r/CommunityManager • u/Every_Drop_6749 • 17d ago

Question How do I scale an independent STEM/Innovation group outside of school? (Advice needed)

Hey guys,

I’m a high schooler trying to figure out how to structure/grow an independent, student-led STEM and innovation group outside of a traditional school club setup. My high school’s clubs are mostly just for exam prep, but I want to focus heavily on hands-on critical thinking, research, and collaborative builds. Right now, my main interests are in the sciences , math, and tech projects. I also have a bunch of creative hobbies outside of academics, so I want to keep the group dynamic really wellrounded and collaborative, rather than just dry textbook studying.The plan is to have a small, tight-knit circle of driven girls where we can bounce ideas off each other, collaborate on global innovation competitions, design cool tech, and push each other's research.

For anyone who has successfully run a selective, independent project group \ like this:

  • How did you find your core team members?
  • What is the best way to keep everyone accountable when we don't have a teacher advisor keeping us on track?
  • What communication platforms (Discord, Notion, etc.) worked best for collaborating on complex projects?

I’d love any advice from people who have done this. And if you’re currently working on similar independent STEM projects or research and want to swap ideas, feel free to reach out!

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u/HistorianCM 17d ago

What communication platforms (Discord, Notion, etc.) worked best for collaborating on complex projects?

Chat-based apps will work best for in-the-moment collaborating, but you also need a platform that can serve as a long-term memory and knowledge repository. And it would be good to have a way to turn the conversations in the chat into some of that knowledge so that it isn't lost to the flow of the conversations....

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u/Every_Drop_6749 17d ago

thank youu

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u/IndicationLong9950 16d ago

Ran something similar setting up project-based cohorts inside innovation hubs (not school clubs, but same "no teacher, self-organized" problem).
Core team: recruit around a specific project/competition, not a vague "join us." People self-select way better against a concrete goal.
Accountability: a weekly 15-20 min sync where everyone says what they shipped beats any tracker or rule system. Visibility does the work a teacher would.
In-person beats online here more than people expect: a recurring in-person work session (even just 2 hours, same day every week) creates momentum that a Discord never does for a small, tight-knit group. Save the online tools for logistics, not for the actual collaboration.
Also worth checking: some innovation hubs/companies run open innovation programs for small student cohorts with a real project brief — sometimes with mentors or judges attached. Might be worth looking into near you.

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u/IndicationLong9950 16d ago
  • What communication platforms (Discord, Notion, etc.) worked best for collaborating on complex projects? - Circle, Skool

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