Date: June 17, 2024

Time: 1:30 PM

Location: International Rescue Committee, 5348 University Ave., Suite 205, San Diego, CA 92105

SAN DIEGO — ROOTS welcomed refugee students in fourth grade and above for the 2024 ROOTS STEM Camp, continuing its summer program of hands-on learning across science, mathematics, technology, and engineering.

ROOTS Club members designed activities around experimentation and problem-solving. Instead of asking students simply to memorize scientific facts, volunteers encouraged them to make predictions, work with materials, build projects, test their ideas, and think about why something succeeded or failed.

The camp also continued to refine ROOTS’ approach to working with mixed-age and multilingual groups. Volunteers used visual demonstrations, drawings, gestures, and short explanations before moving quickly into hands-on activities. This allowed students to participate even when they were hesitant to speak or were still gaining confidence with English.

One of the most important lessons of the camp was that an experiment that did not work was not necessarily a bad experiment. Students were encouraged to make changes, test again, and use what they observed to improve their ideas. By treating mistakes as part of the scientific process, ROOTS sought to help students develop confidence, persistence, and curiosity.

About ROOTS

ROOTS, the Refugee Children’s Organization for Tech and Science, is a youth-led volunteer organization dedicated to expanding access to STEM education and enrichment opportunities for refugee children in San Diego. Through partnerships with refugee-serving organizations, schools, universities, and community institutions, ROOTS organizes free STEM camps, STEM Days, educational field trips, book drives, benefit concerts, and other programs designed to build curiosity, confidence, friendship, and community among young learners.