEM learning experiences for youth, and is committed to strengthening career awareness and exploration in out-of-school time so youth are prepared for whatever comes NEXT.
- Preparing Tomorrow’s Workforce: How Boys & Girls Clubs Help Power America’s Economic Engine — New data shows how, through its Life & Workforce Readiness strategy, Boys & Girls Clubs helps teens build the skills, explore career pathways, and gain real-world experience needed to thrive after high school and in a rapidly changing economy. As graduates prepare for what’s next, Boys & Girls Clubs of America is teaming up with national partners to ensure more young people are ready for life after graduation.
- Students Want Career Education. More Research Can Improve It, New Report Says — Policymakers in Congress and the Trump administration should make career-connected learning a key part of the federal education research agenda, a coalition of more than 130 organizations recommends in a detailed new report released June 9, 2026, by the Alliance for Learning Innovation during a briefing on Capitol Hill. The report says there is a “relevance gap,” or “a disconnect between what students learn and what they need to learn to thrive in the workforce. Read more to learn about what you can do to join the coalition of education groups calling on the federal investment in research to strengthen career-connected learning.
- CareerXplorer from LabXchange at Harvard University unites education and industry in an interactive career exploration tool built for learners. CareerXplorer unites K–12 education, higher education, and STEMM industries in one streamlined career exploration tool that emphasizes career-connected learning through interactive content.
- Fun and Interactive Ways to Teach Kids About Jobs and Career Exploration – Explore innovative ways to make learning and job exploration an exciting adventure for kids.
