Registration is Open for the Maine Youth Leadership Conference

November 4th & 5th – In-Person & Virtual

It’s official! It’s live! Registration is open! On November 4th and 5th join the Maine Youth Action Network (MYAN) at the UMaine campus or online for two days of connection, community building, and so much more. The Maine Youth Leadership Conference is designed by and for middle and high school-aged young people, as well as their adult allies and advisors. Participants will experience inspirational keynotes, build community and leadership skills in person or in virtual “homerooms,” and engage in their choice of interactive workshops led by young people and adults from around the state of Maine.

The past 18 months have forced us to make relationships and meaningful connections in new ways. We’re strong together, and we believe that connecting people with a community right now is supremely important!

MYAN staff recognize the complexities and challenges Covid-19 brings to any gathering and community event. We want to ensure the conference is accessible, safe, and meaningful to all its participants. The event will have limited in-person capacity this year to ensure we are providing the best and safest experience possible.

For those that can’t make it in person, you don’t have to worry about missing a second! The conference includes a virtual option with special online workshops, access to inspirational keynotes, evening online community activities, and youth-focused “homerooms” for connection and learning.

We look forward to being in community with you soon! Be sure to check out our registration link below for more information about how to get involved. Please follow our Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook for more updates about presenters, conference announcements, and a chance to meet our youth Leadership team over the next 5 weeks!

Register Today!

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Lead a workshop at this year’s conference!

Do you have a project, passion, or skill that you want to share with other young people? Apply to be a presenter at the 2021 Maine Youth Leadership Conference!!! From school clubs to youth activists, this conference is a space for connection, community, and growth. We would love to have you join us.

Submit Your Idea Here!

Student Opportunity: NASA Day Event

This event is being hosted by Fiber Materials Inc.

AUGUST 24, 2021* | 9:45am – 1:30pm

Are you a high school junior or senior involved in STEM? Are you thinking about a career in manufacturing? Ever dreamed of becoming an Engineer or working in the Aerospace industry? If you answered yes to any of these questions, we’d like to invite you to be a guest at our NASA Day event.

The day will include a chance to hear from Spirit AeroSystems executives, spend time with some of our Engineers, hear a presentation from Lori Glaze, Director of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate’s Science Division, and enjoy a great lunch!

Fill out the registration form and submit to kwhitney@fibermaterialsinc.com by August 6th. We will pick 10 students to join us for the big event. Selections will be made by August 13th.

Registration Form (PDF)

For more information, contact kwhitney@fibermaterialsinc.com.

*Please note that participants must commit to the entire event.

CTE Summer Camps Offer Safe, Hands-on Learning to Middle Schoolers

Middle School Career and Technical Education (MS-CTE) summer camps are keeping it cool this summer! There are currently nine Career and Technical Education (CTE) schools across Maine that are hosting summer camps specifically for middle school aged students this year as part of an on-going effort to bring career and technical education opportunities to students at the middle school level.

Students participating in these excellent summer programs are exploring careers, participating in hands on experiences in culinary arts, media technology, automotive, engineering, welding and carpentry, just to name a few. The MS-CTE camp experiences are offered either for one or two weeks for two to five days per week. Maine’s CTE instructors are enjoying the opportunity to share many career options available in Maine to middle school aged students, a younger audience than the traditional high school age of students that attend CTE schools throughout the school year.

Students, too, are excited about the opportunity to spend a few weeks of the summer learning about career options and engaging in hands-on learning opportunities. “I am the happiest girl in the world right now,” said one of the students currently participating in a MS-CTE summer camp.

There are 21 CTE schools across Maine that are piloting MS-CTE programs which have allowed students to experience career options through hands on activities. The pilots have ranged from in-school programming, online career exploration, mentorships as well as the camp experiences currently taking place this summer. All programs offer a hands on component and a career exploration element as required by the standards.

Check out this recent Portland Press Herald news article highlighting this excellent work: Summer camps build on effort to extend vocational programs to middle schoolers.

