The Abstract: December 2020
Welcome to The Abstract - your monthly round up of all the latest news from Youth STEM Matters, our youth-led scientific journal.
We’re finishing off 2020 on a high, with December including recognising our amazing volunteers for International Volunteer Day, announcing our first ever Volunteer of the Month, a successful team End of Year Quiz, and some exciting opportunities to get involved coming in 2021!
First Ever Volunteer of the Month Recognised!
This month, we recognised our first ever Volunteer of the Month - a recognition awarded to a member of the Volunteer Team who has went beyond their usual role to help you or someone else, has worked hard on something they were finding tricky, for having a positive impact on team spirit, or something else entirely…Congratulations to Aditi Kona who is Volunteer of the Month for November/December 2020!
Nominated by another young person in the Volunteer Team, Aditi was recognised for her “outstanding work ethic” and “often going beyond and above expectations”, both in her role as a Copy-Editor, and as part of the wider Youth STEM Matters team. Well done Aditi!
“I feel incredibly honoured to be recognized as Volunteer of the Month. I’m immensely fortunate to work with such amazing individuals and am super excited to continue on this journey!”
Celebrating International Volunteer Day
Five members of the Youth STEM Matters Team - Nina, Anchita, Moses Joy, Lucy and Zainab - shared their stories as part of Youth STEM 2030’s celebration of International Volunteer Day, which took place on 5th December 2020.
We’re immensely grateful to each of the 52 members of the Youth STEM Matters Volunteer Team who play a vital role in ensuring that young people globally have an accessible platform that supports and empowers them to share their voice in STEM with the world!
End of Year Quiz
Last weekend, we held the first ever Youth STEM Matters social event - a quiz! With rounds ranging from ‘guess the year’, to chemical elements described using emojis, to some Youth STEM Matters trivia, our volunteers came together virtually for 90 minutes of winding down ahead of a well deserved break!
Goodbye 2020, Hello 2021!
We’ve achieved a lot this year since we launched in March! Look out for Youth STEM 2030’s ‘Year in Numbers’ coming out in January to find out what we got up to…and in the mean time, check out the opportunities that are coming up in 2021 to get involved in Youth STEM Matters!
In January 2021, we’ll be opening up applications for a number of roles on the Youth STEM Matters Volunteer Team!
We'd like to hear from you if you're a young person who wants to...
✅ Grow your skillset
✅ Expand your network
✅ Create a difference through STEM
You don't need lots of experience to apply - all of our roles are designed for 14-22 year olds and we’ll provide all of the training and support you need. The main things you need are enthusiasm to learn, willingness to work hard and a passion for our mission!
If you can’t wait until then, check out some of the fantastic articles that we published in 2020! Written by young people globally, they shine a spotlight on some of the big challenges, and the big solutions, in our world today.
Submissions are also still open for Original Research, Review Articles and Science Communication Articles - this is a great way to share your research, ideas and innovations with the world via our platform! You can submit any time, and our team will get in contact with you when we resume in January 2021!
All that’s left to say is Thank You to everyone who contributed to Youth STEM Matters during 2020! Our team will be taking some time off from 19th December - 3rd January, but we can’t wait to keep working as a global community to share the research, ideas and innovations of youth to create a better world!
