Northern Virginia Urban League (NVUL) Board Chair Tracey Walker (left) and DEILAB’s James Morey (center) and J.T. Doyle (right). Photo by Dan Brendel/Gazette Packet
More than 400 youths and their families enjoyed creativity-boosting activities and food at a community event in Old Town on Saturday, Sept. 22.
The Fall Family Carnival, hosted by the Northern Virginia Urban League (NVUL), an Alexandria-based nonprofit, sought to expose minority, low-income and at-risk children and parents to the world of ASTEAM — aviation, science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics. The event, held at the Charles Houston Rec Center, incorporated a variety of what NVUL calls “technology-infused games and immersive hands-on experiences.” These included, for example, LEGOs, radio-controlled car racing, radio-controlled drone flying, rocketry, robotic demonstrations, virtual reality activities and chess.
For people to lift themselves out of poverty, they need an “income-oriented skill,” said Tracey Walker, chair of the NVUL’s board of directors. Walker, who works for an audit, tax and consulting firm, says she sees a difficulty getting minorities into the “pipeline” for such career fields such as accounting and cyber technology. While the carnival is college-oriented, it aims to reach youths earlier in the education-to-career pipeline, “getting [them] curious again about science” and orienting them toward ASTEAM related majors, she said.
The creative minds that solve STEM problems can also be cultivated through the arts, according to Nadine Draughn of Ramalingam Productions Performing Arts Studio, a company participating in the event. Additionally, the arts help children learn to “articulate themselves” and “get their points across,” she said.
Other organizations participating in the carnival include Artesian Enterprises; Athletes Innovate; Cyber Green Group; DEILAB; Destiny Aviation Services; Harris Engineering Group; Katrina Lynn Educational Services; Patriots Technology Training Center; Propel Productions; Race Tech; Smart Learning Solutions; Vertigo Entertainment; and Youth Technology Network.
For more information, visit www.nvul.org.