Real-Life Experience for London’s Youth Shows the Value of STEM

♪♪ (string orchestra) 

Jessica Ferguson, J.P. Morgan Global Philanthropy Team 

Jessica: The Schools Challenge is part of our broader commitment to J.P.Morgan to help young people make a successful transition from education to employment. It's about inspiring them to find out how they can use STEM skills: Science, Technology, Engineering and Math to give them core competencies, because these are where the jobs of the future are gonna be. 

David Lomer, J.P. Morgan Mentor 

David: Across the firm in London, we're really keen to put something back into the community that we operate in. And, we felt that there was an opportunity for us to begin to help children to hone their skills. 

Emily Margot, J.P. Morgan Campus Recruitment Team 

Emily: We partner with charity organizations like WaterAid and ecoACTIVE to create a real life challenge which the students work on with their mentors from J.P.Morgan. 

Kevin Hillcoat, J.P. Morgan Mentor 

Kevin: We go to the school to help them develop their ideas. To be sort of personal mentors for six months and really guiding them through the process. 

Christina Turton, J.P. Morgan Mentor 

Christina: It is just such an amazing experience. 

Student: The mentors really helped us improve our ideas. They taught us how we could write our own little pitch. 

David: The simpler the message, the more people will remember what's great about it. 

Student: We've learned a lot from them. 

Jessica: And today's the culmination of months of work. 

David: The children present their ideas to a panel of judges. 

Student: With our product, the Kinetic Charger, you can charge your phone, and be on the go. 

Student: It times how long you're in the shower for, and it notifies you about how much water you're using. 

Jessica: Students get a real sense of what it means to be in the working world and use business planning ideas or, you know, project management. 

Mentor: You all gave each other a chance to share the air. That was really good. 

Student: We all learn how to work together as a team. 

Andrew: And they did it incredibly well. 

Student: We believe it's the best way to execute it. 

Mentor: Which is very good. 

Mentor: In the afternoon, the finalists will be presenting to the judges in front of the schools and selecting a winner. 

Emily: Now, to watch them on stage, and being confident to present in front of a room, which would terrify me. That's incredible. 

Student: We're here to pitch to you our product called the ComCloud. 

Student: The aim of the app is to help and encourage people to save more water. 

Andrew: Watching them present to hundreds of people, I felt exceptionally proud. 

Mentor: Really, choosing a winner was extremely difficult. You've all certainly won because of the process you've gone through. We've decided to award the winner as... Nero Quest. 

[applause] 

Student: They've taught us we can count on ourselves, that we shouldn't give up. 

Christina: These kids are gonna have a great future ahead of them and I'm just beyond proud. 

Andrew: I mean, your parents are gonna be over the moon. You haven't even phoned them, they don't even know, right? 

Mentor: They could be the future leaders in the sciences the arts, in entrepreneurialism. It's very important helping these kids develop into the strongest individuals that they can be.