Connecting with the World through STEAM - Narrow The Gap Community Program
1. Organization introduction
- Name: Center for Service-learning, HSU2.
- Established year: 2015
- Address: 08 Nguyen Van Trang, Ben Thanh Ward, District 1, TP.HCM
- Representative: Trương Nguyễn Bảo Trân
- Title: Expert

2. Project proposal:
- Location: HCMC
- To achieve SDGs:
+ GOAL 10: Reduced Inequality
+ GOAL 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
Project Beneficiaries:
- Direct beneficiary community: 80 children aged 6-10, including 40 children at Thao Dan Social Protection facility (SRE) and 40 children at SOS Children's Village HCMC (SOS Village ). Thao Dan SREP supports children with special circumstances such as migrant children, poor community children, children earning a living on the streets. Children often live with their guardians or with their families in poor community or suburban areas. Every day, the children follow their parents into the central areas to work or trade. Children usually go with parents to help their parents to sell or sell alone. Most of the children have little access to education or go to school. They are hindered academically also due to limited parental attention. Upon admission to the facility, children are provided with services such as emergency intervention, homecoming, part-boarding classes, extra classes, extracurricular studies, scholarships and vocational training. Children are also given the opportunity to return to school and continue their education, minimizing their risk of dropping out and helping prevent abuse whilst street-working.
- Indirect beneficiaries: 12 students from Hoa Sen University (HSU). 12 HSU students studying different majors. These are first to fourth year students who love STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) activities as well as the spirit of community service.

Challenges in the beneficiary community:
- For children aged 6-10 years access to STEAM is still limited because formal training programs of this age group do not integrate STEAM. Migrant children and child labourers have very little chance to get acquainted with STEAM. In the past year, Thao Dan SRE organized many extra-curricular classes during the school year and summer such as dance, yoga, creation, semi-boarding classes, tutoring classes, early working life skills.
- Similarly, even though children of SOS Village have access to all grades, the Village has never organized STEAM activities for children. To create equal and harmonious development opportunities for a group of children with special circumstances, the project provides an opportunity to learn and explore STEAM, helping this group of children have the initiative to create and enjoy exploration of the surrounding world as well as harmonious development. Through STEAM, children gain real-world and theoretical connections as well as involve them in global trends such as 4.0 technology, climate change, and renewable energy.

Project activities:
- Organize business tours for children to have the opportunity to learn STEAM directly through the product
- Provide a STEAM workshop in accordance with their expectations
- Organize a fair.
Long-term goal:
 Contributing to building the harmonious development of children with special circumstances in Science, Engineering, Technology, Arts and Mathematics; developing children in integrated thinking as well as laying a foundation for children regarding the problems of the modern world.

Short-term goal:
- Learning Objectives: During 6 months (from June 2019 to December 2019), 12 HSU students develop skills and a spirit of community service through interactions with children in special circumstances. .
- Community service goals: During 6 months (from 6 / 2019-12 / 2019), 80 children at Thao Dan Social Security and SOS Children's Village HCMC develop creative thinking and logical thinking; language ability, ask questions; ability to analyze problems and make plans.
- 12 students are able to apply STEAM education to children with special circumstances from 6-10 years old.
- 80 children who experience STEAM, understand the necessity of common science and entertainment.

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