We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jim Stone. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jim below.

Alright, Jim thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. One of the most important things small businesses can do, in our view, is to serve underserved communities that are ignored by giant corporations who often are just creating mass-market, one-size-fits-all solutions. Talk to us about how you serve an underserved community.

In education, we often hear about the “achievement gap” of underserved students. This idea is fundamentally flawed, because it places the burden on the child who is not “achieving.” The truth is, there is a gap, but it’s about opportunity, not achievement. The lack of achievement is a symptom of the opportunity gap. Students from more affluent households have access to far more opportunities than students from low-income families. When children are exposed to and made aware of various career opportunities, they become inspired and motivated to pursue knowledge. In the absence of inspiration and motivation, achievement becomes almost irrelevant. As the leader of a nonprofit organization that helps inspire a love of science and creates opportunity, I am privileged to hear from doctors, researchers, and other professionals who attended our programs as children and tell me that if it wasn’t for their time at the Elementary Institute of Science, they would not have pursued their career path.

Jim, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I have been interested in science since I was a young child, and as I grew older, I became the type of person who enjoys sharing my knowledge with others. So it makes sense that I’ve spent most of my career involved in science education. I’ve worked developing education programs and exhibits at Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut and the San Diego Natural History Museum in California. I then spent about seven years working primarily in underserved communities to improve walking, biking, public transportation, and sustainable land use. All this led to my current role as Executive Director of the Elementary Institute of Science (EIS), which has been the most fulfilling work of my entire career.

At EIS, we are literally changing lives by inspiring a love of science and creating opportunity for diverse children and youth. We work primarily with kids from low-income families of color. Getting kids interested in science and encouraging them to pursue a career in STEM is a solid pathway to upward economic mobility and can help break a generations-long cycle of poverty. Society also benefits from a more diverse workforce because a variety of perspectives always creates better solutions.

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

I’ve been a fan of Simon Sinek for years, particularly his “start with why” philosophy. While he promotes this as a marketing strategy, from the perspective of a nonprofit organization, the idea of “why” is central to your mission. And for a nonprofit founded on the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion, the idea of “why” becomes even more fundamental to what you do. In fact, it is the bedrock upon which your mission is built. The Elementary Institute of Science was created in response to an education system that was steeped in inequity. Back in the 1960s when we were founded, many schools that served primarily people of color were poorly funded and provided an inadequate education. We were created to ensure that students in southeastern San Diego received an education that allowed them to be competitive with other students from better funded schools, especially in the realm of science.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Sadly, I have witnessed the decline of scientific literacy in this country. I have witnessed the deterioration of critical thinking skills. If we are to thrive as a nation, we must rely on objective truth and make data-informed decisions. A society cannot succeed if its people are unable to discern between factual information and disinformation, whether it be about environmental concerns, health care, or social issues. Having a scientifically literate population may be the single most important goal to help ensure the future of our species. Reaching for that goal is what drives me.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.eisca.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eissandiego
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/eissandiego
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/elementary-institute-of-science
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/eissandiego
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0of7JHuP_abP7l_nvywq1g/videos

Image Credits
Image Credit: Elementary Institute of Science