National 4-H Council and HughesNet Team Up to Spark Youth Interest in Science and Technology Careers

Chevy Chase, MD (February 11, 2014) – With statistics showing the U.S. falling behind in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education and careers, National 4-H Council and HughesNet announced today a new partnership to introduce more American youth to hands-on, community-based STEM learning.

The partnership includes a sponsorship from Hughes Network Systems, the operators of HughesNet, to demonstrate the excitement and opportunities of STEM through “Tech Takeover Days” at national 4-H camps; science events at local fairs; and National Youth Science Day – a national science experiment that engages young scientists from around the country. The effort will include a focus on small communities where resources for science-focused community programs are limited.

“With the clear evidence that U.S. teens are losing interest in science, technology, engineering and math, there’s no better time than now for National 4-H Council and HughesNet to collaborate on inspiring the next generation of STEM leaders,” said Jennifer Sirangelo, president and CEO, National 4-H Council. “4-H is America’s largest youth development organization and HughesNet is America’s #1 satellite Internet provider, so I am very optimistic about the great impact we’ll achieve by combining our energy and resources to address this critical problem.”

Experts credit technological innovation with almost half of U.S. economic growth over the past 50 years, and nearly all of the 30 fastest-growing occupations in the next decade will require at least some background in STEM. Yet, only 45 percent of U.S. high school graduates in 2011 were ready for college work in math and 30 percent were ready in science.

“Both of our organizations serve small, local rural and ex-urban communities in America,” said Mike Cook, senior vice president, Hughes North American Division. “We are equally passionate about STEM education and excited about our partnership with 4-H, helping build future technology leaders who will power our nation’s competitiveness in a global economy.”

Through a combination of targeted outreach and customer communications, Hughes will also help 4-H re-connect with its 25 million alumni across North America.

To learn more about the National 4-H Council and HughesNet partnership visit https://www.hughesnet.com/4-h-sponsorship.