Last week, the award-winning 49ers Foundation's STEAM Education Program teamed up with 49ers Academy to introduce East Palo Alto youth to the concepts of science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) through the lens of football. During the all-school assembly, which hosted various stations dedicated to showcasing STEAM in football, the 49ers STEAM Education Program announced after-school programming available to more than 125 7th and 8th grade 49ers Academy students during the 2017-2018 academic year.
Leveraging the comprehensive curriculum developed over its four years in service to the community, and taking into account the longstanding relationship between the 49ers and the 49ers Academy – a private non-profit agency embedded in the public school system providing on-site services, staff, and programs to middle and high school students – the 49ers Foundation's STEAM Education Program is engaging 49ers Academy students on the intersection of STEAM and football.
The after-school services this year by the 49ers education progrm will be the first component to a longstanding effort between the two entities to benefit the students of East Palo Alto when it comes to STEAM learning.
"We believe in you and we believe that a future for everyone is a great education," said 49ers CEO Jed York. "We want to inspire you to be whatever you want to be when you grow up, and we'd like to help you get there. That's why we're going to make sure you are fired up to learn and to continue on a path of education."
Over the course of the school year, the 49ers Foundation's STEAM Education Program's STEAM Team – comprised of the franchise's STEAM educators – will travel to East Palo Alto six times to host optional one-hour after-school sessions tying the concepts of STEAM to football. Students can sign up for the program, and will work in groups on a special STEAM project that will be later presented to STEAM educators and 49ers Academy educators at Levi's Stadium. Students who participate in all the sessions and present on the project will receive two tickets to a 2018 preseason home game.
During the assembly, 49ers director of STEAM Education also surprised the students with one more gift: an upcoming visit to the 49ers education program at Levi's Stadium later this October. For most of the students, the upcoming field trip will be their first time to the stadium.
Since 2014, the 49ers Foundation's STEAM Education Program has influenced more than 160,000 participants and, will reach more than 210,000 K-8 participants by the end of the 2017-2018 academic year.
