INTRODUCING EAA AEROEDUCATE

BY PAUL MALOY, EAA DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION

DECADES AGO, EAA founder Paul Poberezny said, “Aviation seeds must be transplanted to future generations if we are to see our rich heritage passed on for others to see, to feel, to touch, to fly.” Paul inherently understood the vital importance of directly sharing aviation with youths as the mechanism to protect and grow the future of aviation and aerospace.

This week, EAA celebrates the conclusion of the 30th anniversary of the Young Eagles program having flown nearly 2.5 million youths, giving them a hands-on experience in a general aviation aircraft with the intent of inspiring them to consider the enjoyment and the rewards of flight. Even with the amazing success of the Young Eagle program, encouraging future pilots is only one part of the aviation industry. And a frequent question about youths who have completed a Young Eagles ride has been, what next? Or for that matter, what about youths before they are old enough for a Young Eagles ride?

Giving a 50,000-foot overview AeroEducate is:

• A free web-based youth aviation exploration resource hub.

• For all K-12 students, parents, teachers, and chapter and youth group leaders.

• Financially sponsored by Airbus, Siemens, and United Airlines and supported by many other organizations.

• A repository of diverse experiential resources including 150 self-exploratory youth activities, 24 class/group activities, 22 digital achievement badges, seven “graduate” deliverables, and five career areas to explore.

• Designed to introduce youths and parents to the breadth of industry possibilities available.

• Structured to spark curiosity and interest, and then encourage exploration.

• A map of clear career paths that show attainability.

• A guide toward a workable plan with links to scholarships and a wide array of education opportunities.

Clearly seeing a critical and growing talent shortage in the aviation and aerospace industries back in 2018, the senior leadership team of EAA began talking about how EAA could expand opportunities for youths to learn more about aviation. Initially code-named “Young Eagles 2.0,” their planning resulted in a new program called AeroEducate.

Announced with fanfare at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2021, and then following a year of beta testing and refinement, AeroEducate was officially launched at AirVenture 2022. What is AeroEducate? It’s hard to describe in a single sentence as it is a robust, expansive, multifaceted resource.

AeroEducate is designed to inspire youths to engage and explore exciting and rewarding career opportunities in aviation and aerospace, thereby changing lives and creating tomorrow’s industry leaders.

Ultimately, AeroEducate is designed to inspire youths to engage and explore exciting and rewarding career opportunities in aviation and aerospace, thereby changing lives and creating tomorrow’s industry leaders. Having launched a year ago, AeroEducate now boasts 20,000 registered users, including more than 15,000 students and 1,000 teachers, and is rapidly growing. To learn more, see AeroEducate.org.