On 20-21 April, more than 100 young people participated at the first ever staging of the Microsoft Innovate for Good event in Taiwan.
Part of Microsoft’s global YouthSpark initiative, this event brings together youth from across Taiwan to share ideas and support each other in developing projects that address emerging social issues. A majority of the event participants were young people who are already leveraging the training opportunities and activities provided by Microsoft in Taiwan, such as Student Programme, the GIRLS Power Up programme for aspiring female entrepreneurs, Imagine Cup Taiwan contestants, as well as ten student volunteers from nonprofit group Alliance Cultural Foundation.
During the event, Microsoft Taiwan also invited its nonprofit partners to share their experiences in using technology as a catalyst for new ideas.
Vincent Shih, General Manager and Chief Legal Officer of Legal & Corporate Affairs at Microsoft Taiwan, said, “The key objective of Innovate for Good is to promote more active engagement between Microsoft and promising young people in Taiwan who are committed to using technology to make a difference. Through our innovative capabilities we want to provide the latest tools and resources and help them develop new solutions that create a positive impact in their communities.”
Some of the projects showcased at the Innovate for Good event in Taiwan include:
Each of these projects will be supported by Microsoft staff and nonprofit professionals who will provide advice and expertise across the span of project development.
The event also aims to heighten the level of awareness among Taiwanese youth about how the latest technology and social media platforms can further empower young people to broaden the impact of social programmes — while providing more opportunities for burgeoning social enterprises to commercialise their business ideas.
“The interaction between our staff and the event participants was highly beneficial, especially in providing the young people with a better sense of how to make their social projects marketable in order to turn their ideas into reality," said Mr Shih.
For more information on Microsoft Taiwan’s Innovate for Good event, please visit https://www.facebook.com/Microsoft.Student.Program?v=wall.
International Women's Day is commemorated annually on 8 March with a slew of activities celebrating the achievements of women around the world. This year, Microsoft Korea and the Korea Women’s Network (KWN) celebrated International Women's Day by jointly organising a two-day charity auction on 4-5 March to raise funds for a common cause.
All proceeds from the charity auction will be donated to Eastern Social Welfare Society, a nonprofit organisation that provides dedicated foster care and adoption services for young children in South Korea.
Nearly KRW3 million (US$2,700) was raised during the event through the auctioning of personal belongings donated by 14 Microsoft Korea senior executives. Items ranged from coffee machines to clothing items. The funds enabled Microsoft Korea and KWN to donate 24 boxes of diapers and 17 boxes of baby milk powder to Eastern Social Welfare Society.
“Microsoft is delighted to collaborate with the Korea Women’s Network to organise this event in conjunction with the annual International Women’s Day celebration, and at the same time help to raise funds and support Eastern Social Welfare Society. We are also greatly encouraged by how our employees have stepped up to make a positive impact on society,” said James Kim, Country Manager of Microsoft Korea, who was one of the senior executives from Microsoft who took part in the event.
The KWN also announced that it would be kicking off a new monthly volunteering programme starting on 8 March with the participation of around 30 female volunteers, led by Microsoft’s Bong Joo Kim, Partner Territory Manager, Small, Mid-market Solutions and Partner (SMS&P) Group, and So Young Lee, Community Programme Manager. Under the new programme, the volunteers will visit the Eastern Social Welfare Society on every second Friday of each month to provide care for newborn babies who are waiting to be adopted.
Jin Sook Kim, President of Eastern Social Welfare Society, said, “We will continue to work closely with our partners from both the corporate and nonprofit sectors to improve the welfare of disadvantaged children in South Korea. We would like to thank Microsoft and KWN for successfully running the charity auction, and the generous donations made during the event will go towards enriching the lives of these young children.”
“We would like to thank Microsoft and KWN for successfully running the charity auction, and the generous donations will go towards enriching the lives of disadvantaged children.”
- Jin Sook Kim, President, Eastern Social Welfare Society
Women and girls are extremely underrepresented in science and technology in the developing and developed world. In an effort to encourage more women to consider careers in information and communication technology (ICT) fields, Microsoft is supporting the International Telecommunications Union for its annual Girls in ICT Day on April 25. Girls in ICT Day brings together girls, young women and university students to attend events hosted by ICT companies, NGOs and government agencies around the world.
Microsoft believes that in order to build the most innovative technology solutions and solve the world’s toughest problems, we need teams that are diverse. To achieve that, we must not only ensure that Microsoft Research is a great place for women researchers and engineers to work, we must also join with others to help bridge the gender gap in technology careers. View a video on bridging the gender gap in IT.
Read more on Microsoft's Corporate Citizenship Blog about how we are making an impact on women and girls in providing them with the opportunities and skills needed to be successful in ICT careers.