Organizations Develop a Five-Year Plan to
Create Limitless Possibilities for All
YORK
TOWNSHIP, Mich., June 8, 2023
/PRNewswire/ -- Lincoln Consolidated and Ypsilanti Community Schools, both part of
Washtenaw Intermediate School District (Washtenaw ISD), are
collaborating with Toyota* and Eastern
Michigan University (EMU) to prepare youth for the careers
of tomorrow. The southeast Michigan collaboration falls under Toyota's
Driving Possibilities initiative as a five-year phased rollout in
Ypsilanti and Lincoln communities.
As part of a $110 million
initiative dedicated to Toyota's Driving Possibilities, the Toyota
USA Foundation is granting nearly
$10 million over the next five years
in southeast Michigan. The initial
funds will be distributed between two community partners including
EMU's College of Education for a newly created STEM (Science,
Technology, Engineering, Math) Institute and Community
Transportation Association of America (CTAA) for a transportation
study.
"Our goal is to increase awareness of future STEM careers while
helping build sustainable programs in the communities where our
Toyota team members live and work," said Tellis Bethel, group vice president of social
innovation, Toyota. "It's exciting to see the expansion of Driving
Possibilities near our Michigan R&D facilities, the first
location announced out of the 14 additional U.S. sites planned."
Driving Possibilities is designed to be an equitable
collaboration with schools, nonprofits and community to help all
student succeed – at school and in the careers of the future. The
long-term initiative from Toyota focuses on PreK-12 education,
building on Toyota's existing programs across the country. The aim
is to close educational gaps for all students through innovative,
hands-on STEM programming that leverages unique assets and
resources in the equal-partner relationship. Driving Possibilities
is designed to help increase STEM awareness, excitement and
interest in a promising career in a STEM-related field while
addressing the essential needs of students and families.
The initiative is funded by Toyota USA Foundation, Toyota Motor North America
(TMNA), and Toyota Financial Services (TFS).
"Michigan is committed to
leading the future of mobility, manufacturing, and STEM and
investing in our talented students," said Governor Whitmer. "Last
week, I announced the Make It In Michigan plan, a strategy to
compete for projects, invest in people, and revitalize places.
Toyota's nearly $10 million
partnership over five years with Washtenaw ISD and EMU to establish
a community-focused STEM institute will help more skilled workers
Make It In Michigan and prepare our current workforce and future
STEM leaders for the high-skilled, good-paying jobs we are creating
in communities across our state. Let's continue partnering to grow
our economy and make Michigan the
best place to research, develop, and manufacture the technology of
the future."
Community-Focused STEM Institute
Most of the Driving
Possibilities funding will be directed to a community-focused STEM
Institute with both Ypsilanti
Community and Lincoln Consolidated districts for elementary,
middle and high school students and their families. The institute
will be led by EMU and governed by the partners. It will provide
support services, curriculum and activities to integrate STEM into
the daily experiences of children and families.
The community-focused STEM Institute will serve as a hub to
deploy STEM resources to and from the school districts and three
institutions of higher learning in the area. In addition to EMU,
the University of Michigan College of
Engineering and the Washtenaw Community
College will serve as educational and subject matter experts
to create new learning opportunities for teachers, students and
families across the community.
"Through powerful learning experiences, we are excited to build
on the commitments from our local school district partners to
ensure student success in STEM education to prepare them for the
careers of the future," said James
Smith, Eastern Michigan
University president. "The sustainable model will help to
relieve the administrative tasks from the districts and bring
together collaborators from both industry and institutions of
higher learning to a central location to benefit young people."
An advisory board consisting of community and stakeholder groups
will be created to maintain the STEM Institute beyond the initial
five-year commitment. Their focus will be on addressing emerging
needs and community interests as the program grows and evolves.
Continuing Education at all levels
The proposed
general programming to be offered by the STEM Institute includes
both classroom curriculum and exposure to STEM in various areas of
the industry through field trips, speakers, camps and exploration
of Career Technical Education (CTE) for the next generation of STEM
careers.
"STEM education and programs like Driving Possibilities in
Michigan are crucial for preparing
our students for success in the rapidly evolving job market," said
Alena Zachary-Ross, superintendent
of Ypsilanti Community Schools.
"By fostering skills in science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics, we are equipping our students with the tools to not
only thrive but also drive innovation in their chosen fields."
The funding will also include place-based STEM curriculum at two
elementary schools, including professional and pre-service learning
for elementary school teachers.
Connecting the districts to STEM activities
Toyota's
Driving Possibilities long-term initiative aims to provide a
comprehensive approach that includes measures to combat other
barriers that students might have, such as in transportation to and
from schools. To do this and better understand the needs for these
programs, Toyota USA Foundation is
funding a transportation study with CTAA. The study will then be
used to help provide future mobility solutions, including for the
communities near the Ypsilanti and
Lincoln schools.
CTAA will conduct a comprehensive analysis of the transportation
needs through a multi-year research and mapping effort. The focus
is to provide each district ways to successfully participate in the
hands-on STEM activities from the STEM Institute at their
respective schools and at the centralized community location.
"With the generous support of Driving Possibilities and support
from other local partners, our LCS community is not only fostering
excellence in STEM education but also advancing our collective
efforts as a community towards realizing the competencies outlined
in our Portrait of a Graduate," said Robert
Jansen, superintendent of Lincoln Consolidated Schools.
"Together with our amazing partners, we are building a strong
foundation in STEM education, empowering every child in the Lincoln
Consolidated Schools community to not only meet but surpass their
full potential."
To learn more about Toyota's $110 million
dollar commitment to Driving Possibilities, visit
ToyotaEffect.com for the latest information.
About Toyota Motor North America
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has
been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 65 years, and is
committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility
through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800
dealerships.
Toyota directly employs more than 48,000 people in North America who have contributed to the
design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 45 million cars and
trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota's 14th plant
in North Carolina will begin to
manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With
more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker,
Toyota currently offers 22 electrified options.
Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights
the way it partners with community, civic, academic and
governmental organizations to address our society's most pressing
mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move,
anything is possible. For more information about Toyota,
visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
About Toyota Financial Services
Toyota Financial
Services (TFS) is the brand for finance and related products for
Toyota in the United States,
offering retail auto financing and leasing through Toyota Motor
Credit Corporation (TMCC) and Toyota Lease Trust. TFS also offers
vehicle and payment protection products through Toyota Motor
Insurance Services (TMIS). The company services Lexus dealers and
customers using the Lexus Financial Services brand.
As of March 31, 2022, TFS employed
approximately 3,700 team members nationwide, and had assets
totaling over $135 billion. It is
part of a worldwide network of comprehensive financial services
offered by Toyota Financial Services Corporation, a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation.
About Toyota USA
Foundation
The Toyota USA
Foundation is a charitable endowment created to support education
programs serving kindergarten through 12th-grade students and their
teachers in the United States,
with an emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and math
(STEM).
Media Contact:
Amanda Roark
amanda.roark@toyota.com
469.292.2636
* Toyota's funding is a collection of funds from three
entities, including Toyota Motor North America, Toyota Financial
Services and the Toyota USA
Foundation.
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SOURCE Toyota Motor North America