Cressana Williams-Massey

Empowering Black Youth in STEM: The Impact of a Game-Changing Grant

In 2024, the Black Youth in STEM (BYiS) Program at Smith Engineering, Queen’s University, received a major boost thanks to a $16,000 operational grant from the Community Foundation for Kingston & Area. For Program Lead Cressana Williams-Massey, the grant was transformative, powering both the team and hands-on learning for dozens of local youth.

“This grant made a tremendous difference in how we operated,” Williams-Massey reflected. “Half supported team salaries, allowing us to retain talented instructors and student interns. The other half really changed our programming, letting us expand our robotics offerings in a way we never could before.”

The BYiS program has always focused on “meeting kids where they are” and aligning activities with the school curriculum. Rather than teaching robotics in isolation, the program’s workshops and lessons are thoughtfully intertwined with what children are learning in school. “Robotics is a tool for us. We use it to enhance learning, not just to teach coding,” Williams-Massey explained.

With the new funding, the team invested in a variety of robotics kits designed to inspire the next generation of innovators—especially among primary school-age children. “We bought a range of robots,” she said, mentioning resources like the Matatalab Coding Set, Blue Bot, Finch Robot, and advanced MBots with machine learning features. “Some students really gravitated towards unplugged coding, while others were thrilled by robots they could program and see move.”

The grant also enabled the BYiS program to maintain small instructor-to-student ratios, typically 1:7 or better, and to run multiple program models:

• Weekend out-of-school clubs, with hands-on robotics and coding
• Virtual academic support during the winter months
• Local and GTA summer camps, including community outreach in partnership with school boards and local organizations

Enrollment consistently exceeds expectations. “There is such demand. Our grade 1 and 2 camp had 23 students. This year, our grades 5 and 6 camp filled up so quickly, parents continued to reach out even after registration closed,” Williams-Massey shared.

What truly sets BYiS apart is its commitment to cultural inclusion and mentorship. “We intentionally hire a diverse team, so every family has someone they trust. Our instructors’ roots span Nigeria, Ghana, the Caribbean, India, and the Philippines. It gives kids a sense of belonging and reassurance,” she said.

With help from the Community Foundation, the Black Youth in STEM program is cultivating an inclusive, innovative, and inspiring community, one robot, one lesson, and one student at a time.