Our mission is to accelerate and increase Pacific people’s participation in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Maths (STEAM). We show young people the value of science skills and highlight career pathways through collaboration with local STEAM businesses, researchers and engineers.
Our vision is for Pacific Island students to be leaders in STEAM and to build the capacity of Pacific STEAM in west Auckland, and beyond. We champion education & innovation through community-focused, project-based learning.
WeSTEM is an initiative of COMET and funded by the Ministry of Pacific People’s Toloa Community Impact funds.
We fund innovative projects that give west Auckland young people new opportunities to experience science and technology through hands-on activities and collaborative research.
Thanks to MPP’s support, we can offer two streams of project funding.
Short term (8-12 week-long) projects can receive funding of $4,000 exc GST.
This is a great option for groups wanting to ‘dip their toes’ into community STEAM research and conduct a well-defined, short-term project.
Longer term (up to ~6 months-long) projects can receive funding of up to $10,000 exc GST.
These longer-term projects require more commitment and resources, but can be a valuable way to support your community to tackle a more substantive science question or technological problem.
Anyone in the west Auckland local board areas can apply for project funding. We can support you to connect with educators, STEM experts and community partners in your area.
Not based in west Auckland? COMET also runs the Curious Minds participatory science platform in south Auckland which offers similar project-based learning opportunities. Find out about SouthSci here.
We support research projects that are:
If you’re a STEM expert and want to know more about supporting a WeSTEM project, find out more here.
Funding for short-term WeSTEM Pico Projects is available at any time – just get in touch to find out more about the funding criteria and to receive a funding application form. Project funding is limited so get your application in early for the best chances of being funded.
WeSTEM Science in Action applications are assessed in two funding rounds throughout the year. Deadlines for applications are:
Round 1: 11 April | Round 2: 15 May
Get in touch with the COMET STEM team today to find out more!
Sneh Patel is the Project Manager - she will answer any questions about your project idea.