A Summer Like No Other
From June 1st to 30th, Pathfinders STEM Hub, Cameroon brought together over 40 children and youths from four community schools in Bamenda for a one-month hands-on STEM holiday learning adventure. This was the second edition of our Summer STEM Stars (3S) program — and what a leap it was. Where 3S 1.0 welcomed 20 participants, 3S 2.0 more than doubled that number, drawing young learners aged 11 to 18 from across the community.
This year’s program centered on Renewable Energy, with a special spotlight on solar power — one of the most important and accessible solutions to Africa’s energy challenges. Participants dove into hands-on solar science experiments, solar robotics, solar PV system design, creative problem-solving, and mind sports including chess and scrabble. Every activity was designed around one belief: that the best learning happens when young people get to imagine, design, build, and experience.
Over 40 young innovators from four Bamenda community schools came together for the Summer STEM Stars 2.0 program — a summer that changed how they see the world.
Building Tomorrow’s Solutions: The Solar-Powered House Design Challenge
One of the most exciting highlights of the program was the Solar-Powered House Design Challenge. Working in teams, participants were tasked with designing and building model houses powered entirely by solar energy. The challenge was not just about building it was about thinking like engineers and problem-solvers
To succeed, learners had to draw on physics to understand how sunlight converts to electricity, mathematics to size their systems and calculate energy needs, engineering to design and connect components, and environmental science to consider sustainability. It was STEM integration in its most natural and powerful form.
Teams collaborated, debated, and problem-solved their way through the challenge and the results were remarkable. Each model was a testament to what young under-resourced minds can create when they are given the right tools and the right environment.
Teams worked together to design and build model houses powered entirely by solar energy, applying physics, mathematics, and engineering in one challenge.
Simulating a Real Solar PV System
But before stepping out into the field, our participants made sure they were ready. Inside the program space, they conducted a full simulation of a solar PV system — designing the layout, selecting and connecting the components, running the wiring, and systematically testing the system to confirm that everything was working as expected. Only when the lights came on and the system hummed to life did they know they had truly got it right. This simulation was a critical bridge: it built technical fluency, sharpened attention to detail, and gave every participant the hands-on confidence they needed before taking their skills into a real-world setting.
Before going into the field, participants designed, installed, and tested a full solar PV simulation — making sure every connection was right and every light came on.
From Simulation to the Real World: A Live Solar Installation Experience.
Learning in at the hub is one thing. Standing on a real installation site, working alongside experienced solar technicians, is something entirely different and unforgettable.
Through a special partnership with NJ TECH, selected participants stepped out of the program space and into the real world, taking part in the full installation of a solar energy system at an actual home. They observed and participated in planning, component placement, wiring, and system commissioning — every stage of bringing solar power to life for a family.
This experience bridged the gap between theory and practice in a way no textbook ever could. Learners returned with more than knowledge; they returned with confidence, with a sense of what is possible, and with a vision of themselves as future engineers and problem-solvers.
Partnering with NJ TECH, our participants gained real-world solar installation experience — moving from simulation to powering an actual home.
Talents Are Everywhere. Opportunities Are Not. At Pathfinders STEM Hub, this is not just a saying — it is the reason we do what we do.
We know for a fact that talents are everywhere but opportunities are not. That is why our Summer STEM Stars Program is creating real opportunities for learners to engage in practical hands-on STEM education that builds confidence, creativity, and problem-solving skills. Here, learners don’t just learn STEM — they experience it, build it, and live it.
Solving challenges like energy poverty is not the work of one subject or one skill. It takes physics, mathematics, engineering, and environmental science working together. It takes young people who have been given the chance to try, to fail, to learn, and to build. That is exactly the kind of learning 3S 2.0 delivered.
Thank You to Our Partners and Facilitators
The Summer STEM Stars 2.0 program would not have been possible without the generous support of Sustainable Actions Afrika, whose partnership helped us bring renewable energy education to life for over 40 young learners this summer. We are deeply grateful for their commitment to youth empowerment and sustainable development.
A heartfelt shout-out also goes to NJ TECH for opening their real-world solar installation project to our participants — a gesture that gave our learners an experience they will carry for life.
And to our incredible STEM facilitators: thank you for your dedication, your creativity, and your belief in every young person who walked through our doors. You are the backbone of this program, and the future innovators of Cameroon are better because of you.
What Comes Next?
The Summer STEM Stars story is just beginning. Each edition grows — in numbers, in depth, and in impact. If you believe, as we do, that every young person in Cameroon deserves access to quality, hands-on STEM education, here is how you can be part of the next chapter:
- 🤝 Partner or support us — reach out to collaborate, sponsor, or donate to bring more opportunities to young learners in Bamenda and beyond. We are actively looking for sponsors of the next edition in 2027. Reach out to us on info@sustainableactionsafrika.org
Together, we can make sure that every talented young person in our community gets the opportunity they deserve.
