AISES and the Coalition of SW OK Tribes Economic Development Partnership

AISES and the Coalition of SW OK Tribes Economic Development Partnership

The American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES), Comanche Nation, Kiowa Tribe, and Wichita and Affiliated Tribes have partnered on an Administration of Native Americans Social and Economic Development Strategies (SEDS) project. 

AISES and the Comanche Nation, Kiowa Tribe, and Wichita and Affiliated Tribes, collectively referred to as the Coalition of SW OK Tribes, are collaborating on the development and implementation of programs in three focus areas—Asset Building, Career Pathways, and Entrepreneurship—to meet the economic development needs of the tribal communities of southwestern Oklahoma. This partnership will provide culturally relevant financial literacy, STEM college and career readiness, and STEM business development.

Through culturally relevant, financial education curriculum, a goal of the SEDS project is to increase the financial literacy of kids and teens living in tribal communities of SW OK by helping build skills such as learning how money works, how to open and maintain checking and savings accounts, how to budget, and understand student loans and other debt. 

For college and career readiness specific to STEM, the AISES and the partners want to encourage students looking to pursue college or careers in STEM by exposing them to STEM career awareness, teaching them to set goals, and attending workshops to be exposed to STEM careers and college majors. 

Lastly, the partners are adapting a culturally-contextualize series of STEM entrepreneurship and business development workshops to build the skill set of community members to develop, start, and maintain STEM businesses in southwestern Oklahoma.

For more information, please contact: Taylor Kingsbery, AISES Program Officer, programs@aises.org