This month we recognize Global Diversity Awareness Month. On Team Alkermes, we believe that diverse voices and perspectives bring immeasurable value to our organization and the patients we serve. We remain steadfast in our commitment to diversity, inclusion and belonging (DIB).
We purposefully foster this culture through our internal programs. Learn more about our commitment to DIB here.
What if young people concerned about the effects of climate change had the opportunity to perform hands-on service to mitigate its effects on vulnerable communities? As Service Year Alliance sees it, every youth in America should have that chance, and every community deserves youth service as a resource for combating climate challenges. Since its launch in 2016, Service Year Alliance has embarked on a mission “to make a year of paid, full-time service — a service year — a common expectation and opportunity for all young Americans” to serve communities across the nation.
Key to realizing the organization’s mission is ServiceYear.org, an online platform where individuals looking for service year opportunities can connect with organizations and programs offering them. Since 2013, Cisco has provided the organization vital technical and financial support, starting with the platform. Later, when events triggered by climate change became more frequent and severe, Service Year Alliance expanded its focus to include climate-related service, which qualified it to receive additional funding from the Cisco Foundation’s $100 million USD portfolio, earmarked for supporting non-profit organizations working towards a more regenerative and resilient future climate.
In the following Q&A, Kristen Bennett, Service Year Alliance’s Chief Executive Officer, discusses its unique mission and how it’s changing the landscape of service years.
Q: What drew you to the national service space, and how did you become CEO?
A: I graduated from college in 2008, as the recession hit. I was already considering a mission-oriented career and found a service year opportunity through AmeriCorps VISTA with the WE Connect initiative, spearheaded by First Lady of California, Maria Shriver. During my service year, I built critical community partnerships and helped to connect low-income families to programs and resources to become more financially stable. I received a modest stipend and health care benefits while other recent graduates around me competed for a few unpaid internships and hourly service-industry jobs. The experience was transformational, placing me on a career path in service that I might not have otherwise reached on my own.
I wanted to make an impact beyond my service year, so after it was over, I accepted a position as a program officer at California Volunteers, California’s state service commission overseeing service and volunteerism in California. While working there, I learned the ins and outs of the service sector while building my professional network, which included Shirley Sagawa, one of AmeriCorps’ founders. I eventually joined her at the National Conference on Citizenship in Washington, D.C. to lead the development of ServiceYear.org, the first technology platform dedicated to connecting the next generation of youth to service years. Over the next nine years, my role evolved into Service Year Alliance’s Chief Strategy Officer, Interim Co-Chief Executive Officer, and finally Chief Executive Officer, my current position.
Q: How has collaboration with Cisco and the Cisco Foundation been instrumental in advancing and expanding national service programs?
A: Cisco’s been with us since the beginning — first, in the early days before our organization even existed, offering $2.1M in philanthropic support through the Silicon Valley Community Foundation to launch Service Year Alliance and to create ServiceYear.org, the first technology platform to act as a marketplace matching young people and service year positions. We built the platform from scratch, and we couldn’t have done it without a philanthropic partner who had both technology expertise and resources to help us get the work started.
Over the years, Cisco has supported everything from our efforts to reach young people, to pandemic and public health response, and now the Climate Project. Our long partnership around helping young people become aware of, learn about, and find the right opportunity for themselves has allowed us to optimize very effectively for specific needs — like how to help young people find the right climate-related service year position.
As a result, throughout 2023 our conversion rate from registering on the site to actually submitting an application increased from 23 percent to 36 percent. Climate organizations saw even bigger shifts — Grid Alternatives, which advances resiliency programming, saw a dramatic 360 percent increase in enrollments and a 165 percent rise in applications this past year, reflecting the growing interest young people have in doing climate-focused service years.
Q: What does a typical service year look like?
A: There is no “typical” service year since opportunities can vary widely. They range from delivering high-dosage literacy tutoring to bring students up to grade level, helping rural non-profit organizations develop strategies for recruiting volunteers, giving tax preparation assistance to low-income families, assisting individuals at a community health center, or installing solar panels in under-resourced neighborhoods.
Q: What is the Climate Project, and how does a partnership between Service Year Alliance and the Cisco Foundation power the initiative?
