What It Actually Takes to Build a Program That Sticks
By: She Rises Studios
With over 25 years of experience in sustainability and nonprofit leadership, Leesa Carter-Jones became President & CEO of Captain Planet Foundation, determined to build on its legacy by empowering young people through impactful programs.
The Captain Planet Foundation’s Green Heart STEM Challenge has become a model for what it takes to create lasting impact in youth programming. Instead of measuring success by how many students enroll, the organization focused on how many implemented their winning project. Initial results were sobering, with only one out of nine winning teams implementing their ideas during the first year. In response, the Foundation introduced project-specific mentorships, regular check-ins, and required reports.
A key element of the program’s success is its emphasis on bridging the gap between ideas and action. Unlike many STEM competitions that end with awarding winners, the Green Heart STEM Challenge ensures that selected projects are deeply rooted in students’ communities, supported by professional mentors, and held accountable through structured reporting. One standout example is a DeKalb County student, named Maximo Luciani, who used the Challenge as a springboard to win a Bloomberg Youth Climate Award, ultimately leading a project to restore eroding creek banks in Atlanta.
Leesa Carter-Jones says the main barriers to long-term program success are not just funding, but the mismatch between big promises and a lack of infrastructure, underestimating educators, and failing to fully engage young people. By addressing these issues, the Green Heart STEM Challenge now involves nearly 5,000 students across 71 schools and 11 states, with the expectation that their ideas will result in real, lasting change. That is what impact looks like when it’s designed to last.