Lillie Davis
What is The Twenty Four Foundation?
The Twenty Four Foundation does a lot of different stuff.
And at first glance it can be a little confusing.
So in this blog post, I hope to put it together in a straightforward way to help our local partners and sponsors understand us better.
Enjoy!
Three parts
Our model is broken into three pieces: Exposure, Skill, and Pathways.
Each of our programs fit more or less into one or more of those components.
(1) Exposure = “the condition of being presented to view or made known.”
We make people curious about STEM and other professions that they might not know exist.
In practice, this means we meet them where they already are (on the field, listening to their favorite music, watching NASCAR races, etc) and show them the STEM elements that support these different industries.
For example, NASCAR is like the engineering Olympics. But many students don’t know that. They show up for the crowds, the drivers, and the energy on the track.
So, we use what they are already excited about (NASCAR) to introduce STEM concepts like statistics, geometry, problem-solving, and AI, using the same tools and software our industry professionals leverage in their day-to-day.
By exposing people to these careers through the sports and culture that already gets them excited (with the STEM curriculum delivered through trusted community partners), we hope to “make known” all the incredible and exciting careers hidden in exciting industries like music and sports.
(2) Skill = “the ability to do something well.”
We give people opportunities to develop necessary skills to be successful in life and in the workplace.
This looks like technology training and house-made curriculum delivered by trusted community partners.
That last piece is important- by working with organizations people already know and trust, like local high schools, boys and girls clubs, and university partners, we can connect the time and money from big brands like GM Motorsports and Microsoft with the people prepared to make best use of it.
We also have an internship program (of which I am very grateful to be a part of!) that also fits under the “skill” step. In my case, I am leveling up my copywriting and messaging skills, which I will take with me for the rest of my life. I am also learning how to work in a corporate environment and with a team! See? Skills!
(3) Pathway = “a way of achieving a specified result; a course of action.”
Pathways refers to how we support people to get where they want to be.
This could also include someone interning with us as a first step in their career (or career switch).
It could also be, for example, a family with a student who wants to play college ball connecting with current college athletes who understand NIL deals through our online webinars like Pro Mindset.
Working together
“The Twenty Four Foundation’s mission is to empower communities through the intersection of culture, STEM education, and real-world career pathways.” [set this in as a quote]
This process is broken into steps, but the steps don’t all need to be followed in the exact order or in the entirety of the process period for us to fulfill our mission to an individual we serve.
After all, a big part of The Twenty Four Foundation is how we meet people where they are- not everyone will need all 3 steps, but we are prepared with programming for each step nonetheless.
An example of someone who goes through all three steps ( curiosity, skill, pathways) would look like this:
Someone might learn about football analytics through playing through our CNFL flag football league program (sparking curiosity).
Then, they may decide to intern with us later on, helping us build our modules around statistics and sports for a future Twenty Four Foundation program of some sort (building skills).
Finally, they may put their internship and mentorship here on their resume we helped them create to land a full time role in the sports analytics industry (forging a pathway to a future career).
There may also be people who we serve through a singular step in the process.
That would look like this:
Someone tunes into our ProMindset series and is able to pick up some personal finance tips to improve their life.
That too is a success!
Our programs individually work the same way. Some (like CNFL) may encompass all three steps.
Whereas others may primarily involve one or two steps of our process.
To Conclude
So, we have three pillars. They act like steps in a process.
They are curiosity, skill, and pathways.
This process helps us carry out our mission.
Some of the people we serve may interact with all three steps. Others will only interact with one or two.
Our programming is similar.
Some programs contain all three elements, whereas others lean more heavily into one aspect over another.
Another thing about this structure I’ll end with: it leaves room for growth.
The Twenty Four Foundation only has 3 initiatives (CNFL, Built Different: The GM Motorsports
Accelerator, and Pro Mindset) right now, but there is plenty more to come.
This structure allows us to grow and stay flexible as we add more programming.
It also creates a repeatable model for structuring storytelling that keeps us efficient and responsible with our resources as a nonprofit.
Where can you find updates on this upcoming programming, you ask?
Well, we have a newsletter, it is quite cool!
I might be biased, but I highly suggest you subscribe!
Fill out our contact form here and we will add you to our communications list.
Hope to see you in future updates :)
-Lillie
Lillie is The Twenty Four Foundation’s Messaging Intern. In her free time, she likes to play volleyball and The Sims Freeplay.