Science. Technology. Engineering. Math. – STEM – I’m not sure you will ever find four more repulsive words in the English dictionary when speaking to young adults. If you want to clear a room full of teenagers, start talking about one or more of these subjects and watch them run! Yet, these concepts are essential for developing life skills in problem solving and task management. So, how do you integrate these concepts without alienating your target audience of said teenagers?  Robotics!

The Boys & Girls club offers me the opportunity to introduce these ideas through the fun and excitement of autonomous machines and Legos. We use the hard STEM skills and develop our soft people skills; teamwork, respect, rules, friendly competition, and gracious professionalism by competing against other teams at the First Lego League challenge. Super cool!

Amazingly, it isn’t anything I give the club that keeps me going; it is what I get from the time I spend at the club. Watching the kids grow, change, and apply their newly learned skills in everyday social situations fills me with a tremendous sense of pride. The kids have started to feel like part of my family; we talk about their day at school, their dreams and plans for the future, and any trouble or accomplishments they have experienced since the last time we met.

I came to the club as part of an assignment at school. I had hoped to provide a positive influence on some of the club members, but as it turns out they may be having a bigger influence on me.

Ivan Gilreath is the CEO/President of Boys & Girls Clubs of the Midlands. In his first public message, Ivan discusses his history with the Clubs in Omaha, the need to return to full Club capacity, and the need for community support.

The CEO Video Address is a monthly feature of the BGCM Blog, giving CEO Ivan Gilreath the opportunity to share Club news updates with the Omaha, Carter Lake and Council Bluffs communities.

On January 30, 2010, over 50 members from Boys & Girls Clubs headed to the Strategic Air & Space Museum in Ashland, NE to take part in the Nebraska First Lego® League Championship. At the event, Club members competed against other youth from across the state in a series of scenarios and obstacle courses – meant to challenge their reasoning, logic and problem solving skills.

Nancy Williams, information technology director of Boys & Girls Clubs of the Midlands, said team members must calculate turn angles, distances, the power necessary for certain tasks and other factors. “They don’t realize they’re doing physics, but there’s a lot of physics involved” in the project, Williams said.

“It’s like a puzzle,” said Andrew, 14, of the Westside Unit’s seven-member team. “We all work together as a team, and we get everything done as a team.”

Teams from the South and Council Bluffs Units and the Morton Middle School CLC brought trophies back to their Clubs. The South team received the “Against All Odds” award for persevering through technological difficulties. Council Bluffs took 3rd place for Teamwork and Morton CLC received the Judges Award for excellence.

Click here for more photos from the Championship

Quotes from Nancy Williams and Andrew courtesy of the Omaha World-Herald. Article can be found at http://www.omaha.com/article/20100131/NEWS01/701319918