Video Contest Recruits Teens To Spread Message About Youth Vaccinations

NEWARK – A new video contest is recruiting New Jersey teens to spread the word about the importance of adolescent vaccinations. “Protect Me With 3,” a project of the Partnership for Maternal Child Health of Northern New Jersey and the state Department of Health is designed to promote creativity and expand knowledge of the tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (Tdap); meningococcal conjugate; and human papillomavirus (HPV) immunizations among New Jersey pre-teens and teens 11 through 18 years of age.

Participants are asked to submit a 30 second video, informing their peers about the causes, symptoms, treatments and prevention of pertussis, meningococcal disease or HPV and motivating them to seek vaccination against these serious infectious diseases.

“The best time for adolescents to receive vaccines is during an annual health check-up at 11-12 years of age,” said Virginia Witt, MD. “Booster shots may also be necessary to ensure continued protection for teens who received their vaccinations early in life. Part of every annual checkup should be a review of immunization history for both adults and children.”

“We are honored to work alongside the Partnership to empower New Jersey’s youth to take a more active role in their health,” explained Mary E. O’Dowd, M.P.H., commissioner of New Jersey Department of Health. “Our main goal is to provide adolescents and their parents/guardians with the resources to gain a greater understanding of these devastating diseases so they can make more educated decisions about their personal health. With the increase in the number of pertussis cases this year, it is more important than ever for adolescents and their parents/guardians talk to their health care provider to ensure they are in the New Jersey Immunization Information System, our confidential, web-based immunization registry, and that they have received all of the recommended vaccinations.”

Submissions for the Protect Me With 3 video contest are being accepted now through Oct. 29. Each video submission must educate viewers on one of the three diseases and contain 3 to 5 facts provided in the Vaccine PSA toolkit. An internal panel will complete the first round of judging, and the winning entries will be determined by public vote. The grand prize winner will receive an iPad®3 and chance to have their video aired on television. The top two runners-up will receive monetary gifts of $250 and $150.

For more information regarding eligibility, video submission guidelines and contest rules, visit www.protectmewith3.com. Entrants are encouraged to tweet their participation, using #protectmewith3.

  

Youth Coalition wins $10,000 in grant contest

Youth Coalition wins $10,000 in grant contest

The Baton Rouge Youth Coalition won $10,000 last week from Chase Bank as part of an Internet-based grant contest that involved 30,000 eligible charities across the United States, organizers said Tuesday.

The money is a small portion of the $5 million given out as part this year’s Chase Community Giving contest that ended Sept. 19. The Baton Rouge-based nonprofit group was one of 196 nonprofits nationwide to get in the winners’ circle and the only one in Louisiana.

Daniel Kahn, executive director of the coalition, said the money will be used to help fund an upcoming college visitation trip for local high school students who work with the group.

Kahn said the group organized an Internet get-out-the-vote campaign and got help from other nonprofit groups in the city. In the end, he said, the youth coalition ended up in 116th place in the voting out of the 196 winning charities.

The group describes its mission as ensuring that “hard-working teens have access to the resources they need to pursue their dreams.”

Synge Street students win EU physics prize for young scientists

Synge Street students win EU physics prize for young scientists

TWO DUBLIN students have been awarded a European young scientist prize for their mathematical project that could be of value to Nasa.

Mark Kelly and Eric Doyle from Synge Street CBS, Dublin, were announced as winners of the first prize in physics at the European Union Contest for Young Scientists in Bratislava, Slovakia, yesterday.

The pair were sent forward to represent Ireland in the competition after winning the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition in January. They competed with students aged between 14 and 20 from 37 countries to win the European physics award.

The winning project, Simulation Accuracy in the Gravitational Many-body Problem, included a way to help keep satellites more closely on their expected path.

The prize is worth €7,000 and they also receive an all-expenses paid trip to the London International Youth Science Forum.

Ireland has out-performed all other countries in the EU competition’s 24-year history, taking home the top prize 14 times.

The closing date for entries to next January’s BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition in Dublin is next Monday.

For more see btyoungscientist. com

The Voice Of Student & Youth Travel Appoints Mike Bowers Vice President

Senior Director of Health and Safety at People to People Ambassador Programs to lead professional trade association dedicated to student and youth travel

By People to People Ambassador Programs

 

SPOKANE, Wash., Sept. 21, 2012 — /PRNewswire/ -- People to People Ambassador Programs, the leader in global educational travel experiences, today announced that Mike Bowers, senior director of health and safety, has been elected to the position of vice president of the Student Youth Travel Association (SYTA). Bowers will serve as the vice president until August 2013 when he will move into the role of president of the association.

SYTA is a nonprofit, professional trade association that is acknowledged as the authority on student and youth travel. Its members are recognized for providing both domestic and international travel programs that enhance students' social, cultural and educational growth. SYTA advocates on behalf of student travel at the local and national level, and provides education and practices that promote safe travel both domestically and internationally.

"We are proud to have a key member of our management team involved in SYTA and are very pleased to see Mike's leadership role growing within the organization," said Peg Thomas, president of People to People Ambassador Programs. "As the only educational travel organization to employ a full-time director of travel health and safety, People to People views this as a great opportunity for us to share our best practices and to continue to learn and network with top companies in the industry."

Bowers has been a member of SYTA for four years and on the board of directors since 2010. Last year, he was asked to lead the task force to develop a vision statement and objectives for the new SYTA safety committee, which launched in January 2012.

"My entire professional career has been in the travel industry and for the past four years, I have learned a great deal about student travel and the high standards and services SYTA members provide," said Mike Bowers. "I look forward to leading SYTA to bring the best minds in the industry together to improve student safety and promote the importance of student travel."

