Genc STEM Egitim ve Arastirma Dernegi (Young STEM Education and Research Association) is a pioneering non-profit institution in Turkey for educational initiatives on technology, robotic, programming and mentoring. The name of “STEM” is an acronym for the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, a universal term for 21st century interdisciplinary education programs.
Genc STEM Association serves in fields of interdisciplinary programs between schools, universities and teacher trainings institutions along with sectoral representatives. It runs state-of-art technology integration programs into curriculum of schools and education centres. It serves all students from different backgrounds and ages, but mainly gives special importance to students in disadvantaged groups like migrants, disabled, financially forced families and underrepresented girls in the rural regions.
Prior to 2017, Genc STEM was a name of STEM Centre network managed by volunteering academics and teachers in Southeast of Turkey. As of that year, Genc STEM Association was founded as a non-governmental organization for education and research initiatives all over the country with the leading academics, computer engineers and teachers from the network, which has led respected STEM programs in the region supported by the Government. One of them includes “STEM: Engineers of Future” project funded by Erasmus Plus under the leadership of Şanlıurfa Education Directorate in 2015 and it was the first well-equipped STEM centre of Turkey.
