Introducing the New ‘STEAM Community Studio’ at the STEAM Centre in St. Thomas
Photo: Andrew Gunn and Maddie King of young & free press are acting as consultants on the Estate of Donna Vera Evans Bushell, and stopped by the STEAM Centre in downtown St. Thomas on June 23rd to help announce a donation of $225,000 to support the establishment of the new ‘STEAM Community Studio’. Left to right: Andrew Gunn; Shawn Southern, Board Chair of the STEAM Centre; Maddie King; Terry Carroll, Executive Director of the Elgin – St. Thomas Community Foundation; and Jessica Gransaull, Executive Director of the STEAM Centre. Photo by Emily Stage, young & free press
Our team at young & free press is very excited to announce that the Estate of Donna Vera Evans Bushell is contributing $225,000 to the STEAM Centre in St. Thomas to introduce the new ‘STEAM Community Studio’ … this is a ground-breaking new program that focusses on experiential learning and civic engagement to foster collaboration between students and key community stakeholders including academics, teachers, and political, community and business leaders. This three-year pilot project will feature six workshops annually in which STEAM team members and participants examine challenges facing the Elgin County and St. Thomas community, and assemble a group of students and stakeholders to explore the issues at play, propose potential solutions, and develop recommendations to address the problems.
Beyond our social media work and partnerships with private companies and government organizations, our team at young & free press function as consultants alongside owner Andrew Gunn through his consulting firm, Andrew Gunn Consulting Inc. This gives our team of teenage staff members the opportunity to provide ideas and develop special community projects!
Currently, we are the consultants on the Estate of Donna Bushell, who passed away in November 2019 in her hundredth year. Andrew and our teenage staff member, Maddie King, have been taking the lead on announcing the donations from the Estate – ultimately, more than $2.5M will be allocated to support a series of remarkable initiatives in Elgin County and St. Thomas! This has been an interesting task in the midst of a global pandemic, but we are thrilled to celebrate the life of Donna Bushell and support the community during this challenging time.
How will the STEAM Community Studio work? Projects will be developed through consultations with individuals and groups to identify persistent local issues that need to be addressed in innovative ways. Through research, data collection, and new ideas, STEAM team members and participants will inform public policy discussions, support businesses and charitable organizations, and help to improve experiences of all kinds in St. Thomas and Elgin County. Reports will be produced regularly to prompt conversation and discussion in the community. Funding will be available for select organizations to support new approaches to solving problems and to encourage continuous improvement. One main priority will be projects that support our natural environment and promote sustainability. As the delivery of education changes throughout the pandemic, this program will provide students and educators with an exciting new opportunity to fulfill experiential learning requirements and connect with the community.
“The potential benefits for students and our community are limitless”, says Jessica Gransaull, Executive Director of the STEAM Centre. “Local organizations and municipal projects will receive additional support to address strategic problems, students will gain valuable problem-solving skills and professional networks through projects that align with their education, and our community will see the benefits directly as solutions help shape a better and brighter future for all.”
Andrew Gunn explains how the ‘STEAM Community Studio’ fits into the overall vision of the Bushell Estate: “Many of the projects that we are supporting through the Estate have focussed on making physical improvements to our community, from building a new park to installing artwork to planting trees. With the STEAM Community Studio, we are investing directly in people who can help move our community forward by developing a dynamic, rigorous process that provides a new way for businesses and charitable organizations in Elgin County and St. Thomas to address ongoing challenges. This is an innovative approach for small cities and rural areas that typically do not have post-secondary institutions or social research centres. We believe that the STEAM Community Studio will become an academic hub that offers a smart, efficient way to bring thought-leaders together to address real-life challenges.”
With the contribution of $225,000, the staff at the STEAM Centre will activate the STEAM Community Studio through the initial start-up period. This will include up to $2000 each for organizations that participate in the workshop series and want to execute viable, original projects to address the challenges identified. Our team at young & free press is excited to witness the impact in the community!
The Bushell Estate has collaborated with the Elgin – St. Thomas Community Foundation to fund a series of projects that have been revealed in recent weeks, and more new initiatives will be announced later this year. Members of the local media will be invited to an event for the STEAM Community Studio over the summer as STEAM Centre staff get closer to launching the program this fall.
Notes on the STEAM Centre:
STEAM Education Centre’s mission is to empower learners to imagine and create the future through play, ingenuity and innovation using science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM). In doing so, the Centre delivers a comprehensive educational model focused on developing the flexibility, creativity and problem-solving necessary to explore ideas and foster growth. For more information, visit www.steameducation.ca
Notes on the Elgin St. Thomas Community Foundation
The Elgin St. Thomas Community Foundation helps people to support local charities in the Elgin County and St. Thomas area in ways that are simple, convenient, and long-lasting. Through building and managing endowed funds and providing grants, the Foundation focusses on improving and enhancing our communities – the places where we all live, work, play, and raise our families. More information on the Foundation is available online at www.escf.ca
Notes on the Estate of Donna Vera Evans Bushell
Donna Vera Evans Bushell passed away November 9, 2019, in her hundredth year, the last of her family. Donna’s passion was to plant trees and reminisce about her ancestors and friends while her sister Doris Evans taught music as a church organist. The oldest sister, Thelma Joiner, taught elementary school around Aylmer for forty-five years and researched local North Yarmouth history. All three sisters shared a love of their heritage as descendants of the pioneer Westlake, Penhale and Gilbert families who settled along the North Edgeware Road in Yarmouth. Their collected historical papers will eventually be deposited in the Elgin County Archives. Recently, the Bushell Estate has provided funds to build a new sustainable stage at Springwater Forest, establish a water trail and improve walking trails at Dalewood Conservation Area, launch a fund through the Elgin St. Thomas Community Foundation to boost tree-planting projects, support the ‘Track to the Future’ mural project in St. Thomas, enhance the St. Thomas Elevated Park, and build the new Westlake-Evans Civic Park next to the St. Thomas Public Library.
