Believe in Ohio: Will You Be the One?

In the urban areas, bootstraps were not always readily available. Our success came by way of community support - a teacher, church member or volunteer coach. Sheer drive alone, often was not enough to help us prosper and excel. We were fortunate to have someone there to guide and mentor us along the way.

Many African American professionals and entrepreneurs left the cities to live in the expanse of the suburbs. Therefore, it begs the question, who is left to give young people guidance to see the possibilities of 21st professional and technology driven careers? Will you be the one to one to lend your support?

The 20th century, often called the “American Industrial Century”, was a time when Ohio and other states comprised the world’s preeminent economic force. The 21st century can be called the “Global Innovation Century”.   Today, facing unprecedented world competition, Ohio cannot reach its economic goals without contributions from many more Ohioans, including underserved, urban populations.

To build a more competitive, resilient and prosperous economy, Ohio must begin to intentionally connect African Americans and Latinos in urban areas to the state’s science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)-driven, Innovation Economy. The Believe in Ohio program does just that.

Believe in Ohio provides urban students deep exposure to STEM disciplines, uniquely enhanced with entrepreneurship tools. To ensure broad participation in the program, Believe in Ohio has adopted Inclusive Competitiveness – an interdisciplinary framework to improve the performance of underrepresented Ohioans in the Innovation Economy – to help urban students become more successful STEM education competitors and economic contributors.

Young people in urban centers need to know that the true path to success is to fill the dual pipelines of productivity – becoming “intrapreneurial” employees and job creating entrepreneurs in next generation industries. These industries are largely in STEM areas that represent our state’s present and future economic promise.

That’s why Believe in Ohio has created the Urban STEM Mentor Network . . . and we need your help.

Believe in Ohio needs STEM and business professionals and entrepreneurs, like you, to show the way. In as little as 1 hour per month, you can support a motivated student along the path of this new century economy. Your task will be to simply coach a young person through a scripted process – the Roadmap to Future Jobs & Prosperity - to prepare them to compete for close to $1 million in scholarships and awards. Yes, this can be done in about 1 hour per month.

The Believe in Ohio Urban STEM Mentor Network Support Team is ready to assist you to be the one to make an impact on our urban youth.

Click on http://www.ohiosci.org/mentor-signup to get started today.

Believe in Ohio Prepares High School Students for the Future

Believe in Ohio is a free new program from the Ohio Academy of Science that helps high school students prepare for the future. The program was developed in collaboration with Entrepreneurial Engagement Ohio with the support of the Ohio Board of Regents and the Ohio General Assembly.

Believe in Ohio is the only statewide Ohio student STEM education program to integrate entrepreneurship and innovation as pathways to create future jobs. The program helps prepare students to become “competitors” in Ohio's innovation economy of the future and to be part of Ohio's next generation of innovators who will create the new product services and jobs of the future through the application of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Ohio was once one of the most innovative, entrepreneurial and prosperous states in the Nation, however, over the last 40 years it lost its way along with hundreds of thousands of good jobs. Unlike other states, Ohio confronted the problem and created the Ohio Third Frontier, which has been the catalyst for the creation of Ohio's Innovation Economy of the Future.

Regrettably, however, few Ohio students know that Ohio’s Innovation Economy includes dozens of venture development organizations and incubators, and many of the nation’s leading research universities and other research and development programs. Thus, one of the principal goals of the Believe in Ohio program is to tell students that “It’s Time to Believe in Ohio Again” and that Ohio is a good place for them to create their future.

Believe in Ohio helps students understand the challenge and opportunity the future presents and how to prepare for it through STEM forums, virtual field trips and online courses into Ohio's Innovation Economy of the future. It also helps students develop the critical thinking skills they will need later in life.

Believe in Ohio helps students understand the importance of a STEM education and entrepreneurial mindset if they are to become competitors in Ohio's Innovation Economy of the future. It does this through engagement with STEM and entrepreneurial experts and mentors, and participation in STEM Commercialization Plan and STEM Business Plan competitions in which students compete for nearly one million dollars in cash awards and scholarships. The program inspires students to pursue their education and careers in Ohio by introducing them to Ohio's R&D and entrepreneurial ecosystem that offers great opportunities for them to create their future.

To find out more about the Believe in Ohio program, visit our website at www.BelieveInOhio.org or call The Ohio Academy of Science at 614-914-5095.