A: A poll led by Data for Progress, an American think tank, shows climate change is a major concern for 91 percent of youth, but two-thirds of them aren’t sure how to make a tangible difference. In 2022, Service Year Alliance kicked off the Climate Project in a multi-year partnership supported by the Cisco Foundation to specifically address climate-related issues by recruiting the next generation’s youth into climate-related service to assist communities in becoming more resilient to climate change and empower them with opportunities to help tackle this daunting crisis.
To develop the project, we first hosted targeted conversations with national service programs, green sector employer associations, workforce development partners, and other organizations and agencies working to address problems brought on by climate change. We also formed a cohort made up of eight standout service year programs to take a deeper dive into effective strategies for leveraging service to both further address the impacts of climate change, as well as equip young people with the skills, certifications, and experience they will need to enter into green sector careers.
Taking what we learned, we published a suite of three guides for partners to use as “roadmaps” to best leverage human capital in three distinct areas related to climate and environmental resilience: community capacity building, rural resilience, and energy efficiency. They spotlight a diverse assortment of program models throughout the U.S., offering organizations guidance for choosing the best model for developing their own programs and pathways.
Q: What are your most valuable partnerships, and how do they further your mission?
A: Besides Cisco, the Cisco Foundation, and AmeriCorps, as part of the Climate Project we have worked with a broad spectrum of organizations committed to solving climate issues in under-resourced communities. In January 2023, we launched The Partnership for the Civilian Climate Corps (PCCC), a non-partisan partnership of over 100 national, state, and local cross-sector organizations representing service, workforce, labor, environmental justice, conservation, and youth — all organizations aligned behind shared principles for engaging youth in climate-focused service and workforce development opportunities. The PCCC includes The Corps Network, American Clean Power, Jobs for the Future, Evergreen Action, and America‘s Service Commissions, among many others.
Additionally, the Interstate Renewable Energy Council was an important link to additional networks such as the National Community Action Partnership, the National Association for State Community Service Programs, and the Building Performance Association. Our relationships with these organizations allow us greater access to national conversations and information essential to promoting national service as a talent pipeline to meet our nation’s ambitious climate goals.
Q: What are some of the benefits for corps members, including post service?
A: At a basic level, service corps members receive a living stipend, health care coverage, and skills training. After completing a service year, corps members are eligible for a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award, which they can use to pay for higher education or pay off student loans. Additionally, those who participate in service year programs without a bachelor’s degree are over twice as likely to go on to earn their degree compared to their peers.
Following service, we support service year alums by keeping them connected to one another and informed about a variety of career pathways available to them. Among those with bachelor’s degrees, 38 percent enter into service-oriented career areas — education, community and social services, and health care — compared to 13 percent of their peers. For climate-focused alums, we are committed to ensuring they are connected to green sector career opportunities and informed about their post-service options during and after their term of service.
Q: What are some ways climate-related service benefits communities?
A: Corps members dedicated to tackling climate hurdles in local communities have a direct and tangible impact. We selected the focus areas for our roadmaps based in part on a landscape assessment of the impacts of programs.
For example, one of the programs we worked with on our Energy Efficiency roadmap, the Mile High Youth Corps’ Energy & Water Conservation Program, saved over 101,500 low-income families 620,799 kilowatt hours of energy across Colorado in 2021 — a total savings of $160,000 USD. We are excited to continue to work with service year programs and employer partners advancing energy efficiency to help expand programming and create additional pathways for service year alumni to enter into weatherization and clean energy careers.
And in developing the Rural Resilience roadmap, we saw how AmeriCorps programs like Resource Assistance for Rural Environments (RARE) are not only demonstrating how service year corps members can infuse the additional capacity that is needed for more rural communities to participate in the growing green economy, but are also equipping these young adults to serve as the next generation of climate leaders in the communities in which they serve — with multiple corps members from the 2022/23 graduating class obtaining staff positions at the local nonprofits that hosted them during their service years. To help expand these types of results, Service Year Alliance is directly supporting several organizations as they seek to create and expand service year programming in rural communities throughout the Southeast.
