What is InSTEM?
We want to make hands-on curriculum and exciting activities more accessible to more all students! Our InSTEM (Indigenous Youth in STEM) program collaborates with Indigenous communities to create and deliver high-impact STEM programming to over 200 classrooms and 28 communities across BC every year.
Since 2018, our specialized teams of InSTEM Instructors who throughout from September through May, and we also travel throughout the year to hold workshops directly in B.C. communities. This helps us reach over 3,000 additional kids and youth, many of whom are Indigenous, outside of the Greater Vancouver Area. We work with our community partners to identify opportunities to co-develop curriculum and design custom workshops to complement existing teachings.
We hope to grow and deepen our relationships with all of the communities we visit.
Our Partner Communities
Every year, we get to visit and work with amazing communities across British Columbia.
We work with educational and community leaders in over 28 communities to hold hands-on workshops that inspire students to tap into their curiosity, use their critical thinking skills, and explore the wonderful possibilities of STEM! One of our recent workshops was in Bella Coola during the summer of 2025 in collaboration with Acwsalcta School and the UBC Centre for Community Engaged Learning, combining STEM outreach with Nuxalk knowledge. Learn more
Want us to come to your community? Fill out our Outreach Request Form at the bottom of this page!
Land-Based Camps
Sample of activities we’ll do:
- Canoe Building — Students will build their own canoe out of cardboard. If we have access to a space or facility, we will also test them in a body of water and have a cardboard canoe race!
- Pulley Systems — Students will learn about how pulleys work and use this knowledge to make a pulley system to hoist a bucket.
- Building Shelters — We will give students a tarp and rope and then challenge them to build a shelter using traditional cultural knowledge and Engineering Principles. The test? We will see if their shelters can withstand the weather and a night in nature.
Questions? Email us at InSTEM.geeringup@ubc.ca or call 604-655-2634.
Funding & Resources
All students should have the opportunity to learn about and participate in STEM. That’s why we have put together lists of funding opportunities for communities as well as scholarships and awards for individual students.
InSTEM Internship Program
Geering Up’s internship program is an opportunity for Indigenous students in Grades 11-12 or first year university to develop key professional skills as leaders and STEM instructors. Our staff will train interns to design fun and engaging STEM curriculum and deliver camp activities this summer.
- Grade Levels: Grades 11-12 and recent grads (open to first year university students)
- Internship Duration: June 29th – Aug 31st, 2026
- Deadline to apply: 23:59 on Sunday, April 26th, 2026.
- Geering Up fosters a positive learning environment for both students and staff, so all applicants with an eager to learn attitude will be considered for an interview. This is a hybrid position with the requirement to be in-person at either the UBC Vancouver campus or one of our offsite locations (Richmond, Coquitlam, North Vancouver, or South Surrey) a minimum of 3 days/week. For online work, we ask that all candidates find access to a stable internet connection, webcam, computer, and clear-sounding microphone. If this is a challenge for you, please contact us at InSTEM.geeringup@ubc.ca.
Indigenous Community Info: In-Community Workshop Request Form
Our Request Form is currently closed. Please email us your workshop requests at instem.geeringup@ubc.ca.
