Since narrowing its strategic focus in 2019, the PMI Educational Foundation (PMIEF) has dedicated its efforts to cultivating partnerships with youth-serving nonprofits that share and value the same goals: to equip the next generation with a project management skill set in preparation for whichever path they choose.
These partnerships enable youth to better pursue their academic and professional goals by equipping them with the knowledge and skills necessary for 21st century success.
PMIEF is proud to introduce its first four partners that, in collaboration with the foundation, will inspire youth to achieve their goals and make their dreams a reality: Children International (CI), F1 in SchoolsTM (F1iS), Junior Achievement Africa (JA Africa) and Special Olympics International (SOI).
Through multi-year investments in each of these leading nonprofits, PMIEF grows its reach, increases our impact and leverages the power of project management so the next generation of global leaders excels in life, at school and in the workforce. Read below to learn about these partnerships.
Project management is fundamental in our challenge as the students have limited time and resources for taking their F1 in SchoolsTM entry from concept to reality, and I’m sure that PMIEF will be able to assist our students with this process. The scope of the partnership allows us to extend the learning and training to F1 in Schools staff and our in-country coordinators (ICCs), who deliver the program internationally, and I am sure there will be enormous benefit to both individuals and F1 in Schools to have this opportunity.
Andrew Denford
Founder And Chariman, F1 In Schools™
Children International
Together, PMIEF and CI will integrate project management into the organization's Youth Empowerment Programs so young people address societal issues such as infrastructure dilapidation, substance abuse and violence, public health and safety, and the environment. These experiential learning opportunities strengthen their understanding of, and appreciation for, civic engagement while engaging families and community members to ensure collective impact.
More than 20,000 young people participate in CI's Youth Empowerment Programs each year in Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Mexico, Philippines, the U.S. and Zambia.
DiscoverE
To build upon and to safeguard PMIEF's 2013 investment that integrated PM into DiscoverE's Future City, the preeminent engineering design competition for middle school-age youth, by 1) creating an online learning management system ("LMS") that supports the virtual delivery of Future City and youth engagement; 2) developing PM-framed youth resources for the LMS such as an interactive game, experiential engineering activities, webinars, and career information spotlights; 3) designing virtual volunteer opportunities for project managers; and 4) embedding PM into business planning, administrative functions, evaluation activities, and development efforts to achieve desired youth outcomes, heightened impact, and operational and programmatic sustainability.
F1iS
PMIEF’s partnership with F1iS will more intentionally integrate project management into the nonprofit’s global science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) competition in which youth create the fastest miniature, compressed air-powered racecar they can using Formula 1® (F1) model blocks and engineering software. The competition also requires participants apply classroom lessons in aerodynamics, physics, design, manufacturing, and marketing and branding.
More than 1 million youth in over 50 countries will ultimately use the project management-enhanced competition handbook each year.
Junior Achievement Africa (JA Africa)
The PMIEF–JA Africa collaboration will enable the organization to integrate project management into the JA Company Program®, an entrepreneurship program that empowers young people to either solve a problem or fulfill an unmet need in their community as they design, execute, manage, market, and monitor their own microenterprise. Youth not only to launch their own business, but also develop the competencies required to succeed in today's global economy and make prudent financial decisions.
As a result of this collaboration, more than 20,000 youth across 14 countries on the continent will learn and practically apply project management each year.
Junior Achievement Europe (JA Europe)
To integrate project management ("PM") into JA Europe's JA Company Programme and organizational operations so 1) youth strengthen life, business, and leadership skills as evidenced by their ability to successfully design and execute a microenterprise, and 2) JA Europe staff and those within its MNs embed this knowledge into business planning, administrative functions, evaluation activities, and development efforts to achieve desired youth outcomes, heightened impact, and operational and programmatic sustainability.
Special Olympics International (SOI)
PMIEF’s partnership with SOI will enable the nonprofit to create an interactive e-learning platform with project management-rich content. In addition, SOI will establish a project management track at its local, national, regional, and global youth leadership summits, and award Youth Innovation Grants that fund young people's design and execution of social good projects around the world.
SOI will engage an estimated 10,000 youth in at least 40 countries through its collaboration with PMIEF.
These partnerships also build each organization's capacity by providing project management fundamentals training and a one-year mentored experience for staff to ensure they achieve sustainable best practices in project management.
Over the next few months, PMIEF be following up with these incredible partners, including to share their stories on how strengthening their project management capabilities prepared them to pivot operationally and programmatically throughout the pandemic.
PMIEF knows learning and applying project management an early age equips youth to succeed in life no matter the path they choose and to meaningfully Power the Project Economy™.
The Foundation is thrilled to see what the future holds and how PMIEF can continue to leverage project management for the greater good.
Read the full press release here.
A version of this article ran in the August/September Issue of PMI Today.