Mission

Begin. Believe. Become.

President Clinton decided he wanted to dedicate his life to public service the day he, as a boy, shook hands with President Kennedy. You don’t need to go very far to seek another example, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton describes her listening to Martin Luther King speak as an experience that shaped her lifelong pursuit of social justice. A singular moment – a fleeting interaction can be a defining moment for a child, and by extension, the world. Everything we do in our lives, somehow connects to something we did, experienced or felt in our childhood. We uncover those stories.

Be inspired

What makes greatness, or excellence – or better put, what makes people unwilling to accept the world as it is presented to them and want to change it in profound ways? From a very young age, kids learn about “the what” – what amazing people have achieved in their lifetimes. But this is both, an incomplete and a less interesting story. The more interesting stories are the “how” – How did these individuals do what they did? How did they motivate themselves? How were they inspired? How did the experiences they have as children help shape their worldview? How did they deal with the self-doubt that inevitably comes with doing hard things? How did they find their passion?

Be curious

We also help conjure curiosity by introducing kids to some of the most cutting edge ideas (How will interplanetary Internet work? What are mRNA vaccines? What is the muon-neutrino deficit?) in a child-friendly way from the very people that were instrumental in bringing those big ideas to the world.

Be connected

If you are child – regardless of your gender, race, nationality or disability – you will find someone who looks like you, who thought like you and who you feel you can grow up to be like. In addition, children will be able to recognize their own childhoods – some guests have described themselves as having amazing childhoods, while others have dealt with childhoods that have been far from perfect.

Kids will also learn that there is no one path to great success – some successful people have loved science and Math; others have loved history and art. Some have loved sport. Ultimately, the goal is that children see themselves in some of the greatest people on earth and take away life lessons that not only changes their lives, but potentially helps create a new generation of leaders that can make the world a better place.