As someone who became interested in science at a very early age, I strongly believe that exposure to science at an early age can help to recruit more people to pursue scientific careers. I engage in several avenues of outreach targeted at high school students:
Science Mentors ACT - this program provides public school students in yrs 9 - 12 opportunities to work with professionals in science and engineering
Lecturer for ASTRO 3D astronomy depth study for Grade 12 students at Siding Springs Observatory
Seeing role models that align with a student's identity in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields can help to provide positive reinforcement that they themselves belong in STEM. I am a member of the IncludeHer campaign (#IncludeHer), which aims to increase the representation of women and gender minorities in our Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education. For more details, see our paper 'Invisible women: Gender representation in high school science courses across Australia'. Please consider signing the IncludeHer petition and/or getting in touch with us!
Please feel free to contact me for more details about any of these programs.
NGC628 Image credit: JWST & Judy Schmidt. link