Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The American Samoa Community Development Network (OceaniaCDN), in partnership with community organizations, schools, government agencies, nonprofits, and local partners including the American Samoa Environmental Protection Agency (AS-EPA), held the American Samoa STEAM Fest 2026 this past Saturday.

This year’s theme, “Igniting Hope Through STEAM!”, highlighted the importance of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) in building pathways for innovation, education, workforce development, environmental stewardship, and community resilience throughout American Samoa.

STEAM Fest was a free, family-friendly community event designed to bring together students, educators, families, youth organizations, businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies to celebrate learning, creativity, and opportunity through interactive experiences and community collaboration.

The event featured:

● Interactive hands-on STEAM stations

● Art activities and live demonstrations

● Cultural and educational exhibits

● STEAM career exploration booths

● School clubs and student showcases

● Community resources and informational booths (Summer Camps for Youth)

● Family photo booth and local food vendors

● Prize giveaways and family activities (Gift Cards, SSY Bootcamp, Refrigerator, and more)

● Solar Car Competition and engineering challenges

One of the featured highlights of STEAM Fest 2026 was the continued Solar Car Challenge (formerly Junior Solar Sprint), where students applied engineering, teamwork, creativity, and problem-solving skills through solar-powered design competitions.

This year, OceaniaCDN was also piloting expanded participation opportunities for middle school and high school students, youth groups, and community-based teams to further increase access to engineering and technical education experiences for the youth of American Samoa.

In addition, STEAM Fest organizers invited student groups and schools to participate in a Student Expo Showcase featuring top projects and presentations from Science Fair competitions, HOSA events, Science Symposiums, and other academic and career technical education programs.

“As a community, we must continue creating opportunities that inspire our youth to explore innovation, leadership, culture, science, technology, and future career pathways,” organizers shared. “STEAM Fest is about bringing our community together to celebrate talent, creativity, and hope for the future of American Samoa.”