Why do we have the National Black Youth in STEM (BYIS) Program?

Programming for Black youth is designed to create safe, culturally-relevant and engaging learning environments where Black youth can visualize themselves in science, technology engineering, and math, and gain the skills and confidence needed to fulfill their important role in STEM.

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The barrier of access refers to the relative lack of opportunities into informal STEM education for Black youth. The most apparent form of this barrier often manifests as financial scarcity. Evidence shows that regardless of race, students who are from lower socio-economic homes tend to have worse performance than their peers in traditional education spaces. parents and guardians may lack the disposable income required to strengthen their child’s STEM education  (Aderibigbe, T, et al.,2022). For this reason, it is important that many of these programs are free and accessible to Black youth. 

Financial scarcity often becomes intertwined with scarcity of other resources such as time. Parental access to spare time is a pivotal factor in determining whether or not a child is able to participate in those extracurricular activities that often occur after school hours. This issue is more prevalent for newcomers and BIPOC youth. 

For example, a Canadian study found that holding multiple contract jobs and working longer hours was more likely to occur in racialized communities than in their white counterparts. This means that the parents of Black youth tend to be disproportionately impacted by time restrictions leaving them with less capacity to invest heavily in extracurricular STEM activities. (Caragata, L. 2008) 

Another form of the access barrier comes as a lack of available spaces to run high impact STEM programming. For example, science learning opportunities often involve Makerspaces where kids can interact with and investigate STEM principles using tools. However, these kinds of spaces can sometimes be inaccessible or require heavy financial investment (Aderibigbe, T, et al.,2022)

Definition: According to the American Journal of Psychology, self perception refers to the way people come to define themselves based on their own conclusions about their actions, reactions and environment  (Robak, R. W,2001)

In order to understand the barriers Black youth face, we must learn about what the Canadian experience can entail for them and what these experiences mean when it comes to the development of positive self perception. 

Intergenerational Differences

Due to Canada’s diverse population, many Black youth who identify as Canadian have parents who recently immigrated or whose country of origin is not Canada. It is important to recognize that there can be intergenerational differences between Black youth and their parents or guardians and these differences can cause shifts in self perception (Eight Good Practices for Organizations Serving Black Youth & Their Families., 2018).

A study conducted in the Greater Toronto Area on the experiences of the Black population found that Black youth born in Canada have higher tendencies of experiencing racism than their parents. In addition, they have a higher chance of being negatively affected by it in the long term. These experiences create a shift in perception that leads Black youth to have a lack of confidence in their educational system (Eight Good Practices for Organizations Serving Black Youth & Their Families.,2018).For example, a survey presented by StatsCan in 2020 showed that over 94% of Black youth in Ontario wanted a university degree, however only 60% of them believed it was possible to receive one (Do, D,2020)

Communication Style

Another factor that affects self perception in STEM related subjects is the very specific type of verbiage and processes that are used in scientific exploration. STEM topics are a whole new way of seeing the world and the scientific method tends to be taught in a very Eurocentric  way. This contrast in communication style can affect Black youths self perception when they evaluate whether or not they belong in a particular space.

A study completed by the American Educational Association found that when there are inconsistencies between the language styles used at home and the ones required in the classroom, students tend to develop negative self perceptions about their chances of success in that subject (Polman, J. L., & Miller, D,2010)

The Hidden Curriculum

The Glossary of Education refers to the hidden curriculum as “the unwritten, unofficial, and often unintended lessons, values, and perspectives that students learn in school.” Teachers often inform their students of these values with the kinds of stories, books and role models they select when teaching. 

When Black youth are faced with perspectives that do not represent their everyday experiences or exclude professionals that represent them, it is hard to find a sense of belonging in that particular subject. The intentionality with which educators create diverse and welcoming classroom environments or the lack thereof has direct effects on the achievements of Black youth in the future. A study conducted in New York city in 2018 found that Black youth often referenced their teachers' attitudes when discussing reasons for their lack of interest in school  (Fordham University study analyzes barriers students of color experience in STEM education,(2018) 

When educators do not intentionally include diverse STEM professionals in their lessons, it reinforces the idea to Black youth that STEM is not something that they have been a part of historically. 

The Deficit Lens

The level of confidence that others have in their abilities is another roadblock that Black youth face when trying to engage in science learning. Teachers are the mediators between Black youth and  STEM content and their attitudes and behaviors heavily dictate students' relationships with science exploration.(Aderibigbe, T, et al.,2022) It makes a huge difference in the level of success of a student when their primary teachers and instructors are invested in their achievements. 

Unfortunately, in North America as a whole, there appears to be a pervasive idea of what Black youth can and cannot do. Particularly when it comes to traditional schooling, many educators are quick to write off Black students as deficient compared to their peers. For example, a study conducted by York university found that perceptions of Black youth were regularly informed by stereotypes with many categorizing Black students as " not capable of excelling academically”.  (Aderibigbe, T, et al.,2022)

This deficit lens for Black youth is common and adds to the lack of positive reinforcement Black youth face when developing a sense of who they are and what they are capable of. In addition, studies s how that when students are tagged as poor performers, instructors call on them less and give them less time to answer questions.  (Adams, J. D,(2022)

1. Please reflect on the barriers Black youth face in their STEM journeys. Write down three barriers Black youth might be facing to accessing STEM resources or programs in your community.  
2. Think on your own childhood, did you experience some of the barriers discussed above? What kind of roadblocks did you experience on your own journey?
3. In your own words, write why it is important to engage Black youth in STEM education.