In these times, one thing that remains constant is the idea of supporting the community. Connect Business Consulting has shifted our focus to include community outreach and engagement, as well as helping our corporate partners achieve their community goals too. It's our priority to ensure that our community partners receive the support they need to successfully support those they serve.
Our first community project was the STEAM and Dream program, sponsored by American Family Insurance in partnership with the Sherman Phoenix, Milky Way Tech Hub, CUPED, and Connect Business Consulting. We developed an online STEAM curriculum for elementary and middle school students. The STEAM & Dream curriculum touches on topics that equip students with a foundation to launch their STEAM journey. We provided 150 laptops to Milwaukee youth who signed up for the program and had over 550 students who participated. It's a significant win for our community, our city, and our youth!
The best part is we provided specialized mentorship and volunteers to lighten the load of educating our young people at home during the Safer At Home order. Topics in the curriculum covered learning how computers understand us, computational thinking, design thinking, app development, and more. It's just another way that we are connecting our community!
Check out this interview with our CEO, Kenge Adams, as she discusses why connecting in the community is so important to us!
1. Why has Connect decided to do more work in the community?
We are committed to bringing community organizations and nonprofits together with corporations to help advance their community engagement goals.
2. Who are your current community partners?
We currently partner with American Family Insurance, Sherman Phoenix, and the Milky Way Tech Hub.
3. How did you begin building relationships with your community partners?
I started out simply by connecting and working with people and organizations that I already had relationships with. Since I already had a connection with them, I was able to quickly assess their needs, develop a plan, and start identifying solutions to address their needs. This process often led to other opportunities and projects that allowed me to continue to grow and expand my partnerships.
4. What types of services and programs are you hoping to provide through your community partners program?
The goal of Connect Business Consulting is to help corporations efficiently implement community initiatives as well as support community organizations that do not have professional project management expertise. We have experience in this space and enjoy collaborating with organizations to implement initiatives that shape communities.
5. How can others support your community efforts?
The best way to support us is to connect with us via LinkedIn or our website and let us know if you are an organization that can use project management expertise, or if you are a corporation or a foundation who is interested in implementing a program within the community and needs project management support.
6. What’s next for Connect in the Community?
Connect Business Consulting is in the process of implementing Phase 2 of the STEAM & Dream program in partnership with American Family Insurance, Sherman Phoenix, and the Milky Way Tech Hub. This program is an online STEAM curriculum that services kids in the Milwaukee community, distributes laptops, and provides mentoring to the kids in the program. Connect Business Consulting is also engaging in developing new corporate partnerships that are interested in implementing programs within the Milwaukee community.
