Rashid Brown speaking on Music and Technology at the Atlanta CARES STEMfest 2014 Youth Conference

ATLANTA - Jan. 2, 2014 - PRLog -- Atlanta CARES is excited to continue the launch of its five year STEM Awareness Campaign and to celebrate the campaign, the Youth Conference, STEMfest 2014,  will be held  at Georgia Tech University on Saturday, January 4, 2014,  from 9:00am – 3:00pm. Atlanta CARES, a 501c3 organization, is an affiliate of the National CARES Mentoring Movement founded by former editor in chief of Essence Magazine, Susan Taylor. The purpose of the STEM Campaign is to provide awareness to youth and the overall community about the bright futures arising from STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) careers.  Playing host to 350 local middle and high school students, the event will feature a keynote speaker, innovative workshops, and a robotics presentation.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the demand for professionals in the STEM fields is projected to dramatically outpace the supply over the coming decades, with over two million anticipated STEM job openings by 2018 and a serious shortage of qualified college graduates to fill them. A free event, the STEMfest 2014’s goal is to provide information and create excitement about the available careers in STEM with the hopes of alleviating this shortage in the near future. The workshops will be facilitated by STEM professionals including entrepreneurs, college professors, authors, and artists. Many of the STEM professionals will volunteer to serve as mentors for youth pursuing stem careers.

STEMfest 2014 sponsors: Chick - Fil-a, The Atlanta Housing Authority, Georgia Pacific, and CH2Mhill.   Along with Georgia Tech University, STEMfest partners include the CDC, Year Up,  Zoo Atlanta, Strong For Life, MDJunior, AT&T, The Clorox Science Foundation, Pure Green Coatings, Radiant Women’s Health, United Medical and Business Institute, Emory University, ME^3 Engineering, LLC,  ChelleStar Productions LLC,  NEXT Steps Youth Entrepreneur Program, Inc., IT Data Storage / 3DCAD Printer Inc., and AEI International and Latest Creations.