Finally, we can already see how our Community Capacity Building roadmap is helping to fuel the development of state-based climate corps programming. In North Carolina and elsewhere, we are very pleased to see state-based initiatives really leaning into the belonging and inclusion elements of our resources and placing equity at the center of their program development efforts. By adopting practices that not only support diverse corps members, but also bring corps member host sites and supervisors along on the journey, new opportunities are being created for underrepresented populations to become involved in climate action. 2024 is going to be a big year for expansion of state-based climate corps programming, and Service Year Alliance is ready to help those initiatives grow in a way that will create opportunity for all.
Q: Can you share a story about a corps member whose life changed dramatically after a service year?
A: While in her early twenties, Geri Lopez, a member of the White Earth Tribe in central Minnesota, was working to bring solar and wind power to her community when governmental funding for it dried up. However, she wanted to continue working in the renewable energy sector.
That’s when she applied for a service year with Ampact AmeriCorps under the Climate Impact Corps Home Energy Initiative. Geri served alongside an energy-efficiency professional to make homes in low-income communities safer and more energy efficient. She learned how to test and analyze building envelopes, and just about everything else related to home weatherization. Equally important, Geri developed new problem-solving and communication skills, which, along with her training and experience, helped her land a job as a weatherization auditor and inspector at MAHUBE-OTWA Community Action Partnership, hence enabling her to join the green economy.
Because of her inspiring service year story, Geri was invited to attend the White House’s Summit on Building Climate Resilient Communities, to be held on September 28, 2023.
Watch this video to hear Geri speak about her service year experience at the Aspen Institute’s Aspen Ideas: Climate 2023 conference in Miami Beach, Florida, on March 8, 2023 — International Women’s Day.
Visit ServiceYear.org to learn more about how youth can connect to climate-related service year opportunities.
View original content here.
By Jeremy King | September 29, 2023
It’s not about meeting one need. This isn’t just delivering one service.
It’s about serving the whole person … the whole family … the whole community.
The Regions Foundation, a nonprofit funded primarily by Regions Bank, joined the YMCA of Greater Birmingham to break ground on a development that’s designed to impact northeast Birmingham like nothing else before.
What’s Happening:
The YMCA is using a major grant from the Regions Foundation, plus funding from additional community partners that joined the initiative, to deliver affordable housing, provide more educational support, and address health care needs – all at the Northeast Y’s campus in Roebuck.
How it’s Happening:
Not only is the Northeast Y getting renovated to include a new community resource center and increased early-learning opportunities, the Y is also taking an innovative approach toward additional needs. For example:
Nearly two dozen single-family homes will be built by Habitat for Humanity around the Northeast Y, creating a well-lit, walkable neighborhood.Christ Health Center, a federally qualified health care provider, will have a clinic on-site with a focus on making health care more accessible. Christ Health’s “sliding scale,” fee-for-service option provides patient care, regardless of the patients’ ability to pay.The Y’s 1st Class Pre-K learning program will be expanded, offering early learning opportunities for 54 children.Impact Family Counseling will address mental health and wellness by providing outpatient counseling, mentoring and other services.
What they’re Saying:
“This is about more than meeting a single need; it’s about creating real solutions, bringing together affordable housing, health care, educational opportunities and more.”
– Marta Self, executive director of the Regions Foundation
“This type of impact does not happen in a vacuum. This type of transformation can only happen through collaboration and partnership.”
–Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin
“It’s exciting to see this come to life. Our community, our partners and major donors believed in the vision and came together to transform Roebuck for future generations.”
–Terri Harvill, chief social impact officer of the YMCA of Greater Birmingham
“We have to be the change that we want to see. The days of where we can talk – that’s no longer going to get it. We are going to have to invest. So, I want to thank everyone who has invested in this vision.”
–Jefferson County District 1 Commissioner Lashunda Scales
“We’re not just rebuilding or renovating a building. We’re here to build a brighter future. Today is not just about brick and mortar and this land. Today is about the soul of a community; it’s about the countless lives that will be touched, the dreams that will be nurtured.”
–Alicia Lumpkin-Whitfield, board chair for the Northeast YMCA
“I believe that, years from now, we will look back on today as the first day of a whole new, more prosperous chapter for communities in Northeast Birmingham.”