For more information about Maine’s MS-CTE programs, visit the MS-CTE website at or contact the Middle School CTE Specialist Margaret Harvey at Margaret.Harvey@maine.gov

MEDIA RELEASE: Maine DOE and Teens to Trails Partner to Increase Outdoor Opportunities for Maine Teens; Schools Can Apply NOW

Through a new partnership between the Maine Department of Education (DOE) and Teens to Trails, schools serving teens are encouraged to apply for $500-$1500 which includes training and start-up support for school-based outing clubs.

WAVES (Wilderness Activities and Virtual Engagement for Students), a program of the Maine DOE, provides meaningful opportunities for Maine teens to engage socially with peers online or outdoors. Teens to Trails is a Maine organization whose mission is to connect high school students to life-changing outdoor experiences.
“We are thrilled by this partnership,” said WAVES Project Director Sarah Woog. “Teens to Trails is a Maine-based non-profit with proven expertise and passion for getting teens outside! Teens to Trails and WAVES have the shared goal of increasing Maine teens’ engagement with the outdoors. Together, we are excited to leverage our organizations’ resources and work collaboratively with schools to give all Maine students the opportunities they deserve.”

“In 2020, 53% of Americans participated in outdoor recreation, the highest participation rate on record,” said Teens to Trails Director Alicia Heyburn. “Outdoor spaces became places of refuge to safely socialize, improve physical health and connect with friends and family. Schools have an important role to play in continuing this positive trend by redefining the learning environment and using the outdoors to support the social and emotional wellbeing of students. The partnership between Teens to Trails and WAVES means that schools have trusted support to invest in making the outdoors welcoming and accessible to all students.”

Teens to Trails and the Maine DOE are eager to support an outing club at your school. School-based educators, with their administrators’ consent, are welcome to apply on behalf of their school. The application is simple, and the rewards are immense. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and the final deadline to apply is September 17.

Eligible schools:

Serve Maine teens;
Have the support of the school principal school administration;
Have school staff/faculty member as club advisor;
Commit to participating in two Teens to Trails programs in the first year;
Are able to demonstrate how funding will increase access to the outdoors for teens who may not otherwise engage.

Schools who receive funding may expect the following support:

Funds may be used for a club advisor stipend;
Access to Teens to Trails Club Hub for tips on running a sustainable club;
Professional Development day for outdoor club advisor(s);
Free summer white water rafting trip for club advisors to network and have fun;
Back-to-school student outdoor club recruitment materials;
Option to join four outdoor weekends with clubs from around the state;
Spring and Fall Trip Lotteries to win pre-planned adventures;
Access to gear to keep students warm and comfortable;
Ongoing support from Teens to Trails staff, including support planning for sustainability.

Please submit your application at your earliest convenience to secure funding and begin planning for YOUR school’s Outing Club! Find more information and apply here.
Please reach out to sarah.woog@maine.gov with any questions or feedback – WAVES and Teens to Trails will be in touch shortly!

Student Opportunity: Interested in Art? Want to Make a Difference in your Community?

The following opportunity is provided for students by the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance.

Join AR Girls virtual camp this summer and use your creativity and design skills to produce your own augmented reality (AR) experience centered around the theme “reducing waste”

During the weeklong AR Girls camp, students will learn to use a cool and simple AR app called Metaverse to overlay graphics, videos, audio— even your own art and photos—on the real world.

Visit https://mmsa.org/projects/ar-girls/ or check our their flier for more information, or Register here.

For further questions, contact sgordonmesser@mmsa.org.

FREE Virtual Summer Camp for Available for Maine Teens Through WAVES

The Maine Department of Education is excited to announce a FREE Virtual Summer Camp available to all Maine students entering grades 7-12. The camp will run Tuesday-Thursday, July 13- August 5. Brought to you by WAVES (Wilderness Activities and Virtual Engagement for Students), this virtual opportunity will connect and empower Maine teens from throughout the state around engaging activities and collaborative problem solving. The camp will host a variety of opportunities for students explore their worlds and their interests this summer.

See the schedule: WAVES Summer Camp Schedule

Save the Date and FAQ for more information

Register here for the WAVES Virtual Summer Camp!

For further questions and information contact WAVES Program Director Sarah Woog at sarah.woog@maine.gov.

Student Summer Opportunity: O’Connor CIVICS Challenge!

