Project STEMulate
Children working on tablets around low tables with Project STEMulate volunteers during a workshop

Project STEMulate · student-led since 2023

Turning every why? into wow!

Free, hands-on STEM for primary schoolers from less-privileged backgrounds in Singapore, run by students who love this stuff.

See our workshops Enter STEMulate Academy

450+children reached

80+workshops run

10partner organisations

50student volunteers

Since 2023, with student care centres, family service centres, libraries and charities across Singapore. How we measure it

Six kinds of STEM x workshop

Each workshop pairs STEM with something children already love. Our members write every session themselves, with a theory part and a hands-on part, aligned with the Singapore primary school syllabus.

  • A colourful poster of STEMulate topics, from energy conversion and buoyancy to probability

    STEM xSports

  • Volunteers helping children with an activity at a low table

    STEM xCoding

  • Board games and paper plates set out for a STEM x Games workshopSlides online

    STEM xGames

    Minecraft, Monopoly and Among Us, turned into lessons on matter, money, energy and forces.

    Flip through the slides
  • Watercolour paints, brushes and a child's painting on the floor

    STEM xNature

  • A lit candle on a stack of paper plates during a STEM x Magic experiment

    STEM xMagic

  • Children and volunteers working on laptops around a table

    STEM xContent creation

    “Being able to draw on the iPad, write my own script and edit a video for the very first time was really fun!”

    A participant, age 7

All about our workshops

How a workshop runs

Each in-person workshop lasts 1.5 to 3 hours and follows the same rhythm, so children always know what's coming next.

  1. Hello, STEM!Name tags, ice-breakers and what S, T, E and M stand for.
  2. Story timeThe STEMbots get into a pickle that only STEM can solve.
  3. Ground rulesBe kind, help your friends, join in.
  4. TheoryShort, picture-heavy explanations with quick games like Hangman and Kahoot.
  5. Hands-onBuild, test and play: rockets, terrariums, board games.
  6. ReflectWhat did we learn? Then the fun continues in STEMulate Academy.

The organisations we work with

Through our partners we run sessions for the children they support, and shape our curriculum to make STEM more engaging for them.

  • VIVA Foundation
  • Canossaville Children and Community Services
  • Chinese Development Assistance Council
  • Brighton Connection
  • Caritas Singapore
  • FaithActs
  • Society of Sheng Hong Welfare Services
  • New Life Community Services
  • Beyond Social ServicesOur first partner, in 2023

What we do with each partner

Every slide we teach with

These are the real decks our volunteers use in STEM x Games. Open one and flip through it full screen.

Workshops end. Curiosity doesn't.

STEMulate Academy is our online learning world, so the fun keeps going between sessions. Children sign in with a username and a 4-digit PIN, with no email needed, and their progress is saved to their account.

  • Story intros, video lessons and quizzes for each STEM x Games lesson
  • Games to play alone or live with friends
  • Atoms to spend on packs of phenomena and STEM-hero cards
  • A certificate at the end of every module
Enter STEMulate Academy
The STEM x Games module in STEMulate Academy, with Lesson 1 open to its activities
Lessons and progress
Drippy's Water Cycle Dash: a water drop flying through a blocky world
Drippy's Water Cycle Dash
Opening a pack of STEM-hero cards: Stephen Hawking, Jane Goodall and Nikola Tesla
Card packs
Phenomena card: Why do volcanoes erupt? Figures card: Marie Curie, the Radioactivity Pioneer Phenomena card: How do rockets move in space? Figures card: Alan Turing, the Codebreaker Genius Phenomena card: Why do rainbows appear after rain?
  • SophiaScience
  • TimothyTechnology
  • EmilyEngineering
  • MatthewMathematics

My children enjoyed going for Project STEMulate's workshops… afterwards they did talk about wanting to have a career in science… they were very inspired at the lesson!

A mother of two participants

  • “After attending Project STEMulate's workshops, I am more encouraged to go for the Science stream in secondary school. I want to attend workshops about other topics of STEM!”

    A participant, age 12

  • “With them around engaging the children in interactive activities, the children feel less alone. Our community children look forward to the sessions.”

    Beyond Social Services, a partner

  • “I'm passionate about Project STEMulate's cause, and would like to use my interest in STEM to make a meaningful difference in the children's lives… The project also helped me grow as an empathetic individual.”

    A youth volunteer, age 16
Seven Raffles Institution students in school uniform, the team behind Project STEMulate
Some of the Raffles Institution students behind Project STEMulate.

Started by students. Built for every child.

With a passion for STEM and a drive to make a difference in the lives of under-served children and their families, a group of Raffles Institution students formed Project STEMulate in 2023.

Our mission: to empower underprivileged children by inculcating an interest in STEM, fostering curiosity and confidence, and guiding them in discovering their own potential.

Our story, our team and our chapters

Your curiosity could spark someone else's

There's a way in for students, centres and families alike.

  • Volunteer with us

    Students who love STEM: help plan and run workshops, 1-to-1 sessions and learning journeys.

    Email us

  • Partner with us

    Centres and organisations: bring our workshops, or STEMulate Academy, to the children you support. We'll send our curriculum packages and session details.

    Email us

  • Start a STEMulate chapter

    Students aged 15 and above can start a chapter on their own, as a group or as a school club, with a STEMulate mentor's help.

    How chapters work

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    Event dates, workshop photos and what the children made.

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