–Marta Self
“On behalf of this grateful city, I want to thank you all for making this a reality. You’re changing lives … You’re literally improving the quality of life of our citizens … of our residents.”
–Mayor Woodfin
In Summary:
Development and renovation work will begin immediately.
The impact will last for generations.
About Regions Foundation
Regions Foundation supports community investments that positively impact the communities served by Regions Bank. The Foundation engages in a grantmaking program focused on priorities including economic and community development; education and workforce readiness; and financial wellness. The Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation funded primarily through contributions from Regions Bank.
Food loss and waste is a critical environmental, social and governance problem requiring urgent whole-of-chain action.
The Consumer Goods Forum Food Waste Coalition of Action is committed to cutting food loss and waste —some 40% of all food grown is wasted.
Food loss and waste contributes to climate change, accounting for 8-10% percent of annual global greenhouse gas emissions — if food loss and waste were a country, it would be the third biggest emitter of greenhouse gases. Food loss and waste wastes 1/4 of fresh water used in agriculture every year.
While a significant portion of food is lost along the food supply chain, a lot of food is wasted at the household level. Data from the UNEP shows that some 60% of food waste happens in peoples’ homes. How can we help more people to waste less food?
With the #TooGoodToWaste consumer engagement campaign, we are asking fellow food industry members to help raise awareness, inform and educate, and help consumers reduce household food waste.
By using the hashtag #TooGoodToWaste as we share knowledge, tips and advice on reducing household food waste, our Coalition of Action adds our voices to others calling for a greater global community of action targeting and changing specific behaviors that waste precious food.
Member companies of the Consumer Goods Forum’s Food Waste Coalition of Action strive for industry progress on UN SDG 12.3: “to halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses” by 2030.
To find out more about our work to reduce Food Waste see here.
HYATTSVILLE, Md., October 16, 2023 /3BL/ – Housing Initiative Partnership, Inc. (HIP), a nonprofit affordable housing developer, along with Pepco, BlockEnergy™, and its public-private partners today celebrated the ground breaking of a new residential community in the Town of Fairmount Heights. The community will feature six zero energy single-family homes, powered by a BlockEnergy advanced community microgrid energy system, and a pocket park that celebrates the rich history of this historic town.
In addition to powering the homes, the innovative community microgrid system helps increase reliability, security, and resilience for Pepco’s local grid.
“HIP is always focused on developing affordable housing that is both healthy and highly energy efficient in older neighborhoods across Prince George’s County,” said Stephanie Prange Proestel, HIP’s Deputy Director. “Our work with the Town of Fairmount Heights, a historic African American community, as well as BlockEnergy and Pepco, is an opportunity to integrate green building techniques and passive design with an innovative microgrid to benefit low- and moderate-income homebuyers.”
HIP anticipates completion of the new homes in the Spring of 2024. HIP will market the homes to first-time homebuyers earning 80 percent or less of the area median income and requires pre-purchase housing counseling and coaching to ensure that the buyers are ready for the challenges and rewards that go with responsible ownership.
The BlockEnergy advanced community microgrid energy system will enable production of rooftop solar combined with local battery energy storage for the new homeowners without added upfront cost or maintenance needed by the homeowners. With those capabilities, residents will experience reduced impacts from extreme weather and other events that affect electric grids. The subdivision will be the first BlockEnergy community in Maryland and the third in the United States. As the first low-to-moderate (LMI) community connected to BlockEnergy, the community will advance local and national energy equity efforts.
“As communities across America face increasing threats from climate change, which can disproportionately affect our most vulnerable communities, the Fairmount Heights Net Zero community will provide a replicable and scalable, model for providing affordable, clean, sustainable energy to LMI communities,” said Rob Bennett, founder and CEO of BlockEnergy. “We are thrilled to break ground on this project with Pepco and HIP and demonstrate what is possible when public and private sectors work together to distribute clean and reliable community-based energy in neighborhoods like Fairmount Heights all while helping meet de-carbonization goals.”
