PIVOTS: Service Learning at the Science, Theatre & Magic Boundary

The PIVOTS partnership has developed the Science & Theatre Magic Program, a service learning summer program of multidisciplinary, magic-themed science exploration. Faculty participants mentor teenagers, who in turn create and stage a day-long adventure that brings younger children from Philadelphia by train to an "American school of magic." The creation of the magic school gives powerful expression to the youth voice inherent in the service learning paradigm: ownership of the design in the context of meaningful service sparks active learning. The result is a memorable, science-inspired, interactive educational performance that connects the diverse populations of teens and the children served in an immersive urban and suburban setting. The program makes significant inroads in realizing the PIVOTS ultimate goals of engaging students in highly motivational multidisciplinary STEM programs and activities that promote positive images of STEM professionals and thus attract and retain interest in STEM careers