STEAM Program - ARSI/URSI

Refugee Women's Alliance's youth STEAM Program uses a culturally responsive STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) curriculum complemented by social-emotional learning (SEL). Program activities combine play, exploration, and relationships through SEL components that foster a sense of belonging, community, and teamwork. Students build confidence in their English and share similar lived experiences while learning STEAM topics such as coding and robotics. Field trips provide opportunities for hands-on, immersive learning that reinforces classroom learning. Programming is complemented by Academic Case Managers who build relationships with students and families and become trusted guides for caregivers in navigating the school system and understanding how to support their child’s learning.

STEAM units include flight, coding, robotics, engineering, and other STEAM-related topics. In the engineering unit, students build bridges using popsicle sticks, rubber bands, and string. Students use Keva planks to build towers, re-create famous buildings, and learn about arches. Other projects that will engage students’ math skills include building windmills out of cheap materials, doing egg drops, and paper airplane builds.

Daily activities include homework help, a “diversity moment”, Book Club, and English language practice in addition to STEAM learning. During diversity moments, staff or volunteers share about STEAM careers by highlighting the contributions of members of the field with refugee or immigrant backgrounds, so that students can see themselves in those careers in the future as well.


Our program is intentional about not only exposing students to STEAM careers but also helping them identify STEAM professionals from within their own cultures. By pairing STEAM education with career exploration, youth are introduced to career possibilities they didn’t previously consider possible for themselves.