The development of the community microgrid is a step forward in Fairmount Heights’ efforts to earn certification from Sustainable Maryland, a program for Maryland municipalities that want to have clean energy, mitigate energy inflation risk and take steps to sustain their quality of life over the long term.
Using modular construction, the six single-family homes will be built in Fairmount Heights, designed to meet the U.S. Department of Energy’s Zero Ready Energy standards and the Passive House Institute’s PHIUS+ 2018 standard. These rigorous requirements ensure energy cost stability, comfort, health, and durability.
Pepco will own, operate, and maintain the microgrid as a system, including the battery storage element. BlockEnergy will design and build the microgrid using their BlockEnergy™ system, while also owning and maintaining the community solar. For the first two years after residents move into the new homes, Pepco will operate the microgrid as a pilot with support from BlockEnergy, collecting data for specific metrics related to the system to characterize the benefits to Pepco’s overall power distribution system and ways similar systems could be integrated to the energy grid to further benefit customers.
“Systemic inequality has positioned some communities to be disproportionately impacted by climate change and we are committed to working with local partners to find innovative solutions to drive equity and advance cleaner energy options for our customers and the communities we serve,” said Tyler Anthony, president and CEO of Pepco Holdings. “We couldn’t make a project like this happen without partners like HIP, BlockEnergy and the many local leaders who have shared their support. We look forward to the grand opening of this community and providing a more sustainable housing development for residents to call home.”
HIP’s Development Team for the Fairmount Heights Zero Energy homes and microgrid project includes: Warren Builds, Beracah Homes, Peabody + Fine Architects, Applied Civil Engineering, Groundsmith Collective, Pando Alliance, Pepco and BlockEnergy. The Funding Partners include: Prince George’s County Redevelopment Authority, Prince George’s County Department of Housing & Community Development, State of Maryland Department of Housing & Community Development, Maryland Energy Administration, National Fair Housing Alliance, and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC).
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About HIP
Housing Initiative Partnership (HIP) develops innovative affordable housing, revitalizes neighborhoods, and equips people to achieve their housing and financial goals. Based in Hyattsville, Maryland, HIP builds affordable apartments and homes and provides a full range of housing and financial counseling services to renters, first-time buyers, and homeowners.
About Pepco
Pepco is a unit of Exelon (Nasdaq: EXC), a Fortune 250 company and the nation’s largest utility company, serving more than 10 million customers. Pepco provides safe and reliable energy service to approximately 919,000 customers in the District of Columbia and Maryland. Readers are encouraged to visit The Source, Pepco’s online newsroom.
About BlockEnergy
Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, BlockEnergy is the world’s first distributed renewable energy platform for new communities of all sizes. A truly plug-and-play energy system, BlockEnergy is comprised of a simple kit of parts, able to be installed by local utilities to deliver the most advanced, secure, resilient power available. Scalable, storm-resilient, and able to interoperate seamlessly with the local grid when needed, BlockEnergy allows new communities to benefit from a seamless platform combining rooftop solar, energy storage, and smart distributed controls.
At Keysight, we empower innovators to explore, design, and bring world-changing technologies to life. As a trusted partner, we work with our customers and the broader technology ecosystem to understand and shape the future of transformation. As part of this commitment, we hold numerous events, including our annual Keysight World conference that took place this summer, where we assembled a mix of visionaries, researchers and industry leaders to discuss evolving and emerging technology trends.
Attention was focused on the metaverse, software-defined vehicles (SDVs), non-terrestrial networks (NTNs), and AI-driven digital healthcare. If you were unable to attend, we have an on-demand library of every session that you can peruse at your leisure. However, for those short of time, I wanted to recap the key takeaways and some of the findings from a survey of attendees.
Into the Metaverse with 5G and 6G
The metaverse’s foundation is compute; when combined with the connectivity that 5G and eventually 6G provide, the possibilities are endless. The traditional boundaries defined by geography or location will disappear. It will help connect us in ways we’ve only begun to imagine. This was validated as over 50% of attendees plan to invest in 5G and 5G-advanced for metaverse development. In addition, nearly 40% expect AI to deliver a fully immersive experience within the next 3-5 years, with 44% citing latency as the most critical enabling factor.
