STEAMuseum - a project of the Stevens Initiative

Northwestern University will serve as the main American partner to Neighborhoods Association Idmaj, the lead agency and Moroccan partner for the Stevens Initiative project. The Stevens Initiative is a public-private partnership managed by the Aspen Institute. It was created in 2015 to support virtual exchanges between youth in the United States and the Middle East and North Africa as a lasting tribute to the legacy of Ambassador Chris Stevens. By using technology to connect young people, the Initiative aims to increase mutual understanding and impart the skills needed to succeed in a global, digital 21st century world. One of the first grants awarded by the Stevens Initiative supported the creation of a virtual STEAMuseum which brings high school students together virtually from Chicago and Casablanca to create a series of digital exhibits. It was managed by Chicago Sister Cities International/World Business Chicago which partnered with subawardees Neighborhoods Association Idmaj and Digital Youth Network, then under the auspices of DePaul University. The initial grant ran from January 2016 – June 2018. A renewal grant has been awarded for the period Oct 2018 – June 2020. Idmaj will serve as the primary agency managing the grant and Northwestern will be a subawardee. Because of delays in announcing the award and executing the agreements, the first three months of the grant (Oct. – Dec. 2018) will be disbursed through a direct contract between Northwestern and the Aspen Institute (who is managing the Stevens Initiative) for a total of $21,827. The remainder of the grant (Jan. 2019 – July 2020) will be disbursed through a contract between Northwestern and Idmaj (the administrators of the project) for a total of $107,673. For the second contract with Idmaj, Northwestern will provide the following: Management and General Operations • Manage all aspects of project implementation in Chicago including: - Staffing (Project Manager; Program Facilitator; Curriculum Developer) - Partnerships with participating schools - Training and program delivery • Provide financial accounting and oversight • Participate in planning for long-term growth and sustainability of the program Technical/Design Support • Manage the CCOL digital platform and ensure it supports the curricular pathways • Make modest design improvements to STEAMuseum site as needed • Develop training materials for administrators for use of the digital platforms Curricular/Programmatic Support • Revise the curriculum per recommendations from teachers, staff, evaluator • Develop systems and tutorials to improve access and use of curricular and program elements by participating teachers • Facilitate a high-level roundtable with selected faculty and grad students for the purpose of reviewing, critiquing, and revising the program model to support an expanding base of users