Youth Venturers bring Technology for a Better World to Washington D.C.
Posted on 05. Jul, 2011 by test.
Today’s post was written by campaign manager Spectra Myers
Five amazing young people and their chaperons spent a whirl-wind week with Ashoka’s Youth Venture to advance their ventures and joined winners from across the country in Washington D.C thanks to support from Best Buy Co., Inc.
Jonny Cohen, Griffin Latulippe, Joyce Yan, Fabian Fernandez-Han, and McKenzy Haber are the winners in the Technology for a Better World campaign with Best Buy and we couldn’t have hoped for better role models for aspiring young changemakers.
The teams inspired everyone at the Jefferson Awards, a partner organization, with their out-of-this-world ideas and eloquence at the welcome dinner on Monday night. You could feel the energy in the room shift after our five winners spoke about their work to address greenhouse gas emissions, create assistive technology devices for the disabled, create new data collection tools, bring financial literacy to kids, and inspire youth globally
to share their stories and take action.
The media immediately grasped the appeal of the winners! Our teams were interviewed by PBS NewsHour Extra and Griffin Latulippe was interviewed in front of a packed house by Senator Sam Beard about his passion, drive, and ingenuity. He was right up there with NFL Pro and Team Owner Warrick Dunn talking about social change! We can’t wait to see their stories inspire others to action.
During their day at Ashoka’s headquarters, the teams met with advisors from Booz Allen Hamilton, RTI International, and Medic Mobile to further develop their ventures. After their session they had a brownbag lunch with the Ashoka staff where they answered questions on the role of youth in technology innovation, the challenges young people face in starting an initiative, and their take on the field of technology.
Other highlights of the week included meeting Senators, Representatives, and industry leaders and a chance meeting with the producers of Saved by the Bell!
The week wouldn’t have been possible without Best Buy, Youth Venture’s longtime partner. Susan Bass Roberts, Director, Community Relations for Best Buy extended her congratulations:
“We are proud to support these young people in partnership with Youth Venture and applaud their efforts to make a difference in their communities through their innovative use of technology.”
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Ashoka’s Youth Venture and Best Buy congratulate the Technology for a Better World Grand Prize Winners! They will be recognized at the prestigious Jefferson Awards in Washington D.C. for their innovative contributions to public and community service and will spend a day at Ashoka’s headquarters learning how to further expand their local ventures. The five [...]
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Cell Phones: More than just texting about Justin Bieber? – Tech4BtrWorld
Posted on 17. May, 2011 by Rob.
Ashoka and Healthpoint Services Today’s post was written by Tech4BtrWorld campaign intern Lauren Viehbacher. Everyone loves cell phones. We use them to call people, text 24/7, take photos, share videos, use funny emoticons, and annoy parents at the dinner table. But what if cell phones were used to do something more? What if cell [...]
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Today’s post was written by Tech4BtrWorld campaign intern Lauren Viehbacher We recently caught up with Ben Lyon, one of Ashoka Youth Venture’s TEDxYSE finalists in November 2010. After graduating from University of Colorado Boulder in 2009, Ben launched FrontLineSMS: Credit, using microfinance technology to help poor communities and families in Sierra Leone. A whirlwind experience [...]
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Today’s post was written by Tech4BtrWorld campaign intern Lauren Viehbacher Youth Venture is excited about Engineering for Change (E4C) – a community that employs engineering to tackle humanitarian issues – and we want to share a selection of the solutions featured on their site. Challenge #1: Your cell phone battery and flashlight are dead. You have [...]
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Teen’s Windmill Makes Electricity for His Family and Village – Tech4BtrWorld
Posted on 17. May, 2011 by Rob.
Today’s post was written by campaign volunteer Clem Auyeung [@clemauyeung] What do a bicycle parts, blue-gum trees, PVC pipes, copper wires and a car battery have in common? They are all parts of a windmill William Kamkwamba first built when he was 14 years old.An illustration of determination, persistence, and a bias towards action, William, [...]
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Today’s post was written by campaign volunteer Clem Auyeung [@clemauyeung] Did you enjoy playing with your Tonka trucks when you were little? Are you addicted to Farmville? Now you can become the real life Bob the Builder with the Global Village Construction Set! The brainchild of Polish-born Marcin Jakubowski, the Global Village Construction Set is [...]
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How Bill Gates’ Favorite Teacher Wants to Disrupt Education Today’s post was written by Tech4BtrWorld campaign volunteer Clem Auyeung [@clemauyeung] When I first bought my black-and-white-screened iPod mini, I was the envy of my friends. Its sleek outer physique, intuitive controls, and easy portability won the hearts of millions of consumers and now it [...]
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The entry period is now closed in the Technology for a Better World campaign. Our esteemed panel of judges is reviewing the submissions to select the five grand prize winners. Check back on May 25th to meet the five grand prize winning youth that will travel to be recognized in Washington D.C. at the Jefferson [...]
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Ashoka GenV is pleased to support What’s Your Issue? – Film Your Issue initiative and competition. We invite youth ages 14 to 24 to submit a 3-minute video, presenting an issue they care about and a proposed solution. Winning solution-projects will be presented to senior officials in the Obama administration, broadcast on screens in every [...]
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Ashoka recently published an ebook featuring our youth venturers and their projects. You can view or download it. Spread it to your friends. Stories of Change – Vol 2 : Youth Making A Difference
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