Autonomous Vehicles: The Path Forward
SDVs are the next critical evolution in the automotive industry’s journey toward full autonomy. However, as cars have more software and technology embedded, the testing burden continues to increase to ensure the vehicle performs exactly as expected, meeting the necessary safety standards under every possible scenario. Each potential permutation, from snow-covered streets to a child running onto the road, requires evaluation before autonomous driving becomes ubiquitous. This is a seismic challenge. And, of course, every software or system update needs evaluation once the car hits the road.
60% of attendees believe that radar, cameras, wireless communications and audio monitoring are vital to enable assisted or driverless cars to be more aware of their surroundings. And 43% believe AI-based systems like neural networks are required to enable quick and effective decisions around road users. However, over half think regulations are lagging and must catch up.
NTNs: The Future of Space Networks
NTNs will eliminate connectivity challenges associated with industries such as the mission-critical aerospace and defense sector. NTNs augmenting terrestrial networks create possibilities for connectivity and new applications for a space-based internet of things. In addition, it will connect remote locations like Alaska, where establishing ground infrastructure is not economically viable or physically possible.
NTNs offer a world of possibilities when network operators and satellite providers collaborate, share knowledge, and develop new ways to bring services to the end users, reshaping our world in ways we can only begin to imagine. Attendees cited that regulations and Doppler shift are the biggest challenges to overcome for 5G NTN.
Digital Healthcare: Delivering Personalized Care
AI-driven digital healthcare and devices promise to drastically improve disease prediction, diagnosis, treatment, and patient outcomes. As the industry strives to enhance results, digital healthcare continues to gather momentum to drive up efficiency and shift from hospital-centric to more personalized and precise medicine. However, some underlying issues exist before individualized healthcare at scale can be realized.
Almost 50% of Keysight World attendees view data privacy as the leading concern with digital healthcare products. More than a third stated that industry standards and the maturity of applications are critical in order to have the confidence to rely on everyday digital health devices like cell phones or smartwatches.
Technology Innovation
Every technology ushers in new capabilities that were unthinkable before. The relentless pace of transformation will continue, offering pathways to accelerate innovation. The four trends explored during Keysight World highlight only a snapshot of what is possible in the coming years.
It’s clear from the discussions that there are various interoperability, safety, and security challenges to overcome, requiring collaboration across the ecosystem, and adherence to industry standards. There is more work ahead before these technologies can realize their full potential, but organizations should prepare to capitalize on them now. Keysight can help you navigate this brave new world today. Find out more here.
In honor of North Texas Giving Day, more than 50 Albertsons Companies associates in Plano, TX participated in the North Texas Food Bank’s 24-hour volunteer event, packaging 960 boxes of food – which equates to 24,120 meals – for local families in need.
Thanks, team, for working together to support our communities! #NourishingNeighbors
See original post on LinkedIn and learn more about the Albertsons Companies and our Recipe for Change on our website.
Get an exclusive peek behind the curtain at the Martin Garrix & JBL Music Academy, where selected young talents from all around the world were getting the lowdown on everything they need to be successful artists. From music writing, DJ skills, production, toplines, and remixing alongside marketing, social media, PR and personal branding, everything is covered. Who were the teachers? Martin Garrix himself and a VIP guestlist – powered by STMPD Records – of the best names in the music business.
Looking for more? Subscribe to the Audio Talk podcast on Apple, Spotify, Google, Podimo and Deezer.
About this podcast
Audio Talks. A podcast on all things audio presented to you by HARMAN and our family of audio brands including JBL, Harman Kardon and AKG. Host Oisin Lunny, music journalist and audio enthusiast, will interview expert guests, legends of the music industry and audio scientists to discuss the power of music and audio in all its facets. New episode bi-weekly every Thursday.
CHARLOTTE, N.C., October 16, 2023 /3BL/ – Honda and Discovery Education today launched a new multi-year safety initiative to help address the nearly one-third of annual traffic fatalities in the U.S. involving drivers under the age of 25. Honda is building on its “Safety For Everyone” approach by teaming up with Discovery Education to launch Honda Safety Driven, a new national safety program and education initiative empowering students nationwide to use safe driving skills as a roadmap to become responsible decision-makers. Discovery Education is a worldwide edtech leader whose state-of-the-art digital platform supports learning wherever it takes place.
