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By Lori Harnick, General Manager, Citizenship and Public Affairs
Microsoft’s attendance at the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland is a tradition that was started by Microsoft Co-Founder and Chairman Bill Gates. It’s an opportunity for us to participate in an international dialogue about the world’s most pressing economic and social problems and how government, business, nonprofits, and civil society can come together to ignite change and make a real impact for a better tomorrow.
Each year our involvement has grown. I’ll be part of this year’s Microsoft delegation, which will also include Craig Mundie, senior advisor to the CEO, Brad Smith, executive vice president and general counsel, Eric Rudder, chief technical strategy officer, and Jean-Philippe Courtois, president of Microsoft International.
As we strive to create a real impact for a better tomorrow, we’ll join a series of important conversations at the Annual Meeting on the topic of the global challenges facing youth, such as high unemployment and skills development. Brad Smith will join a panel hosted by McKinsey & Company to discuss ways to help youth more easily navigate the path from education to employment. This is an area where Microsoft has made a significant investment, including the support of a national proposal to fuel talent mobility and the launch of Microsoft YouthSpark, our global, company-wide initiative designed to create opportunities for 300 million youth over the next three years. We believe we can play an important role in helping to build a strong global economy by providing technology, education and opportunities to young people, to empower them to imagine and realize their full potential and help them create a real impact for a better tomorrow.
Microsoft will also have a presence at two other events: a session organized by WEF titled “From Data Deluge to Data Dividend” and a workshop organized by WEF titled “The Business of Human Rights: Current Challenges and Opportunities.”
And for the second year - one of the biggest product launch years in our history - we are delighted to host the Microsoft Vision Center, which will showcase current Microsoft products and provide attendees a glimpse into the future. The future innovations on display will include the Illumishare project and Kinect for Windows, as well as newly-released devices, including Surface, Windows Phone 8 and a variety of Windows 8 touch devices. All will demonstrate the power and promise of technology to make a real impact for a better tomorrow.
As we work collectively to rebuild the global economy, we believe the technology industry can make many critical contributions to help increase employment opportunities and drive global economic progress. We look forward to sharing our perspectives as the week unfolds through the Microsoft Corporate Citizenship blog and the Microsoft on the Issues blog. You can also track the conversation on Twitter by following @WEF and the Forum’s hashtag #WEF.
You can get HelpBridge here
So once you’ve installed HelpBridge, how does it work?
Get Help with HelpBridge
Give Help with HelpBridge
Helpbridge provides three easy ways to support relief and recovery efforts in the aftermath of a disaster.
We’ve worked with a range of relief agencies and nonprofits during the development of HelpBridge.
“We are grateful to our partner Microsoft who understands the importance of connecting loved ones after disasters and provides ways for individuals to donate their time and dollars to help those in need through the Red Cross,” said Neal Litvack, Chief Development Officer of the American Red Cross. “Mobile phones have become one of the key tools for people in disaster affected areas to communicate, not only with their friends, but also with first responders. The simpler we can make it for people to let others know if they are fine or if they need assistance, the more likely they are of being able to get that information out,” said Gisli Olaffson, Emergency Response Director, NetHope. “Microsoft’s HelpBridge mobile app is a great addition to the tools people have for reporting their needs and their status following any disaster.”
“We are grateful to our partner Microsoft who understands the importance of connecting loved ones after disasters and provides ways for individuals to donate their time and dollars to help those in need through the Red Cross,” said Neal Litvack, Chief Development Officer of the American Red Cross.
“Mobile phones have become one of the key tools for people in disaster affected areas to communicate, not only with their friends, but also with first responders. The simpler we can make it for people to let others know if they are fine or if they need assistance, the more likely they are of being able to get that information out,” said Gisli Olaffson, Emergency Response Director, NetHope. “Microsoft’s HelpBridge mobile app is a great addition to the tools people have for reporting their needs and their status following any disaster.”
HelpBridge is a mobile app with the application back-end running on Microsoft Windows Azure which provides a rich and reliable web, application and data platform in the cloud.
Quickly let people know how and where you are
Make donations to relief agencies from your mobile device
The key to responding to a disaster is being prepared
HelpBridge is a useful part of your disaster preparation but you also need to think about what other ways you can get prepared ahead of an unexpected event.
For example, what are the key documents that you should back up online so you can access them from any location? Have you thought about completing a family emergency plan? What about your pets? There’s some good tips and resources here.
HelpBridge is a useful tool to help you get help and give help during a disaster. Download the app today as part of your disaster preparedness.
As Petra Nemcova, a disaster survivor and founder of Happy Hearts Fund noted:
“We cannot stop natural disasters but we can arm ourselves with knowledge: so many lives wouldn’t have to be lost if there was enough disaster preparedness.”
Note: HelpBridge is only available in the United States.
Microsoft and GOOD have teamed up to give you the opportunity to help your favorite youth-focused nonprofit. Today we are announcing the Microsoft Give For Youth Challenge, a contest where you nominate and vote for nonprofits who support young people around the United States.
That’s why we launched Microsoft YouthSpark, an initiative to empower youth to imagine and realize their full potential by connecting them with greater opportunities for education, employment and entrepreneurship.
It’s why we’re working with GOOD to help nonprofits that help youth. While nonprofits are often at the frontlines of the issues facing youth in America - from providing food and shelter, to donating backpacks and clothing, providing afterschool tutoring, training and employment support – they’re often underfunded.
So come and help us. The twenty nonprofits with the most votes will have their projects featured on our YouthSpark Give For Youth micro-giving site. In addition to encouraging people to support the projects, we’ll match funds raised for the projects up to $100,000 across organizations.
Here's how you can get involved:
1. Take action! Go to http://nominategfy.maker.good.is/projects/new.
2. Nominate your favorite youth-focused nonprofit by February 1, 2013 (12pm PST deadline!).
3. Spread the word to your friends and family to vote for your nonprofit. Voting begins February 18th.
4. Use hashtag #YouthSpark on Twitter to see updates as the contest progresses.
Please review the full contest rules and eligibility here.
Find out about how Give For Youth is helping nonprofits raise funding for youth-focused projects.