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The ACCEYSS — Association of Collaborative Communities Equipping Youth for STEEAAM Success — was recognized as the “Education Partner of the Year” during the San Marcos Chamber 119th Annual Dinner & Awards Gala. Since 2019, the ACCEYSS Network has supported summer camps for nearly 230 youth in the Greater San Marcos region. Pictured above, camps goers take part in camps supported by ACCEYSS Network. Photos submitted by ACCEYSS Network

ACCEYSS recognized as Education Partner of the Year

Wednesday, November 23, 2022

The ACCEYSS — Association of Collaborative Communities Equipping Youth for STEEAAM Success — was recognized as the “Education Partner of the Year” during the San Marcos Chamber 119th Annual Dinner & Awards Gala.

ACCEYSS was founded by Dr. Shetay Ashford-Hanserd, an associate professor and department chair at Texas State University in the Department of Organization, Workforce (TXST-OWLS). Upon receiving funding from the National Science Foundation 2017, Dr. Ashford-Hanserd, developed the ACCEYSS Model as a culturally-responsive, evidence-based curriculum framework. Additionally, she formed the ACCEYSS Network as a coalition focused on providing underrepresented and underserved youth with access to STEM and Agriculture pathways through Entrepreneurship and the Arts. As a subsidiary of the Power 2 Prosper Community Development Corporation (formerly named The P2P Movement), the ACCEYSS Network helps faith-based and grassroots organizations with resources and funding so that the STEEAAM equity gap can be bridged in their communities.

Since 2019, the ACCEYSS Network has supported summer camps for nearly 230 youth in the Greater San Marcos region. In summer 2022, ACCEYSS hosted an 8-week STEAM VBS camp and weekly horticulture camps that served over 100 students ages 5-12. ACCEYSS has partnered with organizations such as the San Marcos Youth Service Bureau (YSB), San Marcos Housing Authority, Keep San Marcos Beautiful (Dunbar Community Garden), Centro Cultural Hispano de San Marcos (Dr. Sean Justice - Scratch Maker Camp), Sozo Church, Hays Cares, A.L.M.S. Inc, and HCS Technical Services, and tekRESCUE to host ACCEYSS STEEAAM summer camps and weekly STEAM nights. Additionally, ACCEYSS has partnered with the Hays County Food Bank to facilitate monthly food distributions that have served over 400 people in the San Marcos area.

In honor of STEM/STEAM and First Gen Day on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, ACCEYSS hosted its annual ACCEYSS Summit, in conjunction with Dr Ashford-Hanserd’s Counter-Life Herstories Conference at Texas State University. Nearly 500 girls from grades K-12 attended and participated in the Counter-Life Herstories Conference. Moreover, 20 faith-based organizations, community nonprofits, and students convened with interdisciplinary researchers to discuss potential interventions and solutions to advance STEM +C knowledge and skills of our future workforce in the Texas Innovation Corridor from Austin to San Antonio.

For more information about ACCEYSS STEEAAM programs, monthly food distributions and sponsorship opportunities, visit www.acceyss.org.

San Marcos Record

(512) 392-2458
P.O. Box 1109, San Marcos, TX 78666