Thu, May 1, 2025 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EDT
In order to realize their full potential, cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively, and make contributions to their communities, individuals must prioritize/take care of their mental health. However, the increasing number of people affected by mental health conditions is prompting employers to find new ways to understand and engage with their members’ mental wellbeing.
May 15, 2025
Join us for the 29th Annual Women Thrive Conference. The MichBusiness Women Thrive Conference is a day of celebration, informative panel discussions, facilitated networking opportunities, and knowledge-sharing. It is advised by a distinguished board of businesswomen and community leaders.
“This engineering literacy enrichment activity helps children build vocabulary and comprehension in science, technology, engineering and math,” said Lisa Bastian, head of human resources at Hyundai Mobis, a Beyond Basics partner. But Bastian said this activity ended up being much more than a vocabulary lesson. “It was about creating moments of happiness and opening up a whole new world to these fourth graders.” When the Hyundai Mobis engineers asked the children what they learned today, the engineers figured they would say they learned how to build a car. Instead, several students shared, “I learned I can be an engineer.” They also asked the children how it made them feel. “The smiles and their answers told it all – “happy,” said Bastian.
The Beyond Basics Family Literacy Center transformed into a small solar kit car manufacturing center on Oct. 24, as 40 fourth graders from Durfee Elementary School worked alongside 10 engineers from the Hyundai MOBIS Technical Center of North America to build solar kit cars.
“This engineering literacy enrichment activity helps children build vocabulary and comprehension in science, technology, engineering and math,” said Lisa Bastian, head of human resources at Hyundai Mobis, a Beyond Basics partner. But Bastian said this activity ended up being much more than a vocabulary lesson. “It was about creating moments of happiness and opening up a whole new world to these fourth graders.” When the Hyundai Mobis engineers asked the children what they learned today, the engineers figured they would say they learned how to build a car. Instead, several students shared, “I learned I can be an engineer.” They also asked the children how it made them feel. “The smiles and their answers told it all – “happy,” said Bastian.“Literacy in vulnerable communities is more than teaching children how to sound out words correctly. It’s about helping them break through invisible barriers that overshadow their hopes and dreams and enables them to experience the world that exists beyond their neighborhood. Fun activities like these provide a spark for lifelong learning,” said Pam Good, co-founder/CEO, Beyond Basics. “We appreciate that Hyundai Mobis continues to be a great mentoring partner for Beyond Basics.”This is the first time Hyundai Mobis has brought this activity to the United States after working with students in Korea and Frankfurt, Germany. The engineers specialize in research and development, autonomous driving, advanced engineering, electronics, software development and infotainment. Two groups of 20 fourth graders participated in the two-hour class on Oct. 24 and interacted with four guests from Korea. Each child built a car that they took home. To see the program in action, Kim Junghwan from the Hyundai Mobis Corporate Social Responsibility Team, traveled to the United States with Kim Bohoon, head of management planning team from the National Academy of Engineering of Korea, and Choi Junghoon and Hwang Bukgi, two professors from Hanyang University, Korea. The professors worked with Hyundai Mobis to create the lesson plans to teach the Junior Engineering class material.
