Touring Boise Parks and Rec’s TMC Works Program

TMC Works Parks and Rec Blog 

By Natalia DiGiosia  

It’s a smokey summer afternoon in Boise. It’s so bad that the Parks and Rec camp is held inside at the Whittney Elementary School Gym. Inside, the gym is booming with echo. A group of thirty 8-year olds are congregating in the center of the gym and listening to Marlena, a 14-year-old STEM Ambassador, who is teaching them about how parachutes work. She explains to them the “drag” effect. She and three other STEM Ambassadors, Sam, Kaya, and Henry, pass out plastic bags with supplies for kids to make their own mini-parachutes. The kids gather on the floor and huddle over their supplies—a paper cup, 4 strands of yarn, and a sheet of plastic—just enough tools for a proper science experiment.   

The TMC Ambassadors make their rounds helping the young kids make their parachutes, problem solving along the way. These four TMC Ambassadors and the 30 elementary school kids are part of the TMC Works program. TMC Works is a workforce development initiative led by the Idaho Out-of-School Network, the University of Idaho 4-H, and out-of-school programs across Idaho. Funded by the Idaho Workforce Development Council and now STEM Next, the program is designed for teens to lead STEM activities to younger youth, using the Think Make Create (TMC) Labs curriculum and low-tech supplies. Wrapping up its second year, TMC Works has given STEM Ambassador leadership opportunities to over 250 teens and over 17,500 kids got to experience STEM learning through the program. The impact has been tremendous for the younger kids exposed to STEM concepts, and also for the teens gaining experience.  

Earlier in the day, we took a tour behind-the-scenes at Boise Parks and Recreation’s STEM Ambassadors Headquarters—the Fort Boise Community Center, where Ambassadors manage their operations. Every week the teen Ambassadors assume a different role: a Leader, a Communications Manager, a Data Manager, and Supplies Manager. Each role is needed and respected, and these teens take their roles seriously. They must choose activities, prep them, create kits, and finally teach the STEM activities. For most of them, this is their very first job and professional experience. They are gaining knowledge in workplace norms, professionalism, leadership, speaking to large groups, problem solving, and having defined roles early on in their professional lives.   

I asked each STEM Ambassador what their current thoughts are about career exploration. All of the Ambassadors had specific ideas, and all of which included STEM. Marlena, the Lead Teacher of the day, wants to be a doctor, but she doesn’t know what kind yet. Kaya, the Data Manager of the day, wants to go into Marine Engineering. She told me, “It’s not building the ships, but the engineering of how you steer ships.” Henry feels strongly about being a business owner. He said TMC Works has been a great way to gain workplace experience, “and it’s really fun!” He’s looking into making things with his 3D printer and selling them. Finally, Sam wants to launch into the field of rocket science. “I’m fascinated with space,” he said. Sam has led all the rocket-related activities for City of Boise Parks and Recreation this summer.   

These teens are at the very start of their career paths, and TMC Works is the first stop, opening the door to more opportunities. For all these teens finishing up their summers, they told me this experience has helped their communication skills and has given them an idea of what a workplace environment is like.   

For the younger participants, I could see these activities making an impact too. Many of them told me “I don’t know how to tie.” Marie Hattaway, the program manager encouraged young people to see themselves as inquisitive scientists. When they asked her what to do next, she encouraged them to tell HER the next step. And when they said they didn’t know how to tie a knot, she responded, “let’s practice.” 

When the young girl finished tying her four knots, she joined the other kids in a gym, flying parachutes with marbles in the cups. The finale of the activity was a relay race—teams raced across the gym floor holding a parachute in hand. The idea was for kids to feel the “drag” of a parachute. I saw wide smiles and excitement as teams cheered on their teams.  Everyone got a piece of candy at the end.   

As the ION team said goodbye to the STEM Ambassadors, and exited the gym back to the summer smoke, I was excited to have seen their leadership skills in action, and layers of leadership from the STEM Supervisor and Marie who made this happen. It is truly inspiring to spend an afternoon with young people who are learning skills that we know will set them up well for their careers, whether that’s a rocket scientist or a doctor, or a businesses owner. STEM is everywhere.