Faith Partnership Inc. (d.b.a. Science Certainly Is Fun Initiative (SCI-FI))

Mission Statement

The mission of Sci-Fi is to increase the proficiency in, exposure to, confidence about, and enjoyment of science in youth of color, urban and low-income youth and their parents and other involved adults.

Sci-Fi's desired social change is to negate the stereotype of the innate intellectual inferiority of members of its constituent group. According to Stanford psychology professor Claude Steele, this stereotype can diminish performance on standardized tests, a devastating phenomenon he calls "stereotype vulnerability."

Sci-Fi will also challenge limits that the constituent group imposes upon itself, messages such as "intelligence is a fixed quantity"; "if I have to work hard at something, that must mean I'm not smart"; "doing well academically is 'acting white';" and "boys don't like smart girls."

Ultimately, Sci-Fi wants to improve the performance of its youth constituents on standardized tests in science. According to the Department of Education-Massachusetts Report Card in Science for 2000, black and Hispanic students, students qualifying for free lunch and students in urban areas of Massachusetts fared far worse than white students, students that don't qualify for free lunch and students in small towns on standardized tests given to 4th grade and 8th grade students.

Description

* Sci-Fi engages youth in fun, educational, hands-on science projects.
* Sci-Fi challenges the negative stereotypes, inadequate opportunities and cultural norms that intimidate young people and adults and discourage them from participating and performing well in science.
* Sci-Fi brings together youth of color, urban and low- income youth with adults and university students to design and engage in creative and educational science projects.


Constituency


* Sci-Fi's constituency consists of youth (girls and boys aged 5-17) living in urban areas, youth of color and low-income youth in Massachusetts and their parents or other involved adults.
* According to the US Census Bureau, urban locations in Massachusetts include the metro areas of Barnstable, Boston, Leominster, Fitchburg, New Bedford, Pittsfield, Springfield and Worcester.
* Of the just over 6.4 million people in Massachusetts, approximately 5.4% are black or African American, 0.2% are Native American, 3.8% are Asian, and 6.8% are Hispanic/Latino.
* 9.3% of Massachusetts residents and 113,000 children aged 5-17 are in families in poverty in Massachusetts

The youth in Sci-Fi will benefit by combating the limits placed on their academic achievement as a group. They will be involved with designing and implementing innovative science projects that will boost their sense of self-esteem, intelligence and ability to succeed. They will design mechanisms to shatter myths that undermine their collective capacity to excel in science

Program Type

Other Program