Pop-Up Club
The STEAM-focused, hands-on after school club for middle schoolers!
Every day is different!
Students can sign up and join at any point in the school year. If interested, a parent or guardian should contact jessica@thecooperageproject.org for the online permission slip. Once we have it, the student will be added to their club and contacted by the in-school coordinator! 🙂
What is Pop-Up Club?
Pop-Up Club is a free after school program that brings hands-on learning opportunities for middle school students with an emphasis on STEAM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics), explored through real-world projects.
Since the spring of 2017, Pop-Up Club has connected students from Wayne Highlands Middle School with local businesses, artists, makers, educators, and professionals to share knowledge, teach them entrepreneurial skills, open their minds and eyes to potential work opportunities, and engage within a safe atmosphere.
By working with community partners like Lackawanna College Lake Region Center, Hawley Public Library, the Hawley Hub, and Hamlin Community Library, we expanded to offer additional Pop-Up Clubs to serve Wallenpaupack Area Middle School (since 2019) and Western Wayne Middle School (since 2022). All three clubs now run throughout the school year! Homeschooled and cyber schooled students are welcome to join their local Pop-Up Club
Pop-Up Club was initially funded through multi-year grants from The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, and continues to be supported by grants from PPL Foundation, The John and Helen Villaume Foundation, United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties, William E Chatlos Foundation, Eureka Foundation, donations from local businesses through the EITC program, and corporate and individual sponsors. The program receives a significant amount of in-kind, product, and service donations from individuals and businesses in the community.
Our objective
Through facilitating collaboration between middle school students and members of our community, we envision building a long-term network of relationships, mutual learning, and service between generations and across the region. Programming like Pop-Up Club opens students’ eyes to potential work opportunities, teaches entrepreneurial skills, and provides a safe and welcoming atmosphere in the critical after school hours. The Pop-Up Club format continues to provide not only a home base and a sense of purpose after school, but also a way to explore a wide variety of topics in a real-world fashion that is tangible, empowering, and inspiring.
Pop-Up Club experiences
Pop-Up Club focuses on a changing topic and activity each club. Every day is something new to explore! We aim to provide diverse learning experiences by collaborating with as many local businesses, professionals, artists, makers, and entrepreneurs as possible.
Pop-Up Club students have been lucky enough to connect with community collaborators including local cartographers, tech entrepreneurs, graphic designers, brand illustrators, farmers, coffee roasters, artisan chocolatiers, improvisational instructors, screen printers, 3D print experts, manufacturers, radio operators, app developers, bankers, culinary artists, physical therapists, computer programmers, musicians, academic scholars, National Park Service employees… and MORE!
Education focused on S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics)
In the workforce nationwide, there is a large gap between what jobs are available and what jobs individuals are qualified for. Many of the jobs that are available and unfilled are STEAM focused jobs that require skills in communication, problem solving, collaboration, and innovative thinking.
Pop-Up Club provides students the opportunity to try something new, maybe even fail, and then overcome that failure with support and critical thinking.
Introducing students at a younger age to potential jobs, many of which they can work during high school and college, further solidifies the “workforce pipeline.” Such immersive STEAM education ultimately provides young adults with a more efficient and effective entry into the workforce and shows them that they have a place here in their own community once they finish school.
Does your middle school student want to participate? Please contact Amanda at amanda@thecooperageproject.com for more information or contact your middle school office.
Check out examples from previous Pop-Up Club programming:
Get involved
Would you or your business like to provide an experience for middle school students? Please contact Amanda Masters, Youth Program Manager: call 570-253-2020 ext 2 or email Amanda.
Do you want to support or sponsor Pop-Up Club and youth programming at The Cooperage Project? Please consider a donation to our efforts! No gift is too small (or too big)! DONATE HERE!
If you are interested in learning more about funding through the EITC program find out more here.