LEARNPorts to People Game
The Ports to People Game designed by FuturePorts is a fun and interactive learning tool to teach players about the important role of the Ports and Goods Movement industry in creating jobs in the Southern California region.
Please list the organizations collaborating on this proposal.
The Discovery Cube Los Angeles
Briefly tell us a story that demonstrates how your organization turns inspiration into impact.
In 2005, the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles had big plans to grow. But they were thwarted at every turn by hostile communities and haunted by public trust that had been damaged in a heavy-handed approach to growth. Projects were languishing for years in the development process, facing lawsuits and public backlash which threatened to put a stranglehold on our economy. Now, we’re not saying that we wear a cape and have an "S" on our chest (for "sustainability" of course), but our founders certainly recognized the importance of having an organization that could act as a bridge between the community and the ports, one that would promote a fact and data-driven policy-making process, and a group that could help both grow AND green port operations. FuturePorts was borne of the need to educate elected leaders and the public about the return on the investment in our ports and the supply chain they support, and 14 years later, we are still at it. Our work has resulted in billions of dollars' worth of construction being completed in and around the San Pedro Bay ports, resulting in thousands of good paying jobs, increased economic activity, cleaner air and water, and supporting 42% of the containerized cargo that enters our great nation. So yeah, maybe we do wear a cape.
Which of the LEARN metrics will your submission impact?
College matriculation rates
Youth unemployment and underemployment
Student education pipeline
In which areas of Los Angeles will you be directly working?
County of Los Angeles
How will your project make LA the best place to LEARN?
FuturePorts is partnering with the Discovery Cube LA to create a new hands-on exhibit and mobile app experience to expose K-8 students to the many different career opportunities in the supply chain. We propose to use our proprietary Ports to People ™ game as part of the 2020 Festival of STEM held January — March 2020 at the Discovery Cube LA. This exhibit would be made available to K-8 school field trips as well as the public at large for the entirety of the Festival. The program is proposed to reach 3,000 LA County children via sponsored field trips and reach potentially thousands more members of the general public who will visit the Discovery Cube LA during the festival.
Currently, the goods movement industry in Southern California supports more than 1.3 million jobs in a wide array of fields. Cargo that comes through the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach reaches every corner of our nation. The Ports to People game is designed to showcase the different types of jobs that are created through goods movement from the ship to the shelf. The backbone of our supply chain are the men and women who work in the many different jobs that are needed to keep our cargo moving. From longshoremen to warehousing specialists, from engineers to truck drivers, from construction crews to project managers there are literally thousands of different choices students can make to become part of this growing industry. As technology becomes increasingly important to our supply chain, the jobs of the future will require students with strong STEM backgrounds, and our hands-on Ports to People ™ experience is intended to help them see the real-world applications of the science and math skills they are learning in their classrooms daily.
Ports to People is a 10 foot high X 30 foot long game that is played by participants who move their cargo through the supply chain, taking it from the ship to the shelf.
In addition to the full-sized game, FuturePorts is investing in translating the game to create a mobile app that can be played on a smartphone, continuing the learning for well after the visit to the Cube ends.
Timeline for implementation:
June 2019 receive award notice from My LA2050 and FCIA/CIAF
June- October 2019 begin updating the Ports to People game, develop concept for coloring page, and work with a game developer to create the mobile app.
June-October 2019 work on creating lesson plan and learning outcomes for coloring page and mobile app
October 2019 draft mobile game ready for beta testing, begin publicizing the Ports to People exhibit at the Discovery Cube LA 2020 Festival of STEM
November 2019 printing coloring pages, outreach to schools to begin booking field trips during the festival
December 2019 publicity for Festival
January- March 2020 hold Festival, conduct field trips for up to 3000 students
April-May 2020 collect feedback from educators, prepare report for My LA2050
In what stage of innovation is this project?
Pilot project (testing a new idea on a small scale to prove feasibility)
Please explain how you will define and measure success for your project.
We will define and measure success by the number of visitors to the exhibit, and number of downloads for the mobile app subsequent to the visit. We will also prepare a brief feedback survey for educators for learning outcomes.