We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jason Steinberg a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jason, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

When I was 21, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. As such, just before my 22nd birthday, I arrived on the island of Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia where I was to teach high school English for a year. On one of my first days at the school, I spotted some students in the back of my classroom pretending to shoot jump shots instead of paying attention! After class, I asked if they were on a school basketball team, but they told me that there was no team, and we decided to play basketball together after school that day. But we quickly ran into challenges – from not having a ball to kids playing barefoot and then having to walk several miles back to their village, just for the chance to play a couple of hours of basketball. But the passion that the students had meant that we needed to find a better way, and so we started fundraising. I made the first Facebook post I’d made in years to tell my network A. I’m alive; B. I’m in Micronesia; and C. I’ve met these amazing kids who are in love with the game of basketball. And if you donate $30, you can give one of my students their first ever pair of basketball sneakers. People were really responsive, and we raised enough funds in the first couple of weeks to get any girl or boy at Madolenihmw High School who wanted to play on a basketball team the chance to do so.

Now around the same time, I was using my off periods during the school day to play guitar in my classroom. Well as luck would have it, I wasn’t the only person at the school who loved music — tons of kids and teachers did too. And soon we had our very own music class happening regularly. Sometimes I’d teach, sometimes students would teach. Some kids wanted to dance, some kids just wanted some friends to sit with while they ate their lunch. But one thing was clear – good things were happening for the kids who were getting the chance to participate in an activity that they were passionate about. Kids showed up to school more. They made friends more easily. They built confidence. They claimed some time and space of their own, which we’ve learned time and time again, is crucial for healing, happiness, and success in life.

After the year in Micronesia, we doubled down. We saw what sports and music could do – it could create happier kids and families and communities. It could create a happier world. It does create a happier world, and we exist to make sure that continues to happen, one kid at a time.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to tell us what are you most proud of and what are the main things you want potential clients/followers/fans to know about you/your brand/your work/ etc.?

We exist in order to make the world a happier place through sports and music. In schools, shelters, and refugee camps all over the world from New York City to Rwanda, we are creating opportunities for kids to be their best selves. Through custom programs built around the specific interests of kids in a particular community (from traditional Ugandan dancing to soccer), kids have the chance to grow, learn, heal, and have fun, all while talented teachers and coaches are empowered with the resources and guidance needed to thrive. Kids can find mentors, learn life skills, and make friends. It’s crucial that kids get theses kinds of opportunities. It’s crucial that kids are able to find some sense of ownership and control, but also that they get to be a part of a group that cares about them. We work with some of the most vulnerable individuals on the planet, many of whom have experienced profound trauma in various ways from abuse to neglect to disease. What we do is create moments of joy and healing where you can leave the world behind for a little while and simply enjoy life.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

When COVID-19 hit, the world shut down, but it looked a little different depending on where you were. In East Africa, home to several ISMP projects at schools and shelters, it was as bad as it could get. First the disease ravaged the community. But then, when people were forced to isolate, it took on a whole other level, as people now couldn’t work. Without work, there was no money. Without money, there was no food. COVID-19 led to a hunger crisis in the communities where we work. As an organization focused on sports and music, at a time when the world were as uncertain as ever, we were faced with a choice. Do we pause our operations because there is no current way to have sports and music programs running? Or do we find a new way to serve our partners? Though some cautioned against “mission drift” — doing work that goes beyond what your organization is intended to do — we didn’t care. We knew that sports and music were a means to an end — we weren’t working for sports and music as much as we were working to improve lives, reduce suffering, and provide care and support to vulnerable children. The choice was obvious — we’d supported our partners for years, filling in gaps where needed. There was a new gap now, an unprecedented one, a life-or-death one, and our partners had nowhere else to turn. For a year, we re-focused our energy on organizing local food banks that were set up to support the students and families where we worked. We gave out over 500,000 meals, helped our partners get through the storm, and now we are grateful to say that we are back to focusing our energy on joy and healing through sports and music.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Too many to count, but here are a few. Be Here Now by Ram Dass will bring you into the present moment. The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho will inspire you to dream. Dale Carnegie will show you how being kind is working smart. Any writing, speech, or video by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie will show you to take a step back, leave your preconceptions at the door, and appreciate the beautiful mosaic that is ourselves, our friends, and our world.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ismproject.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ismp_official/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/internationalsportsandmusicproject/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/international-sports-and-music-project
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@internationalsportsmusicpr6979