Volunteer STEM Ambassadors
Being a STEM Ambassador is about engaging young people with science, technology, engineering and mathematics. You will help to encourage young people to consider further study of STEM subjects and inspire the next generation of STEM professionals. It offers the chance to give something back to education and the wider community, whilst giving you the chance to develop your own skills.
Read on or click a link to go direct to that section:
Becoming a STEM Ambassador
Registration
To become a STEM Ambassador you first need to register on the STEM Learning website.
Follow the link and ensure you select "STEM Ambassador volunteer". You will be asked to complete a simple form, then sent an email asking you to confirm your registration.
The address you use to register with will be used to allocate you to your regional hub.
Online Induction
After applying to join the STEM Ambassadors programme, you will be sent an email asking you to register for a FutureLearn account and complete the STEM Ambassadors induction course on FutureLearn.
PVG Disclosure Check
As a STEM Ambassador you will work with schools, colleges and youth groups, so you must complete a PVG check to confirm your suitability to carry out this work in Scotland.
After you have successfully completed the FutureLearn online induction course we will be in touch to organise your completion of the PVG application form.
Please see here for more details about the Scheme.
Following the successful completion of all three stages you will be able to view all of the volunteering opportunities that are available on the STEM Learning website.
Volunteering for activities
Once you have completed registration, you are ready to start volunteering as an Ambassador. There are two ways you can do this:
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Find Ambassador requests from schools and community groups
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Create your own Offers
Find an activity
Step 1:
Sign in at www.stem.org.uk/dashboard
Step 2:
Select "Activities" in the menu on your online dashboard and choose either "Browse" or "My matches".
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"Browse" will show all available activities in the UK which you can filter
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"My matches" will show activities matched to your profile, e.g. travel time and interests
Step 3:
Select an activity to find out more information
Step 4:
Once you have found an activity that you are interested in, select "Express interest" found at the bottom of the page. This will send a message to the activity owner. The owner may either accept your offer immediately or message you to find out more details. Once accepted, the activity will appear under "Upcoming activities" on your dashboard menu.
Step 5:
Complete your activity
Step 6:
Give us feedback on your activity
Create your own Offers
Step 1:
Sign in at www.stem.org.uk/dashboard
Step 2:
Select "Offers" from the menu on your online dashboard and choose "Add offer"
Step 3:
Complete the simple form. Remember the "name" is the title of your activity and to include some information about yourself in the description
Step 4:
Click "submit" and when you're ready "Publish" to make you offer visible to schools and community groups
Step 5:
You can view your offers by selecting "My offers" from the menu on your dashboard to see their status
Step 6:
If someone is interested in your offer they will register their interest and you will receive a notification. You can also view these by selecting "My interactions" under "Offers" on the dashboard menu
Step 7:
You can message the person interested in your offer through the database. Once you are happy you can accept the request.
Step 8:
Once you have accepted the request the teacher or youth worker will create an activity which you will need to review and confirm.
Step 9:
Complete your activity
Step 10:
Give us feedback on your activity
Training
In addition to your induction there are opportunities to complete additional training that will not only support your STEM Ambassador volunteering but also provide the opportunity to develop other skills.
Training opportunities will be advertised in the STEM Ambassador newsletter and on social media.
FutureLearn
There are a selection of additional online course available on FutureLearn titled ‘Inspiring Young People in STEM’. These have been created to assist Ambassadors with effective STEM volunteering and creating engaging and appropriate practical activities for young people.
These courses cover:
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Discover resources for activities & promote diversity
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Plan & organise practical activities
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Improve your communication skills when delivering practical activities
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Obtain and use feedback to improve your volunteering & STEM activities with young people