Sharing Is Not Enough For Caring: A Case for Care in Informal STEM Learning Spaces

• In Event: Youth Voices: Critical Engagement and Care in Informal Education Spaces

Abstract

This paper explores what we learn when we attune for care in an informal STEM learning environment. Aesthetic care that is nice, and/or rooted in a savior complex, is antithetical to our conceptualization of care. Building on the work of educators who enact politicized care, we reposition youth as carebrokers to account for youth’s invisibilized labor and bids for rightful presence. We trace care practices through micro moments of justice and provide analysis that showcases emergent conceptualizations of care as spatial, interactional, and multidirectional among youth and adults. By centering care we not only enhance academic success but also foster a more inclusive and supportive educational experience for all students in STEM classrooms and in the field of science.

Authors

• Wendy Barrales, New York University

• Olivia Ortiz, New York University

• Shaghig Chaparian, New York University

• Luz Velasco Vela, BioBus

• Jasmine Y. Ma, New York University

• Latasha Wright, BioBus