Our Program
Introduction
The J Noah Skills Academy takes a unique approach to mentorship, providing our student athletes with a fun way to learn practical project management skills that are highly sought across a portfolio of industry sectors. Students that receive exposure to project management earlier in their lives can develop soft skills that would enable them to start and finish projects in all aspects of their lives.
The program’s curriculum is founded on the basic frameworks provided by the globally recognized Project Management Institute. Each student enrolled at the J Noah Skills Academy will work with their mentor to create a personalized Mentee Action Plan (MAP).
The intention of the MAP is to create a holistic project plan to help guide and support the student’s academic, athletic, and personal goals. The project management concepts in the program are taught through the lens of basketball to help our student athletes better relate to and understand the project management lifecycle.
Statement of Purpose
The J. Noah Skills Academy aims to resolve the lack of productivity skills in today’s young student-athletes. Project management is a system-driven process that can be used to achieve efficient and meaningful outcomes. The academy offers an innovative platform that educates and engages students in project management through the student-athletic perspective of basketball. Our approach to teaching the project management lifecycle is offering what student-athletes enjoy doing: playing basketball and video games.
The program offers an introduction to project management that uses the NBA 2k video game series as a learning platform. Students will interact and engage by completing a series of tasks and small projects on the NBA 2k video game. Once the classroom session concludes, the students are then kinesthetically engaged with project management on the basketball court. Once students are able to identify their athletic goals, they will create a project plan and execute their basketball skills development project to achieve desired goals.
The value the program brings to student-athletes is receiving a comprehensive education to increase academic and athletic productivity through activities that they enjoy and are meaningful to them. The academy seeks to transform the way we view student-athletics and youth development.
Our Leader
Founder Jordan Pearlstein was inspired by his experiences as a college basketball player and longtime mentor in Baltimore City to develop the J Noah Skills Academy. His goal is to teach student athletes the fundamental tools of project management through the lens of basketball.
Pearlstein is a lifelong basketball player, reaching the college level at Colorado Northwestern Community College. He went on to receive a bachelor’s degree in social change and development from the University of Wisconsin Green-Bay, and a master’s degree in international relations from Morgan State University.
He received a certification as a youth life coach; a USA basketball gold licensed coach and earned his certified associate in project management (CAPM) designation through the Project Management Institute.
These experiences, coupled with his passion for volunteering and mentorship, prompted him to design the curriculum for the J Noah Skills Academy. Here, student athletes learn the importance of project management skills that will prepare them for both personal and professional success as they graduate from school and enter the workforce.
Our Mascot
Meet our founder’s Maine Coon cat Sampson, the inspiration behind our logo. Maine Coons are the largest breed of domestic cat in the world, weighing up to 30 pounds and stretching to more than three feet long. Their athletic nature keeps their body health and strong. Maine Coons are sweet tempered, loyal, sociable, adaptable, inquisitive, and intelligent. Sampson is the perfect representation of the physical and mental attributes needed to be successful on and off the court. We thank Sampson for being the role model of our mission!
United Nations Sustainable Goals
J Noah Skills Academy is strategically aligned with the United Nations Agenda for a better planet by 2030. Our goal is to support the local community by making progress towards these strategic initiatives:
For more information: https://sdgs.un.org/goals