Meet Helena, Our Youth STEM Changemakers Programme Officer!
Hello! My name is Helena, the newly appointed Youth STEM Changemakers Programme Officer. This role is ideal for me as it combines my passion for STEM and using STEM-based solutions to bring about actionable change, alongside my dedication to uplifting and empowering marginalised youth. My journey to this role has included pursuing a Masters degree in Ecology, where I researched fish sleep behaviour, including conducting data collection and analysis, attending conferences and writing dissertations on the subject. I am hugely passionate about ecological solutions to the climate crisis, and my particular interests lie in marine research; first understanding the impacts of anthropogenic change on aquatic species, then creating strategies to mitigate these changes. Alongside my degree, I spent the last year working on the University of Glasgow Widening Participation programme, tutoring school pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds to aid their application and admission into university. I taught biology, chemistry, and academic study skills, and found it so rewarding to build up my science communication skills through imparting knowledge on, and excitement for, STEM subjects. I have also had a welfare officer role in the University of Edinburgh’s PrideSoc, and honed my mediation, communication and community-focused leadership skills. I look forward to using these experiences to shape my work in Youth STEM 2030.
In my new role as Youth STEM Changemakers Programme Officer, I will be developing and facilitating our first edition of the programme - Youth STEM Changemakers: Entrepreneurs for Impact (Scotland). Proudly supported by the Scottish Ecosystem Fund 2023-24, our 10-week learning programme will empower 30 16-24 year olds from across Scotland, with a focus on youth from marginalised backgrounds who have are underrepresented in STEM fields and entrepreneurship. I am invested in increasing diversity in STEM, and amplifying the voices of young people to give them the spotlight. Through this programme, participants will develop their own impact-driven STEM-based solutions to real-world challenges in the form of business opportunities, start-ups and social enterprises. The programme will provide opportunities for the participants to gain relevant skills and knowledge from diverse role models, collaborate with their peers, and make actionable change.
As the Programme Officer for this new and exciting programme, my main goal is undoubtedly the success of the programme. Success can take many shapes, but I believe the most important aspect is that the youth participating feel fulfilled in the knowledge and skills gained, and feel heard in their feedback and contributions. My personal goal is to create a nurturing and trusting atmosphere where the opinions of youth are highly valued, so where we can adapt to better suit their needs, we will implement changes accordingly. I also believe in the great potential of this programme to grow and flourish beyond the first edition, to reach many more young people and create further positive impact.
As I join the Youth STEM 2030 Core Team, I am most excited to work with brilliant young people as they develop their projects from ideas into tangible solutions to sustainability and inequality struggles. I am also thrilled to be working alongside such an inspiring and motivated team at Youth STEM 2030, and I look forward to being able to learn from them, and build on my skills as we take this next step on our exciting adventure.
