The Problem
Lemonerdy U solves two important problems for young people, the first is the lack of structured, diverse, peer-led education, and the second is limited options for youth to earn money as online course creators and instructors. Both of these problems are important to me because I not only experienced them personally, but I also know that thousands of other diverse young people interested in STEM face the same problem. Studies show that girls who have role models in stem are twice as likely to pursue careers in STEM. I am a witness to that fact. You wouldn’t know it, but I used to avoid STEM subjects like the plague. Being in computer science classes where I was often one of the few black girls left me feeling isolated. It took a young mentor who looked like me to make me think, “Hey, I can do this!” I started putting my own coding tutorials on my YouTube channel and received messages from girls around the world inspired by a girl who looked like them teaching them to code. I have been a YouTuber for almost six years now, and while I have a huge passion for teaching kids to code, I make very little from it. While making videos on Youtube wasn’t earning much money, the impact was incredible.
Your Solution
Lemonerdy U provides live and self-paced courses. Parents and teachers register their students and assign lessons or allow students to choose a course. They can monitor student progress by accessing their quiz scores, and students can download certificates of completion. Our youth instructors write the lessons and professional teachers review the course for content and accuracy. Once the courses are approved and the script is complete, the youth film the course and upload it to the Lemonerdy U platform. Lemonerdy U is unique because we empower youth as students and as teachers. We have triple the impact of other education platforms because we not only provide diverse role models to our students, we teach teamwork and content creation skills and pay them as well. We are the only online education platform whose primary objectives are kids teaching kids, and paying fair wages for their work. Similar platforms do not allow instructors under the age of 18. We will utilize funding and HR infrastructure already in place in local summer youth employment programs to ensure that our youth instructors are paid. We embrace the genius of youth instructors, pay them what they deserve, and are committed to diversity. Diversity in STEM education builds trust and dismantles stereotypes early, which strengthens our global community. At Lemonerdy U, we encourage students to be what they can see.
Founding Story
When I started making coding videos, I got messages from girls around the world inspired by a girl who looked like them teaching coding. When I realized how much my tutorials meant to kids, I looked for other opportunities to teach. None of the platforms I wanted to use allowed teachers under 18. I was 14 at the time and unwilling to wait 4 years to make an impact. I could have expanded my YouTube channel, but I wanted to create a more organized peer-to-peer experience. The platform I am building allows parents, teachers, and students to track their progress and measure their success.
Your Impact
Our survey of 150 7th through 12th graders from our schools (US Based) revealed that 82% had been tutored or helped by a peer. While 93% of the students learned about STEM in school, 64% believed they learned STEM-related subjects best from a peer. This research tells us that a program like ours is needed and wanted by students. We have had an enthusiastic response to our beta testing invitations from parents, teachers, and students. In the future, we want to have programs set up in major cities across the United States and eventually worldwide. We will have youth around the world creating STEM courses for kids who look like them and speak their languages, inspiring and encouraging them to pursue STEM. We believe that our impact will be greatest on communities with limited representation in STEM careers We will also teach valuable videography and production skills to youth, giving them the tools that they can use in the future. Young instructors and creators learn to turn their knowledge into teachable content, present themselves on camera, and work in teams to produce video content. Since much of the content they create will be evergreen, the youth instructors will be part of a team that created STEM courses that inspire future generations. We believe that peer-led STEM education is the future of STEM education.
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