EC² Project Shows Why Afterschool Works for Rural Career Connections

On a recent afternoon at Denmark-Olar Elementary School in rural South Carolina, students gathered around tables testing hands-on STEM experiments, comparing ideas, and eagerly raising their hands to answer questions. Moving from group to group, college students from nearby Voorhees University encouraged curiosity, guided activities, and helped younger learners discover the excitement of STEM.

While the elementary students explored math and science concepts with hands-on lessons at the Original Six Foundation’s afterschool program, the college students were discovering something, too: what it means to lead, mentor, and inspire the next generation while gaining meaningful workforce experience themselves.

That’s the power of a new innovative model designed to strengthen career-connected learning in rural communities like this, supporting high-quality afterschool STEM experiences for younger students while helping college students develop the skills and experience needed for the future workforce.   

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Angelic Ponder, one of the university students who participated, said previous paid work experiences were mostly at fast food restaurants. Now, after working with youth throughout the spring semester, she’s considering pursuing a career in education.

“I enjoy working with the kids a lot, and I just feel like this could possibly be one of my passions,” she said.

Janiyah Barns, also a Vorhees student, said she’s gained durable skills like communication.

“I’ll definitely be using that with any job, career, internship that I might have moving forward,” she said.

Barns and Ponder are among hundreds of young people participating in the Exploring Career Connections in STEM (EC²) initiative, a national effort that prepares young adults for future careers by placing them in paid STEM facilitator roles in afterschool and summer programs. Along the way, they help younger students explore STEM through engaging, hands-on learning experiences and relatable near-peer mentorship. 

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Led nationally by STEM Next with support from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Youth Workforce Pathways program, EC² launched in Missouri, Nebraska, South Carolina, and South Dakota in 2024 before expanding to North Carolina and Idaho in 2025. 

In each state, the initiative is led by the statewide afterschool network, which works with local colleges, universities, community organizations, and afterschool providers to bring the model to life. High school and college students complete at least 10 hours of pre-service training before serving as STEM facilitators in local afterschool and summer programs.  

For the elementary students, the benefits extend beyond hands-on STEM activities. Learning alongside mentors who are only a few years older can help make college, STEM careers, and future possibilities feel more tangible and attainable.

By the conclusion of the initiative in 2027, the project aims to provide workforce experiences for 500 young people in high school and college while supporting hands-on STEM learning opportunities for approximately 9,000 younger students across 40 afterschool and summer program sites. 

Through regular collaboration convened by STEM Next, participating state networks share ideas, troubleshoot challenges, and learn from one another as they adapt the model to their own communities. For Lori Heslewood, Director of Operations at the South Carolina Afterschool Alliance (SCAA) and the state’s EC² lead, the support from a national convener has been one of the biggest advantages of participating in the project. 

“One of the things about working with STEM Next, other than just being an amazing partnership, is that they have been helpful from the ground up,” she said. “We’re not having to build this in isolation.”

Flexible by Design 

That collaboration has helped each state tailor the model to reflect its own communities while learning from the experiences of others.

In South Carolina, the state lead organization, South Carolina Afterschool Alliance (SCAA), has cultivated multiple successful partnerships that bring the model to life in different ways to meet the unique needs of rural communities. Building on what it has learned through EC², SCAA recently launched Healthy Futures Afterschool, adapting the same peer educator model to prepare college-age facilitators to lead science-based lessons on mental health awareness, substance abuse prevention, and healthy decision-making while introducing youth to health-related careers.

The other five states are building the EC² model to fit their own communities.

• Missouri partners with organizations serving both rural and urban communities, including programs that support justice-involved youth.
• Nebraska works with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce, and rural school districts to prepare college-age mentors.
• South Dakota is creating new opportunities for youth in rural and Indigenous communities through partners including the Cheyenne River Youth Project and Boys & Girls Clubs of the Sioux Empire, while connecting participants with local employers such as Strider Bikes and South Dakota School of Mines. 
• North Carolina partners with Elizabeth City State University to prepare college students for afterschool STEM facilitation, combining pre-service training, college coursework, and hands-on work experience.
• Idaho is building on an established workforce model that connects afterschool STEM facilitation with pre-apprenticeship opportunities and future careers.

Built to Last

Ultimately, the goal of EC² is to create a model that state afterschool networks can continue to strengthen, expand and sustain beyond this initial pilot period — a vision that’s already taking shape. 

These states are using the partnerships, infrastructure, and lessons developed through EC² to launch new initiatives, attract additional investments, and expand opportunities for young people. 

As the initiative continues through 2027, each state is demonstrating how career-connected learning in afterschool can strengthen rural communities while preparing the next generation of leaders. STEM Next hopes even more states will adopt and adapt the model in the years ahead.

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The Exploring Career Connections in STEM (EC²) Initiative is supported by a $3,299,928 federal grant from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration, funding 28 percent of the total project costs. An additional $8,438,689, or 72 percent, will be funded by non-governmental sources.

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