“In recent years, we have heard a greater call for young people to be more civically active, to speak out, and to fight for a better America. But far too many of those lack some of the basic building blocks for successful civic engagement.”
Patrick
Five years ago, Patrick Riccards, CEO of Driving Force Institute, conducted a national survey. The findings revealed that fewer than ten individuals under the age of 45 could pass a test of basic American history using questions derived from the practice tests for the U.S. citizenship exam. Civic education cannot happen without a strong base of American history knowledge, just as medical education requires an understanding of biology. To address this issue, Patrick founded the Driving Force Institute. He aimed to improve the teaching and learning of American history, making it more engaging and relevant for today’s learners.
Educating Millions
In the United States, the Driving Force Institute is one of the largest producers of American history education films. The organization has partnered with respected non-profit organizations like the NY Historical Society, Smithsonian, White House Historical Association, American Battlefield Trust, Bill of Rights Institute, and others. Through these collaborations, Driving Force Institute has created various film titles. These films are essential for understanding the development of the nation to its current state and its potential for future accomplishments. With a portfolio of over 500 films, Driving Force Institute’s content now reaches an audience of 60 million users.
Early Hurdles of Driving Force Institute
The Driving Force Institute faced some initial challenges when transitioning to the film medium. While it had hoped to create viral content that learners would widely share, they found that this goal was not achieved. Specifically, 16-year-olds were not interested in sharing history films on their social media platforms. As a result, they made an early pivot and began developing content that appealed to both learners and classroom educators. The organization now concentrates on providing teachers with content that connects with both educators and students, helping to create meaningful relationships within educational environments.
Tailored Approach to Educational Films
Short films highlighting the people, places, artifacts, and events in American history, with a keen focus on aspects often overlooked in traditional textbooks, are produced by the Driving Force Institute. The institute’s films specifically emphasize the contributions of women and the BIPOC community to the country’s development. Each film is crafted to be approximately 2 minutes long, aiming to spark curiosity in learners and encourage further exploration of historical topics.
To meet the educational needs of its audience, the Driving Force Institute regularly reviews methods. The selection of titles and styles is based on extensive market research. Significant investments have been made in creating new professional development opportunities for educators in response to their needs. Currently, the Driving Force Institute is preparing to introduce a new collection of 500 films focusing on aspects of American history. This initiative responds to current classroom needs and aligns with the approaching milestone of the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026.
A strategic shift took place a few years ago when the institute introduced a new product line that aligned with Florida’s updated social studies learning standards. This expansion enabled Driving Force Institute to reach a wider audience, including students as young as kindergarten. This initiative of taking risks has provided valuable insights into effective ways of engaging younger learners, which will be a focus for future endeavors beyond 2025.
Lessons Learned from Mistakes
Patrick strongly believes in the importance of learning from failures. He believes setbacks and errors can provide valuable insights, often more so than initial successes. The concept of the Driving Force Institute was born out of a setback, when the initial supporting organization concluded that American history education had restricted prospects. Despite this, Patrick remained committed to teaching history more effectively in modern classrooms. He envisioned achieving this through engaging and thought-provoking video content.
After initially facing rejection, Patrick remained committed to his vision of improving history education. Through determination, the Driving Force Institute has grown into a strong national organization. Each mistake encountered during the journey was seen as a chance to learn and improve. Patrick and his team carefully analyzed these failures, identifying the reasons behind them and developing strategies to enhance their work based on those insights.
In his leadership role, Patrick views himself as a coach and cheerleader for his team. He promotes a culture of adopting risks, experimentation, and personal growth. Recognizing individual strengths, interests, and aspirations is essential in nurturing continuous learning and professional development within the organization. Patrick encourages team members to push their boundaries has been a key factor in Driving Force Institute’s success as a leading educational institution.
Bridging the Gap
Patrick credits Driving Force Institute’s success to two key factors. Firstly, it places a high importance on continuous learning and uses every experience, including setbacks, to improve processes, enhance products, and further its mission. Equally important is its focus on the end user.
Regular research initiatives with users provide insights into preferred topics, effective approaches, and relevant eras. This proactive engagement allows Driving Force Institute to adjust strategies based on real-time feedback from the field. Recognizing that students may perceive history as uninteresting and insignificant, it is dedicated to showing the importance, value, and relevance of learning American history to ensure continued engagement and impact.
Continuous Improvement
Driving Force Institute utilizes technology to enhance customer experiences seamlessly. The organization strategically uses short films as its delivery method, supported by data showing that the average Gen Z member spends over 2 hours daily consuming online video content. This content is primarily viewed on platforms like TikTok and YouTube, engaging with 63 unique segments during that time. The organization’s two-minute film lengths are designed to cater to this behavior, ensuring engagement and retention of historical content among learners.
Staying competitive in the industry requires a strong strategy and the ability to adapt to changing market conditions and customer needs. Driving Force Institute values data-driven innovation and is willing to take calculated risks without being afraid of failure. The organization consistently analyzes both quantitative and qualitative data to improve its approaches, content titles, styles, and distribution channels to effectively reach its target audience. This ongoing process allows for continuous improvement to meet the changing preferences and requirements of viewers.
60 Million Users and Counting
Finding a balance between innovation and risk-taking to maintain stability and profitability is highly valued by Patrick. He sees transformation as necessary and achievable through calculated risks. The risks taken by the organization were seen as crucial for its establishment and rapid growth, aligning with its mission. Since its inception in 2020, Driving Force Institute has experienced consistent growth driven by strategic risk-taking. This bold approach is a key part of its philosophy.
According to Patrick, the organization’s growth was greatly influenced by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. As schools shifted towards virtual education, there was a heavy reliance on video content. However, much of this content was lacking in quality and failed to engage modern learners. Recognizing this gap, Driving Force Institute focused on creating compelling and relevant content tailored to contemporary learning preferences. Over four years, their efforts paid off as they expanded their film library from 10 to 500 films and experienced a significant increase in users, growing from a few hundred thousand to an impressive 60 million.
Strategies for Success
Willingness to take risks and a commitment to learning from failure is demonstrated by Patrick. He sees a fifty-percent success rate as a significant achievement for both himself and the Driving Force Institute. Each risk is carefully evaluated based on specific criteria, such as alignment with the organization’s mission, advancement of its products, uniqueness in the market, and its ability to execute it. When these criteria are met, Patrick moves forward confidently.
With a feedback system in place to collect and analyze data, the Driving Force Institute ensures that lessons from failures are quickly learned to minimize losses. Successful projects are also thoroughly reviewed to identify strategies that can be replicated in future endeavors.
