On Tuesday, the San Francisco 49ers Foundation hosted 47 teens at a mini-hackathon at Levi’s Stadium. The students, who ranged from eighth through 10th grade, were given three hours to come up with a way for the 49ers to attract new audiences to Levi’s, turning non-fans into the Faithful.
The event was a lead-in to the Beyond Innovation conference hosted by the 49ers and Beyond Sport on Wednesday. The conference itself focuses on how sports can be used to support science, technology, engineering, and math education. And all of the students participating are part of the 49ers STEM Leadership Institute, which currently works with 240 kids spread across nearby Cabrillo Middle School and Santa Clara High School.
Jennifer Lee, program director of the institute, explained that its focus mixes empowering the students’ interests in STEM with empowering them with leadership and critical thinking skills. “We teach them the design thinking cycle,” Lee said, “and really trying to train them on not limiting themselves to what might be the ‘right’ answer.”