T.O.R.C.H. Partners
Establishing a partnership between your chapter and a community organization is an essential step to a successful T.O.R.C.H. Program. See the T.O.R.C.H. Handbook for more general information.
Intel Computer Clubhouse Network
The National T.O.R.C.H. Committee has established a partnership to help chapters get started on T.O.R.C.H. projects with the Intel Computer Clubhouse Network. The National leadership of the T.O.R.C.H. Committee and the ICCN will work together to help facilitate relationships between chapters and Clubhouses for mentoring and college-career opportunities.
To volunteer in a Clubhouse follow the basic steps below:
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Find a Clubhouse in your area
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Learn more about being a Clubhouse mentor
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If there is a Clubhouse near you, contact the Clubhouse Coordinator (staff) using the contact information available at that site and introduce yourself, your chapter and what your availability is.
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Based on that discussion, find some other members of your chapter and sign up as mentors, you will have to have a background check to volunteer there so be sure to leave time for that to occur, the timeline on that varies from state to state.
Some things to consider:
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Clubhouses are generally an informal environment; they don’t have particular courses that they offer. The goal is to encourage youth to develop an interest in STEM fields naturally, based on their interests, which aligns well with the T.O.R.C.H.- Informal Science & Engineering Activities branch. Consider preparing an activity and bringing it with you. Don’t expect it to be a class full of kids just watching and following, but maybe as you work on something or start experimenting with it, kids will become interested. Remember that project supplies can be funded through an application to the National T.O.R.C.H. committee
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The commitment varies by Clubhouse, but the standard time commitment is 2 hours per week on one set day for a period of a few months
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Many Clubhouses have trouble getting mentors to their location, because of common assumptions about the neighborhoods they’re in. If one of these sites is accessible to your chapter, go as a group and you can have a greater impact than at Clubhouses that commonly have a lot of volunteers
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Some Clubhouses have trouble accepting volunteers because of the cost of getting background checks done. If that’s a problem at the Clubhouse near you, check with your university’s school of education and see if they can to the checks on the volunteers who will be going. Even if the Clubhouse doesn’t mention this as a problem for them, remember that when you sign up as a volunteer, they are investing the cost of that check in you and that’s why they look for a semester long commitment
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Once you’ve established a relationship with a local Clubhouse consider planning a campus visit or company tour with some of the students, or sitting on a panel at an event hosted by the Clubhouse. Another objective of the Clubhouses is to provide their members with College & Career Path information, so as college students or practicing engineers we can help with that too. Remember to always work with the Clubhouse Coordinator (staff) before planning events or talking with the youth about a visit. All college tours, visits and panel presentations should be planned with staff
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Remember to report all of your hours as T.O.R.C.H. service hours to the National T.O.R.C.H. Committee. Information can be found on the T.O.R.C.H. Website. These hours will mostly be informal Science & Engineering, if you’re unsure contact your regional T.O.R.C.H. representative, National T.O.R.C.H. Chair, at torch@nsbe.org with a description of what you’ve done for assistance classifying the hours
If you have a suggestion for a strategic partnership for T.O.R.C.H., or represent an organization that is interested in supporting or partnering with T.O.R.C.H. please contact torch@nsbe.org.
Collegiate-Alumni Partnerships
Establishing a partnership between your chapter and an alumni chapter can also be a valuable step to a starting and maintaining a successful T.O.R.C.H. program. Additional information is also available in the T.O.R.C.H. handbook.
A formal list of active alumni chapters by region can be found here:
http://www.nsbe.org/Membership/Chapter-Directory.aspx
Steps that will help establish a partnership:
- Identify areas in which you want AE support.
- Reach out to your local AE chapter executive board - any board member should be able to connect you with the appropriate planning person.
- Schedule a meeting to meet with AE members and share ideas for collaboration.
- Partner with AE chapter to execute program/event.
For additional questions and concerns on establishing a partnership please contact the National AE College Initiative Chair at ci-ae@nsbe-ae.org or the National Alumni T.O.R.C.H. Coordinator at nsbe.torch.alumni@gmail.com