STEAM STRONG
Educating the Underprivileged through Technology
STEAM STRONG AT A GLANCE
A Bit of Background
Steam Strong is the project co-founded by college students Jeremy and Jayden Chacko from Portland, Oregon back in 2019. Growing up as children of 1st and 2nd generation immigrant parents they have seen first-hand the transformative power that a good education can have on families and societies. Birthed out of a passion to empower kids in less fortunate parts of the world with educational opportunities, they decided to form Steam Strong. The 501c3 organization exists to create an after school e-learning center for underprivileged kids to provide them access to cutting edge pedagogical tools and curriculum material through the use of computer-based learning.
Ambattur Project 2024
THE PLAN
"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" - Lao Tzu
THE NEED
Ambattur is a suburb of Chennai, a city in southern India which is becoming one of the technology capitals of the world. However, poverty is still an issue in Ambattur, and students from lower-income families don’t have access to the resources they need to prepare for a career. Lack of access to technology and support put these kids in a disadvantaged position. Studies show that the Gross Enrollment rate for higher education is 24.5%.
THE GOAL
Our plan is to maintain the Ambattur computer center, to continue helping underprivileged students access multiple learning tools, improve their spoken English & Hindi skills, and learn practical job skills (i.e. tailoring). We will sharpen our focus on teaching middle and high-school age students. To achieve this, we have partnered with Mr. Williams Abraham, a social worker with an education/technical background who works among the inner city high school students in Chennai.
MILESTONES
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We are registered with the state of Oregon and have our EIN number. We are also registered as a 501c3 public charity with the IRS.
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We have a physical location in Ambattur to setup the computer center now!
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Fundraising for hardware and software is in progress - a gofundme page was created for this at https://www.gofundme.com/educating-the-underprivileged-through-technology
Our Recent Endeavors
A Partnership with Global Helps Network
At Steam Strong, we are dedicated to empowering youth in underserved communities by providing them with education and vocational training. In partnership with Global Helps Network based out of Seattle, Washington, we have expanded our reach to underprivileged areas of Northern India. For the partnership, we are supporting educators who provide free after-school education to enhance the academic performance of local students.