Sandra Day O’Connor Institute For American Democracy presents the summer O’Connor Civics Challenge!, a civics video competition which is open now through Thursday, July 15, 2021 and open to all students entering 6th through 9th grade in Fall 2021.

The Challenge is to create the most amazing, exciting, and informative 3 minute video on CIVICS!

Choose a topic and watch a brief tutorial video:
- Justice Sandra Day O’Connor
- Checks & Balances
- Legislative Branch
- Executive Branch
- Judicial Branch
- Citizenship: Rights & Responsibilities
Create a video up to 3 minutes long
Winners in each grade will be awarded Apple products
Four Winners in the Justice Sandra Day O’Connor category will also be awarded Apple prizes.

WHY TAKE THE CHALLENGE? For so many reasons! You can show off your video skills to the world, learn more about how government works and impacts our lives, and have an opportunity to win fantastic Apple products!

Here is a PDF flyer!

The 2nd Annual O’Connor Civics Challenge is now open! Video submissions will be accepted now through July 15!

Learn More Here

Questions? Contact: Heather Schader Vice President, Programs & Administration hschader@OConnorInstitute.org | (602) 730-3300 x8

Join Dr. Habib Dagher to learn about UMaine’s leading research in floating offshore wind

Tesday, May 11th, 9:00-10:00 am

There is an international race to develop floating wind turbine technologies. Educators and students are cordially invited to learn about these technologies and how they can help Maine mitigate climate change and keep more energy dollars in the state. Dr. Habib Dagher, executive director of the Advanced Structures and Composites Center at the University of Maine, will be leading a webinar about the pioneering research in floating offshore wind being conducted at UMaine.

Dr. Dagher will give a presentation geared towards middle school and high school audiences that will cover the engineering of floating wind turbines. How does one design floating turbines that can survive 500-year storms? How is the power brought back to shore? How are these turbines anchored to the seabed? How many turbines does one need to power Maine?

Register for the webinar today!

The event is free but limited to 1,000 participants. Please register ASAP!

Did you know that harnessing just 3% of the Gulf of Maine offshore wind resource can provide enough electricity to heat every home and drive every car in Maine?
The Gulf of Maine’s offshore wind capacity is equivalent to that of 156 nuclear power plants.
Researchers at UMaine are working with NASA to optimize the design of floating offshore wind platforms.

Learn this and more during Dr. Dagher’s presentation.

For more information contact Advanced Structures & Composites Center.

Six Annual Count ME In Student Contest Promoting School Attendance, Learning and Community

Count ME In is seeking students to create a poster, sculpture, song, poem, or video to promote learning, school attendance, and school community for the 2021 Attendance Awareness Month in September 2021 and yearlong celebration.

Through their chosen media, students will share what learning and being part of a school community means to them. The winning submissions will be reproduced, including the artist’s name and school, and distributed throughout Maine.

Students, age 6 through high school, compete in one of two age groups: ages 6-11 and age 12 through high school. The winning artists will receive gift cards.

Guidelines & registration information: https://countmeinmaine.org/newsite/student-poster-contest/

For more information, visit the Count ME In website or contact Count ME In by emailing slieberman@countmeinmaine.org.

Please share with students you think might be interested in submitting work! The deadline is Friday, July 11, 2021!

Job Corps To Host Virtual Info Sessions in May

Have you ever wondered what Job Corps was all about? Well, here’s your chance to find out!

Information sessions hosted by Maine’s Job Corps office will be held on May 17th at 1pm or May 26th at 2:30PM on Zoom. Registration is required, at which time link and log on information for the session will be sent via email.

Job Corps is a free Career Technical Training program that is federally funded through the Department of Labor for 16-24 year-olds (the upper age limit may be waived for a student with a verifiable disability). Some of the Career Technical Trainings available are welding, carpentry, culinary arts, CNA, and many more. Eligible students can also earn their HS diploma and stay on center, free of charge, while they work towards completion of their trade. The two centers in Maine are in Bangor (Penobscot Job Corps) and Limestone (Loring Job Corps).

For questions or to register email Ross Chicoine at Chicoine.Ross@jobcorps.org.