Orlando Science Center is teaming up with community partners to celebrate diversity, history, and culture in STEM.
At Orlando Science Center, we believe we have a responsibility to inspire science learning for life for all people, regardless of race, socioeconomic status, gender identity or physical abilities. Science for All Celebration Day brings together some of the local organizations we've partnered with in order to honor that responsibility and make our vision a reality.
We want to do our part to amplify the voices of groups that are historically underrepresented in STEM fields. Our partner organizations are making a difference right here in Central Florida. The best part about this initiative is that it's year-round. Our partners are here in the building consistently throughout the year. We're also hard at work behind the scenes with each organization, doing our part to create accessible and welcoming STEM experiences for curious minds of all ages.
The Adult Literacy League is the leading voice of adult literacy in Florida. We are at the forefront of a coalition of adult and family literacy advocates and partners connecting to improve literacy and quality of life throughout our communities. We do this by addressing the root causes of low literacy in adults, effective remediation programs, and innovative prevention programs.
A private not-for-profit organization, Arts4All Florida conducts art education programs in schools, Department of Juvenile Justice facilities, and community centers; promotes the accomplishments of artists with disabilities through our artist registry, exhibitions, and performances; and increases access to the arts through professional development workshops. Arts4All Florida is headquartered in the College of Education at the University of South Florida.
Best Buddies is the world’s largest organization dedicated to ending the social, physical and economic isolation of the 200 million people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Our programs empower the special abilities of people with IDD by helping them form meaningful friendships with their peers, secure successful jobs, live independently, improve public speaking, self-advocacy and communication skills, and feel valued by society.
Black Architects in the Making (BAM) – Orlando Welcomes you! Our goal is to entice, excite, and encourage the younger generation of color, and those who identify as such, to pursue a career in architecture. We seek to accomplish this by hosting focused workshops, site visits, and hands – on development. In addition, BAM aims to offer internships and scholarships for architectural education, to promote diversity in the architectural community, and to encourage public awareness and appreciation of the built environment.
Founded in 2017, Black Bee Honey is a non-profit organization ran by young entrepreneurs from the Parramore and Holden Heights communities in Orlando, Florida. Through our nutritious honey we provide our community with access to food that has various health benefits and serves as a great substitute to sugar.
The Central Florida Urban League offers a wide variety of programs with the ultimate goal of empowering Central Floridians to achieve social and economic equality through education, employment and entrepreneurship. Whitney M. Young Academy, a branch of CFUL, has reinvented the way education is perceived and reinvigorate how it is delivered to the youth of Central Florida. Awaiting each child is safe and welcoming environment accompanied by a personalized learning approach which tailored to the needs and interests of each student.
Diversify the Classroom is a non-profit working to provide new books to Elementary School students that feature protagonists of all races, backgrounds, religions and ethnicities - allowing children to grow up with the tools to celebrate our similarities and differences. Our mission is to assist Elementary School teachers with lessons on acceptance and tolerance by donating books to classrooms that demonstrate inclusion and showcase diversity. We are working to make a difference through education and representation that can be carried on through adulthood.
The mission of The Hannibal Square Heritage Center is to pay tribute to the past, present and future contributions of Winter Park's African-American community. Through its innovative programming in the arts and humanities, the Heritage Center is a neighborhood focal point, archive, and home to the expanding exhibition, The Heritage Collection: Photographs and Oral Histories of West Winter Park. Through exhibitions and diverse educational programs it will inspire all Central Floridians and visitors to Winter Park to become more aware of, respect, explore and participate in their own community's history and heritage.
Ivanhoe Village is dedicated to meaningful, long-term revitalization of Orlando’s cultural district, its abounding history, community aesthetic, and local business prosperity through a collaborative cooperation and synergy with our businesses, residents, and partners.
As the collector and caretaker of our shared history, the Orange County Regional History Center serves a vitally important function. From documenting defining moments in our history – including the shattering heartbreak of the 2016 Pulse Nightclub tragedy and subsequent outpouring of grief, love and solidarity for our LGBTQ, LatinX and Hispanic brothers and sisters – to bearing witness to everyday life in Central Florida, the museum plays an invaluable role by serving as our “storyteller” for generations to come. For the long-term memory of our community, and also to honor the experiences and contributions of those who came before us, the History Center is committed to expanding our shared understanding of the defining events in Central Florida’s history, and of our intertwined legacies.
Seeds of Inclusion (SOI) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Altamonte Springs, FL. Our mission is to bring people with diverse abilities together to participate in horticulture, agriculture, conservation, and nature-based wellness programs that support community and environmental health. Our projects and programs are designed to expand equitable access to nature and bring the health and wellness benefits of nature interaction within reach for all. Our unique platform of therapeutic, social, and vocational horticulture is innovative and scalable. We help organizations, schools, companies, and organizations to adopt impactful inclusion strategies that can achieve significant milestones in social integration and community health.
Bullied by her middle school peers, seventh-grader SumerStrawbree took what others saw as weakness and turned it into strength. Her resulting digital art, t-shirt brand and coloring book, "Black, Brown & Beautiful," have won accolades and awards across Central Florida. SumerStrawbree hopes that girls will color the positive images in the pages of her coloring book, taking the time to read the affirmations daily to experience the same boost in self-confidence she has enjoyed. One day, she hopes to earn an art scholarship, land a place in a black-owned museum, and sell her art internationally. SumerStrawbree donates a portion of her revenue to a charity partner who uplifts black and brown girls' self esteem.
Tech Sassy Girlz (TSG) s the signature program of Collegiate Pathways, Inc., a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Orlando, FL. Our mission is to empower middle and high school girls to pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields through college preparation, career readiness, mentoring and entrepreneurship.