ABSTRACT We describe the research and development of an NSF-funded, five-year experimental program to strengthen informal (out-of-school) STEM learning by youth in five rural communities. The central component of the model was a cadre of community members known as ‘STEM Guides’ who were hired to work as brokers between youth and the STEM learning resources potentially available to them. These STEM Guides were respected adults with credible connections to youth, flexible schedules, the ability to travel within the community, and enthusiasm for identifying local STEM resources. The Guides were trained and supported by the project staff of an educational research and development non-profit, whose researchers studied the Guides’ experiences over several years as they reflected on the ways they could support youth to pursue STEM outside of school. This project was unusual in developing embedded rural residents to take a professional brokering role with youth aged 10–18 throughout a region of several neighbouring towns, instead of relying on parents or teachers to provide such connections opportunistically and only for their own youth. Taking an ecosystems perspective, this article highlights some of the opportunities and challenges these STEM brokers faced as they tried to catalyze connections for youth in their communities.

中文翻译：

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STEM指南：农村STEM生态系统中的专业经纪人

摘要我们描述了一项由国家科学基金会（NSF）资助的为期五年的实验计划的研发，该计划旨在加强五个农村社区的青年人的非正式（校外）STEM学习。该模型的中心部分是一群称为“ STEM指南”的社区成员，他们被雇用为青年人和他们可能使用的STEM学习资源之间的中介。这些STEM指南受到尊敬的成年人，他们与年轻人之间有可靠的联系，灵活的日程安排，在社区内旅行的能力以及热衷于确定当地STEM资源的热情。该指南由一家教育研究与开发非营利组织的项目人员进行了培训和支持，他们的研究人员研究了指南的几年经验，他们反思了他们如何支持青年人在校外从事STEM。这个项目与众不同，它使嵌入式农村居民能够在几个邻近城镇的区域中与10-18岁的年轻人担任专业经纪人的角色，而不是依靠父母或老师机会性地提供这种联系，并且仅针对他们自己的青年。从生态系统的角度来看，本文重点介绍了这些STEM经纪人在试图促进社区中年轻人之间的联系时所面临的一些机遇和挑战。