Cerebro Edu
Cerebro is a national Spanish/English informal education project providing culturally competent programming and media resources about the brain’s structure and function to Hispanic middle school students and their families. All the programming, as well as materials, are provided in Spanish at no cost to the kids or families and are facilitated by informal educators from within the community.
Previously, OregonASK has worked with Farmerworker’s Housing Development Corporation in Independence, Oregon to implement a 2-week long Summer camp at their Independence housing site. Before starting the program, a welcome family event is hosted to help inform families what will be covered in the program, provide time for families to ask questions, and provide materials to families that expand on the learning happening in the program. Cerebro is broken into four modules that include: 1. brain structure, 2. brain connection, 3. brain in action, and 4. brain and behavior. After all the modules have been completed a family fiesta brings everyone together to celebrate the completion of the program, hear youth present their final projects, and survey families on their experience with Cerebro.
Cerebro Goals
- Empower informal STEM educators to provide culturally responsive hands-on activities about the brain’s structure and function to Latinx youth and families
- Increase knowledge of diverse neuroscience-related career options and encourage Latinx youth to consider them as viable and exciting careers paths
- Increase awareness about brain illnesses (Alzheimer’s disease, depression, and epilepsy) building mental health awareness, thus increasing help-seeking behavior.