Honda Safety Driven officially kicks off during National Teen Driver Safety Week with The Science & Behavior of Safe Driving: It Takes All of Us, a new virtual field trip for students in grades 3-12, that will premiere on Oct. 16 at 1 PM ET and will be available on-demand. With a Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics (STEAM) focus, students will learn about safe driving as the virtual field trip brings them inside Honda’s one-of-a-kind Automotive Safety Research Facility in Raymond, Ohio and the Driving Simulation Laboratory at The Ohio State University. There, the student hosts explore how Honda is innovating the future of safety and striving to create a collision free future for everyone. Teachers and students can learn more and register for The Science & Behavior of Safe Driving: It Takes All of Us Virtual Field Trip here.
Honda launched its Safety for Everyone approach 20 years ago, an initiative committed to advancing safety for everyone sharing the road. That same year, in 2003, Honda established one of the world’s most advanced safety research facilities in Ohio. What followed were innovations like Honda’s Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure, award-winning airbag design, vehicles designed to mitigate injuries to pedestrians and industry-leading application of safety and driver assistive technologies in Honda Sensing®.
To advance safety among young drivers, Honda has contributed nearly $4 million to the traffic safety community over the past 2 years specifically to support programs promoting teen driver safety and education. These programs include education, training and resources that supplement or go beyond traditional driver’s training courses or mandated state driver’s programs. The application process for 2024 funding cycle awards is open until October 31, 2023. For more information about Honda’s U.S. grant programs or to apply, please visit https://csr.honda.com/community/honda-giving.
“Too many young drivers die in preventable crashes every year, devastating families and communities across the U.S., and Honda continues to explore new ways to avert these tragedies,” said MJ Foxley, Safety Strategy Leader at Honda. “Honda is targeting zero traffic fatalities involving our vehicles by the year 2050, and Honda Safety Driven puts resources in the hands of educators, students and families to create the next generation of responsible drivers and passengers.”
Earlier this year, Honda announced the creation of the new Honda Driver Coaching smartphone app, designed to help improve the skills of new drivers and promote safe driving practices. Free to download from the Apple App Store, Honda Driver Coaching is the perfect complement to formal driver education as it combines exclusive access to the vehicle’s onboard computer to deliver detailed, real time driving analysis with a clever game component to ensure the lessons are fun and engaging.
Honda Safety Driven equips students with safe vehicle skills through a diverse collection of digital resources, including an educator guide, classroom activities, and a family discussion guide, to provide teachers and families with materials that take learning further in any setting. An evolving platform, Honda Safety Driven will add additional content over time to remain current and continue strong engagement with students and other stakeholders.
“For many young people, driving is a point of pride and freedom. But with that freedom comes responsibility. Discovery Education is happy to bring Honda Safety Driven to young drivers and passengers alike so that they have the know-how to be responsible on the road while also exploring the STEAM behind the wheel,” said Amy Nakamoto, General Manager of Social Impact at Discovery Education.
Learn more about young driver safety and Honda Safety Driven at hondasafetydriven.com and on Discovery Education Experience, the company’s award-winning K-12 learning platform.
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Honda Commitment to Safety
Honda is committed to “Safety for Everyone” and is working to further improve safety for everyone sharing the road. The company’s goal is zero traffic collision fatalities involving Honda motorcycles and automobiles globally by 2050. Honda operates two of the world’s most sophisticated crash-test facilities in Ohio and Japan, and is responsible for numerous pioneering efforts in crashworthiness, collision compatibility and pedestrian safety.
Advanced passive safety features include Honda’s proprietary Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure and next-generation driver and passenger front airbag technology, which are designed to provide a high level of collision protection for occupants. Advanced active safety and driver-assistive systems found in Honda Sensing® and AcuraWatch™ technologies, now on nearly 7 million vehicles on U.S. roads, are designed to reduce the frequency and severity of collisions while also serving as a technological and perceptual bridge to the more highly automated vehicles of the future.
Learn more at https://www.honda.com/safety.
