STEM night that inspires future city leaders coming to Pocatello and Idaho Falls

POCATELLO – An evening full of activities that educate children who could become community leaders someday is coming to two cities in eastern Idaho.

The Association of Idaho Cities (AIC) is bringing “Readers Becoming Leaders” to both Idaho Falls and Pocatello on Monday and Tuesday respectively.

The event, which will allow children to participate in STEM activities, meet their local leaders and learn about important city functions, will take place at 4 p.m., both at the Idaho Falls Public Library and the Marshall Public Library.

“(These kids are) the next generation of leaders, and I think this event is just a great opportunity for students to really just figure out how their cities are run, and get the chance to meet their local leaders,” said Xander Barigar, AIC events and programs specialist.

In years past, Readers Becoming Leaders was a smaller event that would come to elementary schools “in a handful of cities.” Thanks to additional grant funding from the Idaho STEM Action Center and Idaho National Laboratory, AIC decided it was time for an expansion.

“We wanted to make the event bigger and better,” Barigar said.

This year, the event will come to six cities, and will be held in an open house format.

Both events in Pocatello and Idaho Falls will start with a reading of “Friends City,” which tells the story of a group of children working together to solve problems facing their town through teamwork as it grows into a city.

According to a press release for Pocatello’s event, attendees will be able to meet Mayor Brian Blad, “and other city leaders,” at the event. People at both events will also be able to see and explore city vehicles like fire trucks and police cars and fill out an activity book with puzzles and games that educate about the roles of different city departments.

People will also be able to turn in the completed final page of their activity book to enter a random drawing for a cash prize for their school.

“This event is a great way for families to engage with their local government in a fun, educational setting,” Blad said in the release. “We’re proud to work alongside the League of Idaho Cities to bring this interactive experience to the community.”

Also thanks to the increased grant funding, AIC has also been able to include more partners in the event, such as Idaho STEM Ecosystem (EcosySTEM) which will be bringing learning based activities for the kids to participate in.

Barigar said he feels that Readers Becoming Leaders has the potential to be a defining memory for the kids who participate.

“This event has the opportunity to be super memorable to this next generation of potential city leaders, whether it is they remember reading Friend City … or they get to see the fire trucks and all the other city vehicles that will be there. It’s just a very memorable experience, and hopefully they correlate that with learning about their city,” Barigar said.

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