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Active Initiative:

STEAM the Streets

A dynamic outreach initiative inspiring and activating underrepresented youth to pursue STEM / STEAM career pathways.

WHAT? #STEAMtheStreets is a national public outreach campaign to bridge the diversity gap in the technology sector by inspiring the next generation of workforce talent through music, video, and exposure to STEAM career pathways. STEAM the Streets is a current initiative of Big Picture Anthems, a multimedia production company that produces hip outreach campaigns to impact youth.

WHY? An estimated 9.5 million STEM/STEAM jobs will exist in the United States in 2018. Currently, less than 20% of college attendees are enrolled in STEM majors. At this rate, there will be more than one million of those jobs that will remain unfilled due to lack of qualified applicants. Many suburban districts are addressing this crisis by providing programs, but inner cities are still far behind the curve. Only 25% of U.S. middle/high schools have high quality computer science programs. Only 5% of employees at top tech. companies are Black or Hispanic. If this continues, there will be a vast under-representation of talent of color in our nation’s brightest occupations.

HOW? #S.T.E.A.M. the Streets inspires underrepresented youth to pursue STEM/STEAM career paths through education and culturally-relevant, awareness-raising music, videos and in-school programs. We are engaging youth in the conversation about their society and their future and exposing them to the potential they have within the vast STEAM career landscape.

“I am the Science teacher for grade 5 here at Dighton Middle School. I wanted to express my appreciation for your presentation this morning. It is so vital for students to hear from someone other than me that STEAM is so important. Often times we cannot see the importance of education and are just getting through the day. I was impressed with your show and I said to kids I wished you could see them working hard each day in Science for me.” 

Sincerely,
Andrea Cabral
Grade 5 Science

OUR PROGRAMS

SCHOOL PROGRAMS
Our school outreach strategy is derived from two decades experience in engaging students through multimedia.

SCHOOL ASSEMBLY PRESENTATIONS
Led by passionate educator and DJ Angel Diaz, our school-wide assemblies engage students through a mix of dynamic video content, live performance, and interactive teaching. We use culturally relevant content to educate students about the vast landscape of STEAM careers.

 

GUEST SPEAKER FACILITATION
We coordinate classroom visits by diverse industry professionals sharing their story and occupation. Through these sessions, we aim to expose students to various STEAM careers and help connect academics to the real world. Our staff help curate the experience and facilitate a meaningful discussion with students.

 

CREATIVE WORKSHOPS
We provide in-school & after-school workshops that range from one time to throughout the year.
>> Video production – Teach students to create profiles & music videos.
>> Songwriting & Performance – We help students write, record, and perform songs with positive STEAM messaging.

Final youth videos and performances are usually showcased at the assemblies where students can educate and inspire their peers.

 

“STEAM POWERED” VIDEO PROFILE SERIES

We produce profiles of diverse professionals who share their stories, advice and what they do in their careers. Our goal is to ultimately expose youth to hundreds of STEAM careers.


OUR IMPACT

Founded in 2016, Big Picture Anthems and #STEAMtheStreets has accomplished the following:

  • Our Anthem about Black Inventors entitled “Black Made That,” involving 300 students from Richmond, CA & New Bedford, MA, has garnered 1.1 million cumulative views. Educators across the country are using it to engage students around STEM & Black History.
  • Within our “STEAM Powered” video series we’ve profiled STEM professionals of color from various companies including Adobe Systems, Pandora, and Pratt & Whitney. Along with a Youtube channel, we screen videos at school assemblies across the nation.
  • Our in-school program @Carney Academy in New Bedford, MA is exposing and inspiring 5th graders! The program has boosted students’ connection & engagement with school assemblies, guest speakers from STEM fields, & after school arts & tech programs.

For more in-depth exploration of our work, contact Ben@BigPictureAnthems.com.


HOW YOU CAN HELP US #STEAMTHESTREETS

>> Partner with Us!

Engagement Package:

  • Sponsor of k-12 STEAM school event
  • Complete production of a 3-5 min. “STEAM Powered” profile video featuring a diverse member of your team
  • Profile video screened at event
  • Opp. for your team to go on stage and connect with students
  • In-class speaking opportunity coordinated by our staff
  • Video can be used for external brand publicity
  • Boosted online reach for branded content via BPA Youtube channel, social media channels and email blasts.

 

Other Active Initiatives

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