Books for Diné Bikéyah Fundrasier
The Navajo Nation, which is over 27,000 square miles, has the most COVID-19 infections per capita. Many students do not have access to WiFi and the virus has led to decreased access to important educational resources like in-person schooling, summer programs, and camps. Many children are not able to leave their homes/communities due to evening and weekend curfews and a stay at home order. These books will be a huge support to young Navajo children during these tough times by bringing light to their traditional stories of resilience.
We are raising money to support Diné authors and children by buying Diné children’s books and sending them out to children for free through local COVID-19 Relief packages for families in Navajo Nation.
STEAM for the Hospitalized
Exposing STEAM to kids early in their lives is very important for them to learn about the world of possibilities relating to science and technology. Soon, they will be the innovators leading our world. However, for many children, STEAM educational opportunities are not readily available. Hospitalized children, especially during the pandemic, have even less learning opportunities than their non-hospitalized counterparts.
My name is Vinaya Gunasekar, and I am a 12-year-old future engineer and current ambassador at The STEAM Connection. My current mission is to introduce STEAM to hospitalized children in a way that they will remember. I am doing this through STEAM activity kits. They consist of STEAM activity pages (created by The STEAM Connection) with diverse characters and a set of Crayons. These free kits will be a huge stepping stone to introducing kids to the world of STEAM when they may not be introduced otherwise. I want to start with bringing these kits to kids in Michigan. The STEAM Connection was founded in Troy, MI and we are all passionate about giving back to our local communities.