Bowers joined People to People Ambassador Programs in 2008 and has more than 30 years of experience in travel safety and operations management. Heavily involved in carrying out day-to-day safety operations, Bowers oversees the execution of health and safety initiatives and provides his expertise and guidance to ensure the safety and well-being of each student and leader -- the organization's top priority.

About People to People Ambassador Programs People to People Ambassador Programs is the world's most recognized educational travel provider. Since the 1960s, more than 500,000 people from around the world have traveled with People to People Ambassador Programs to help further global understanding through cross-cultural exchange. Offering unmatched safety measures and unparalleled access to foreign cultures and countries, People to People Ambassador Programs promotes personal success in a globalized world and fosters international friendships for both students and professional adults.

People to People Ambassador Programs is the exclusive educational travel provider of People to People International (PTPI), a nonprofit organization founded in 1956 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to promote peace through understanding worldwide. Together, PTPI and People to People Ambassador Programs are united in a mission to bridge cultural and political borders through education and exchange. For more information, please visit www.peopletopeople.com. 

About Ambassadors Group Ambassadors Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: EPAX) is a socially conscious, education company located in Spokane, Washington. Ambassadors Group, Inc. is the parent company of Ambassador Programs, Inc., World Adventures Unlimited, Inc. and BookRags, Inc., an educational research website. The Company also oversees the Washington School of World Studies, an accredited travel study and distance learning school. Additional information about the Company and its subsidiaries is available at www.ambassadorsgroup.com. In this press release, "Company", "we", "us", and "our" refer to Ambassadors Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries.

Microsoft Mobilizes to Create Opportunities for 300 Million Youth Around the World

Microsoft Mobilizes to Create Opportunities for 300 Million Youth Around the World

Microsoft YouthSpark is a new companywide initiative to create opportunities for 300 million youth through a range of global programs, delivered in partnership with governments, nonprofits and other businesses. PR Newswire

REDMOND, Wash., Sept. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Microsoft Corp. today announced a new global initiative, Microsoft YouthSpark, that aims to create opportunities for 300 million youth in more than 100 countries during the next three years. This companywide initiative includes citizenship and other company programs — both new and enhanced — that empower youth to imagine and realize their full potential by connecting them with greater opportunities for education, employment and entrepreneurship. 

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO)

Through Microsoft YouthSpark, the company will dedicate the majority of its cash contributions to nonprofits that serve the youth population around the world. In addition, Microsoft YouthSpark will include Office 365 for education, free technology tools for all teachers and students to power learning and collaboration, and Skype in the classroom, a free global community for teachers to connect their students with others around the world. 

As part of the initiative, Microsoft is also launching a range of new citizenship programs:

Give for Youth, a global microgiving marketplace focused on raising funds for nonprofits that support youth causes around the world. Microsoft YouthSpark Hub, an online space where people can explore and access all the youth services, programs and resources provided by Microsoft and its nonprofit partners. Microsoft Innovate for Good, a global online community enabling youth to collaborate, inspire and support one another while using technology to make a difference in their communities.

Launching the new initiative, Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer said, "Through Microsoft YouthSpark we are making a commitment to help 300 million young people around the world achieve their dreams by focusing our citizenship efforts and other company resources on connecting young people with opportunities for education, employment and entrepreneurship. We believe that working with our partners we can help empower young people to change their world, and we are committed to using our technology, talent, time and resources to do that." 

The company's youth-focused philanthropy will be conducted in close collaboration with nonprofits around the world. These include worldwide organizations such as GlobalGiving Foundation, TakingITGlobal, Telecentre.org Foundation and the International Youth Foundation, as well as regional nonprofits such as Silatech in the Middle East, The Trust for Americas in Latin America, AIESEC International in Europe, and the ASEAN Foundation in Asia. In the United States, Microsoft is announcing its support of five national nonprofits: Boys & Girls Clubs of America, City Year, Junior Achievement USA, Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship and Year Up Inc.

"Our next generation of citizenship will focus on the next generation of people," said Brad Smith, executive vice president, Microsoft. "The global unemployment rate for workers younger than 25 is 12.7 percent, which is double the rate for the world as a whole. This is indicative of a growing opportunity divide between young people who have the access, skills and opportunities to be successful and those who do not. We must work together to close the opportunity divide for youth and help secure the future of this generation and the future of our global economy."

The International Youth Foundation Opportunity for Action report, published in March 2012, showed that nearly 75 million young people worldwide were unemployed in 2011. As the global youth population continues to grow — there are more than 2.2 billion people between the ages of 6 and 24 today — the opportunity divide is widening. 

Microsoft YouthSpark goes beyond philanthropy and brings together a range of global programs that empower young people with access to technology and a better education and inspire young people to imagine the opportunities they have to realize their potential, including previously mentioned Office 365 for education and Skype in the classroom, as well as the following:

Partners in Learning. A professional development program for government officials, school leaders and educators to help them with new approaches to teaching and learning, using technology to help students develop 21st century skills. Microsoft IT Academy. A career-ready education program available to all accredited academic institutions, providing students with 21st century technology. DreamSpark. Free access to Microsoft designer and developer tools for students and educators, helping advance key technical skills during the high school and college years, a critical time in a student's development. Imagine Cup. The world's premier youth technology competition, which challenges students to apply their knowledge and passion to develop technical solutions for social impact, to develop engaging games, and to demonstrate innovation that can benefit others, local communities and the world. Students to Business. A program that matches university students with jobs or internships in the technology industry. BizSpark. A software startup program, providing young entrepreneurs with access to Microsoft software development tools and connections with key industry players, including investors, to help them start a new business. 

A full list of Microsoft YouthSpark programs can be found at the YouthSpark Hub.

The feature story provides more information on how U.S. nonprofit organizations are using the new Microsoft funding and a picture slide show of youth stories.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

SOURCE Microsoft Corp.