POIETOWORKS Art + AI for LA Youth

K-12 STEAM education

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

California’s students–particularly Black, Latino, and students from low-income backgrounds–continue to face opportunity and achievement gaps in math and science. A minority of elementary school students meet state standards for science. LA students deserve greater access to and equity in STEM education, and it ought to have the greatest impact possible. The addition of Art to STEM, thus STEAM education, uniquely enables students to engage scientific concepts and problem-solving with creativity and imagination. A 2016 study showed that students who received just nine hours of STEAM instruction improved in their district assessments. Improvements made early on can compound to enhance the opportunities these students will have in secondary school, higher education, and the workforce.

POIETOWORKS is a STEAM education initiative that provides LA elementary school students with creative entry points to emerging technologies. POIETOWORKS empowers youth in underserved communities to learn about ethical and equitable technology. Through our original curriculum and instruction, our students learn fundamental coding concepts all while having fun and making art.
Our curriculum adapts to the interests and needs of each student. We collaborate with local experts and artists to provide relevant and accessible art and technology examples in our lesson plans. This hyper-local approach increases our students' sense of representation and belonging in a tech space that might otherwise feel inaccessible. Our curriculum is workshop-based, providing equal amounts of time for instruction and for exploration, experimentation, and creativity. A hands-on learning environment is proven to increase curiosity, agency, and learning in students, further empowering students to shape their lives and the technology landscape.
Since the inception of POIETOWORKS in 2022, we have served 2000+ students and implemented our STEAM courses in five elementary schools. With our organizational partners, Inner-City Arts, 99th St Elementary, and San Marino USD, we aim to continue current programming and expand to enroll an additional 85 kids across LA in the coming academic year. Grant funding would support our teaching staff and the purchase of vital instructional materials.

We aim to equip our students with basic coding skills and an expanded toolbox of software and hardware; an understanding of AI and data; original artworks created using digital tools; and experience as responsible technologists ready to tackle the sociotechnical challenges of tomorrow.
Over the 2024-25 grant period/school year, we aim to achieve:
Measurable Impact: Continue our programming in 5 elementary schools
Serve 585 students, a 15% increase from the 500 served in the 2022-23 school year
Equity & Belonging: Serve 500+ BIPOC and 500+ students from low-income backgrounds
Achieve ≥90% participant-reported interest in continuing STEAM courses; confidence in tech skills; and sense of belonging in the tech space
Force Multiplier: Continue attaining a repeat programming request rate of 100% among participating schools Over the longer term, we aim to expand programming to 20 elementary schools, and to serve 2,000 students in underserved communities across LA, per academic year.

To date, our small but mighty team of 18 staff members has established evidence-based programs in 10 schools across LA County, and has served over 2000 students with meaningful results.
We measure our impact based on number of schools and students served, as well as feedback from students, educators, and the schools we serve. We measure participant-reported interest in continuing STEAM education, confidence in tech skills, and sense of belonging; requests for repeat programming from collaborators and schools; and educator feedback on the effectiveness of the curriculum.

We will be partnering directly with Inner-City Arts to deliver programming for Para Los Niños Charter Middle School. We will deliver programming with 99th St. Elementary and San Marino USD. Our partners are responsible for connecting our educators with the schools that we will teach our courses at.