A WALK FOR EDUCATION

The goal of A Walk for Education (AWFE) is “to increase awareness of the opportunities available through education particularly in the STEM fields and to shatter myths about African-Americans in math, science, engineering and other technologies.” AWFE is a grassroots program in which NSBE members go door to door in underserved Black communities and hand out information on college, scholarship information, SAT/ACT preparation tools, NSBE and share information on the benefits of majoring in STEM fields. AWFE is the primary outreach and advertising mechanism of TORCH. AWFE is a one-time broad effort to reach into the community and initiate a relationship that can be developed further through other TORCH activities.

AWFE is now a chapter-based program. AWFE is designed to impact both traditional students and non-traditional students and should be paired with other TORCH programs following. Examples include promoting STEM Community Training Program as Northeastern University did, hosting an Informal Science and Engineering Activity as the Charlotte Alumni Chapter did, or even pairing AWFE with a day of general service. A second activity will reinforce the NSBE members’ dedication to the community, provide additional time for members to interact with members of the community, and thereby make the information that was passed out that much more meaningful.

A Walk for Education (AWFE)

Check for information about AWFE in Summer/Fall 2012.

Hosting AWFE

To host AWFE your chapter should consult the AWFE Implementation guide for a detailed plan of how to plan AWFE. Proposals may be submitted to the National TORCH Committee. Walks will ideally be in the same community as a chapter’s on-going service project or include an Informal Science and Engineering or Technical Expertise Services event in conjunction with the walk. Though less emphasis is being placed on AWFE and financial support will be at a minimum, AWFE can still be an important component of a full TORCH program. This single day outreach effort can increase attendance at other TORCH programs and is a low-commitment way to introduce more members to your chapters’ TORCH program and an informal way to introduce the community to your membership and NSBE goals.

• AWFE Toolkit
• Implementation Guide
• Funding Application & Registration (Registration Form & Application for Financial Support)
• AWFE Application Supplement

T-shirts will be available via the NSBE store by the end of July for approximately $7 each; this will allow you to not have to go through the approval process. If you do not plan to purchase t-shirts from the NSBE store, you will have to submit your design for approval prior to printing.

If you have any other questions please contact National TORCH Chair, Sarah Brown attorch@nsbe.org.

http://www.nsbe.org/Programs/NSBE-Programs/T-O-R-C-H-/A-Walk-for-Education.aspx