The grant supports specifically the Student Initiative program of the non-profit organization, Ocean Discovery Institute (2211 Pacific Beach Drive, San Diego CA 92109); delivering ocean science learning to underserved classrooms in 14 San Diego City Schools.
Generally, Ocean Discovery Institute prepares young people in underserved urban communities with the scientific knowledge and environmental awareness that are needed for tomorrow's leadership. By receiving high quality science learning opportunities that integrate mentoring and tools for success; kids in poverty develop a belief that science is something they can do, stay in school, go to college, become scientists, and gain entry into high paying fields where they make a difference.
Science and Conservation Programs:
Reaching the underserved, urban community of City Heights, the program provides 100% tuition-free learning through a unique three-tiered approach to education that ensures that youth have continuous science experiences, mentoring, and opportunities to gain tools to become successful leaders in science and conservation. These programs are designed so that students progressively BELIEVE that science is something they can do and a scientist is something that they can become, they ACHIEVE in the science, and LEAD through graduating college and obtaining careers.
Ocean Discovery Institute employs a unique three-tiered approach to education:
• BELIEVE: The Community Initiative seeks to impact the highest number of individuals through programming that engages youth and their families in science and conservation-oriented exploration. This programming inspires young people to believe that science is a possibility for them and provides hands-on environmental stewardship to restore the community's urban canyons.
• ACHIEVE: The Student Initiative (which this grant specifically supports) currently serves 3,500 youth in grades 3 through 7 in the organization's school-shed, and under expansion to ultimately reach all grades Kindergarten through 8. Using educators with a formal science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) background, it brings hands-on science into all classrooms in the school-shed and also brings these young people into the outdoors for study and environmental stewardship projects. Through this programming, students learn that they, too, can achieve in science and that they can improve our natural world.
• LEAD: The Leaders Initiative consists of two tracks: 1) the intensive Ocean Leaders programming, which provides authentic scientific research experiences paired with environmental stewardship projects, that build essential science, research, analytical, and leadership skills, and 2) the Discovery Fellows programming, which provides science and conservation-based work experiences within positions at Ocean Discovery Institute that build critical skills necessary to compete in the marketplace. Each track is paired with relevant college and career supports.
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