Kawartha Lakes, ON – Take it from a recent BGC Kawarthas Award winner: STEAM education matters.
Jamie Jeffrey, a high school student in Lindsay was named the winner of the STEM Award at the 2026 BGC Youth Awards in July. As a participant of a number of Ampere STEAM-centred programs, as well as an employee of Ampere, Jeffrey’s win is backed by his demonstrated passion and curiosity for STEAM.
Jeffrey says he was nominated by Ampere team members Warren Frank, Kawartha Lakes Program Manager, and Kaya Truax, Kawartha Lakes Makerspace Senior Lead, two people who see his STEAM skills and passion for learning on a regular basis.
They’ve seen him grow in his role from summer camp volunteer to employee. They’ve watched him make STEAM exciting for younger learners, by meeting them where they’re at in their journeys and finding a way to connect with them in a way that makes them feel confident and comfortable as they explore the Makerspace. They’ve also seen Jeffrey flourish into the leader he is today, using those STEAM-centred experiences to earn the recent recognition.
While it was an honour to win the STEM Award from BGC Kawarthas, Jeffrey says it’s that passion for learning that has the greatest impact, as he encourages other young people to explore STEAM education for themselves.
“If they can continue to want to learn and to be interested in finding new knowledge and skills, I think that can lead to further innovations, a better life and a better world for everyone. STEAM provides more opportunities,” says Jeffrey, adding how valuable his time at Ampere has already been. “These programs are great and a lot of the time I think they can help you figure out what you want to do and access what you want to do.”
Jeffrey says STEAM is intertwined with his daily life for a number of reasons. In addition to working at Ampere, he also does robotics at school, and grows his STEAM knowledge and experience even more by participating in programs offered by Ampere.
“I also like to think about things and problem solve on my own, which I think is definitely related to STEM,” he adds.
For Jeffrey, the STEAM programs he’s taken have already had a great impact. He says the Kawartha Makes and CanSat program specifically meant a lot to him, in part because of the hands-on learning they involved.
“I enjoy seeing ideas come to life. It’s not like they’re just staying there in your head. A lot of the time people can get them off the page or out of their brains and into the physical world,” says Jeffrey.
“For example, with the Kawartha Makes program, I made a speaker. That was a really cool program, awesome, but I was also able to design what the grill of the speaker looked like and that was really cool.”
As for where he’s taking these experiences, Jeffrey says he doesn’t quite have it all mapped out but he’s excited to discover and explore the paths available to him.
“I would really like to get a degree in pure mathematics because that really interests me. I think it’s really important to continue on learning, even if it’s not through a post-secondary program. Beyond that, I’m not really sure. I would like to do something related to math. Whether it be engineering or potentially accounting. Maybe teaching would be really cool as well.”
The opportunities are vast for Jeffrey, as they are for everyone as determined as he is to keep the curiosity and continue learning.
About Ampere
For over a decade, Ampere (formerly the Pinnguaq Association) has partnered with rural, remote and Indigenous communities to provide access to science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) education and opportunities. Founded in Pangnirtung, Nunavut, Ampere applies a Lifecycle approach to ensure that its supporting learners at every age, and every stage of life. Ampere offers programming directly through Makerspaces in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Bathurst, New Brunswick, and in the Kawartha Lakes, Ontario, and works directly with community partners, social organizations, governmental funders and educational institutions from coast to coast to coast.
