The Pathway to Adventure Council (PTAC), Boy Scouts of America has partnered with Woz ED-STEAM Education to present a new, fun, and interactive program that will tap into the curiosity that elementary school youth have for science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM). The program continues through middle and high school so that young people can see how the knowledge and insight they gained translate into careers.

Elementary school-age youth will enter the program through the PTAC Cub Scout units that have a specific STEM track. Being involved in a traditional Cub Scout program will allow the youth to earn advancements, and helps instill Scoutings aims of character development, citizenship training, personal fitness, and leadership skills.

Middle and high school-age youth will enter through the PTAC’s Exploring program, which will foster exciting activities and one-on-one mentorship for youth looking to discover their future. We know youth must develop certain skills, habits, and attitudes to be successful in school and life, all while facing risks greater than what previous generations faced. Due to these risks, it can be difficult for young people to establish a vision of what productive adulthood looks like. Recently released data from international math and science assessments indicate that U.S. students continue to rank behind many other advanced industrial nations. The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which ranks students in developed and developing countries, placed the U.S. an unimpressive 38th out of 71countries in math and 24th in science. Our mission is to intervene at an early age where younger students seem to fare somewhat better in these categories.