A Partnership Among the NeoSTEM Ecosystem, TIES, the Cleveland Cavaliers & the NBA Foundation
The idea started with the Cleveland Cavaliers, a professional NBA Basketball team operating in Cleveland, Ohio. Leaders of the Cavs wanted to do something to give back to the community that has supported them. Specifically, they wanted to serve students and families who are often left out and left behind. The Cavs reached out to leaders of TIES and the NeoSTEM Ecosystem and explained their hope. A few weeks and many hours of discussion and brainstorming later, the plan for Score With STEM was born.
The basic idea was to leverage the power of the Cavs and basketball to engage students and families from throughout the region. But the architects of this project didn’t want to create a “random act of STEM.” Instead, everyone was focused on ensuring that Score With STEM would be a way of introducing students and families to the power of STEM and then to continue to engage them in meaningful STEM for years – and careers – to come.
That’s where the NBA Foundation entered the picture.
With its laser focus on giving back to communities, the NBA Foundation awarded a grant to NeoSTEM to leverage the work of Score with STEM by creating STEM activities in Cleveland neighborhoods where there are only limited out-of-school time opportunities.
Phase I of Score With STEM happened in March 2022 with about 1,500 students and families attending a STEM event at Rocket Mortgage Field House that featured more than 50 exhibitors, including area STEM employers.
In addition to being a win for those who attended, the event will continue to pay dividends for years to come with heightened recognition for STEM, NeoSTEM and the intersections of sports and STEM. Additionally, the event was a success for NeoSTEM in terms of critical community awareness as well as dollars raised to support NeoSTEM.
During this session, architects of Score With STEM will offer a detailed blueprint of what they’ve accomplished, how they did it and what’s next. You will leave with a full understanding of how NeoSTEM, TIES and the Cavaliers built trust with one another in order to drive key STEM work for students and families who are commonly left out of STEM.
Intended Outcomes:
- Understanding of how to leverage sports to drive STEM engagement.
- Learn how to build trust among organizations (and individuals) with seemingly different objectives and to find common ground.
- Adopt replicable strategies for your community.
