Teacher Training

 

IGNITE Panels

IGNITE Panels are in-school events where IGNITE will recruit a panel of professional women in STEM careers to come talk to female students at your school!

For the first half of the panel, each speaker will take 3-5 minutes to share their personal journey in STEM. The second half of the panel is a Q&A, during which the girls will ask their questions to the speakers. 

To host a panel at your school, simply complete this form. We will need the name and address of your school, your contact information, and the date and time of the panel. 

Panel Details:

• The average IGNITE panel will have 3-6 speakers and must be 90 minutes in length. 
• You must give us at least 2 weeks lead time to find volunteers (more than 2 weeks is ideal).
• After IGNITE recruits volunteers to speak at your school, we will send you their contact information. You will need to email the volunteers and introduce yourself. IGNITE will send you a template email to get started.
• We highly suggest providing food to encourage girls to attend!
• Please reserve 10 minutes at the end of the panel for all girls to complete the Student Event Survey.
• Please be sure to host an IGNITE panel at your school in advance of attending any IGNITE Field Trips.

Panel Resources:

• Download and customize our Template Panel Flyer help advertise around school for your event. 

Please review the following items and have them printed & ready for the day of the panel:

• Panel Facilitator Script - This is a script showing teachers exactly what to say and how to run an IGNITE panel. Please read through the script at least once before your first panel.
• Panel Prompt Questions & IGNITE Flyer - Please ensure students have this flyer during the panel to help facilitate the Q&A.
• Student Event Survey - All students must fill this out in pen immediately following the panel.

 

IGNITE Field Trip Partners

IGNITE Event Follow Up

After every IGNITE event, we ask you to send us three follow-up items: an Event Report, Student Event Surveys, and event photos. All of these components must be submitted within 1-2 weeks following the event. 

1. The Event Report is a 2-3 plus paragraph write-up of the event. It should include a summary of the event, takeaways and reactions from the students, and thanks to the volunteers/hosts. You can view event report templates and examples for Panels and Field Trips to help get you started. 
2. Please remember to take 5+ non-blurry Photos during the event. Group shots are great! Send these to IGNITE as email attachments.
3. Scan and email all filled out Student Event Surveys.

These items allow IGNITE to provide meaningful feedback to volunteers, improve the experience for students, and maintain funding for our programs. The event report, photos, and student feedback will go on IGNITE’s website as a “thank you” to be shared with volunteers and hosting companies. 

 

Cancellations

IMPORTANT - If for any reason you think you may need to cancel a Panel or Field Trip, please contact us right away.

For field trips, please contact IGNITE directly. Do not contact the company.

We understand this can happen for many reasons out of your control, and our partner companies and volunteers are understanding with advance notice. 

If the event is cancelled on short notice, it can damage our relationship with companies and volunteers, making them less likely to participate in the future. If something comes up at any point, please let us know and we will do our best to find a solution.

 

IGNITE Events: Annual Planning

IGNITE is most effective when all components of the program are utilized. We suggest having at least two in-school panels/workshops during the school year, one at the beginning of the school year, and one before class registration. It is important to have an in-school panel/workshop before attending your first field trip. 

We also suggest registering your students for a field trip that takes place shortly after your in-school panel or workshop. This way, you can incentivize girls to attend by giving them a spot on the field trip. Please bring the field trip permission forms to pass out to girls who attend the in-school event.

Since 1998, people like you have been changing girls’ lives and inspiring them to pursue STEM. Thank you for your dedication to this mission, and we look forward to working with you!