Collaboration will Result in the Development of a High School Edition of their Future City Competition
(New York, NY) – Today, on World Engineering Day, NAF — a national network of education, business, and community leaders who work together to ensure that high school students are college, career, and future ready — is excited to announce our new partnership with DiscoverE! We will be joining forces to develop a high school edition of their Future City Competition program for middle school students, with a vision to incorporate augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) and embed engineering and work-based learning competencies into the final product. Currently, 45,000 middle school students participate around the world, where teams imagine, research, design, and build inclusive cities of the future, and our connection will also foster expansion, by continuing the sense of excitement and exploration from middle school to high school.
The Future City Competition starts with an important question: How can we make the world a better place? By collaborating with DiscoverE – the backbone organization behind Engineers Week and Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day – our goal is to impact NAF’s STEM academies, with a focus on Engineering, and provide students with relevant and challenging experiences, resources, and programs to increase the understanding of engineering. We currently serve over 17,000 students in 96 engineering academies nationwide and prepare them to begin careers in these high-demand, high-paying jobs.
Additionally, students will work to problem solve, innovate, and showcase their passions and ideas by generating a digital portfolio and practicing with a 3D AR/VR model, as well as participate in opportunities for mentorship and educator support. Young people will gain project management understanding, as they identify challenges, determine schedules, adhere to timelines, reflect, and share findings.
NAF CEO, Lisa Dughi, said “We are thrilled to partner with DiscoverE, as we extend and amplify their Future City Competition to our NAF high school students. Not only will the next generation of engineers and innovators be able to apply their classroom learning to a real-world challenge and obtain crucial skillsets, but they will also be making a positive difference. We are excited to witness their strategic thinking, imagination, teamwork, and altruism in coming up with solutions that ensure that our future cities are more inclusive and sustainable for generations to come.”
The Future City Competition reinforces the engineering design process, a logical series of steps demonstrating how engineers approach a problem. The competition will culminate with a showcase that is comprised of a post-project reflection, a 3D AR/VR Digital Artifacts and Video Tour, a portfolio presentation with supporting evidence, and a Q&A session with advisory board partners.
“We couldn’t have asked for a better partner than NAF to launch a Future City Competition in high schools,” says Kathy Renzetti, DiscoverE Executive Director. “Both of our organizations believe introducing students to STEM is transformative. We look forward to seeing the ingenuity and creative thinking of the students who participate, as it demonstrates the joy and rigor found in STEM through Future City.”
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About DiscoverE
DiscoverE is a coalition providing every student with a shared STEM experience and the resources, programs, and connections to improve the understanding of engineering through a united voice and a global distribution network. Our programs cover pre-k to work force. They are highly collaborative, represent the breadth of engineering, and are compelling yet simple to execute. This strategy enables organizational partners, volunteers, and educators to effectively reach millions of students, parents, and young adults with the message that engineers work with smart, inspiring people to invent, design, and create things that matter.
About NAF
NAF is a national network of education, business, and community leaders who work together to ensure high school students are college, career, and future ready. NAF’s educational design is uniquely comprehensive in its approach to skill development, enabling students of all backgrounds to participate in a meaningful education and gives businesses the opportunity to shape America’s future workforce by transforming the learning environment to integrate STEM infused, career-relevant curricula and work-based learning experiences, including internships.
NAF has grown from one NAF Academy of Finance in New York City to hundreds of academies across the country focusing on growing industries including finance, hospitality & tourism, information technology, engineering, and health sciences; and support programs of study that are aligned with the National Career Clusters Framework.
During the 2021-22 school year, over 120,000 students attended 618 NAF academies across 35 states, plus DC, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. In 2021, NAF academies reported 99% of seniors graduated with 87% of graduates planning to go to college. For more information, please visit: https://naf.org/