About Discovery Education
Discovery Education is the worldwide edtech leader whose state-of-the-art digital platform supports learning wherever it takes place. Through its award-winning multimedia content, instructional supports, innovative classroom tools, and social impact initiatives, Discovery Education helps educators deliver equitable learning experiences engaging all students and supporting higher academic achievement on a global scale. Discovery Education serves approximately 4.5 million educators and 45 million students worldwide, and its resources are accessed in over 100 countries and territories. Inspired by the global media company Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. Discovery Education partners with districts, states, and trusted organizations to empower teachers with leading edtech solutions that support the success of all learners.
Contacts
Chris Martin
Honda
Email: chris_martin@na.honda.com
Grace Maliska
Discovery Education
Email: gmaliska@discoveryed.com
Women’s health issues continue to be overlooked in society. This is one of several findings in Essity’s Health and Hygiene Report 2023-2024, linking gender equality, care, and prevention to personal well-being and public progress, emphasizing the need for joint action to effect change.
Originally published on Essity News Center
The Hygiene and Health Report 2023-2024: Advancing Health and Well-being through Care, Prevention, and Gender Equality, published by the global hygiene and health company Essity, demonstrates how hygiene and health act as catalysts for solving several global societal issues. By drawing on insights, research and interviews with leading experts, the report identifies areas that are critical for driving development and progress toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
“As a leading global hygiene and health company, Essity constantly strives to break barriers to hygiene and health and push toward improved well-being for individuals and societies. By engaging with a multitude of stakeholders, we aim to contribute to change and inspire further progress in global hygiene, health, and well-being,” says Magnus Groth, President and CEO of Essity.
One of the findings in the report links investment in the health of women+ and girls to advancing gender equality and the well-being of society at large. At least 367 million children globally have no sanitation services in their schools, which creates barriers to achieving good menstrual health.* Menopause also tends to get overlooked in different parts of society, for example in the workplace, although an estimated 1.1 billion women+ worldwide are expected to experience one of the phases associated with menopause by 2025.**
In addition to gender equality, the report also identifies the value of care and caregivers, and the need for proactive investment in hygiene, sanitation, and other measures to foster resilient healthcare systems. It is estimated that family members account for a staggering 80% of care provision, and two-thirds of all people globally will become caregivers at some point in their lives.*** It is also estimated that within the EU, the cost of workplace absenteeism due to illness corresponds to 2.5% of GDP.****
Anna Brodowsky, Vice President Public Affairs of Essity, adds:
“We know that the health and well-being of individuals and society benefit by investing in care, prevention, and gender equality. The UN Sustainable Development Goals serve as an essential framework to promote a more healthy and inclusive future. By setting priorities, establishing effective policies and also taking these actions at a national level, change can start to happen.”
* UNICEF and WHO (2020) Progress on drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene in schools: Special focus on COVID-19.
** Essity (2022) Global Hygiene and Health Survey 2022: The Future of Well-being.
*** Brody, J. E. (2008, November 10). When Families Take Care of Their Own. The New York Times.
**** Human Capital Hub (2022). Absenteeism in the workplace: Impact, causes, and policies. Human Capital Hub.
Snapshots from the report
Investing in women+’s and girls’ health
At least 367 million children globally have no sanitation services in their schools, which creates barriers to achieving good menstrual health.In 2025, an estimated 1.1 billion women+ worldwide are expected to experience one of the phases associated with menopause. However, menopause is often surrounded by stigma and overlooked in different parts of society, for example in the workplace.
The care economy
80% of care provision comes from family members, and two-thirds of all people globally will become caregivers at some point in their lives.Healthcare systems are under pressure due to, among other reasons, demographic shifts, and an increasing need for care, while the number of caregivers is declining.
Prevention for preparedness
There are no official global numbers, but within the EU it is estimated that workplace absenteeism due to illness costs 2.5% of GDP (Gross Domestic Product).Globally, the lack of access to basic hygiene services is a key contributor to the spread of infections and disease. This has many root causes, including limited access to handwashing facilities, poor sanitation, insufficient cleaning, and a lack of hygiene education.
About the report
The Hygiene and Health Report by the global hygiene and health company Essity has been published biennially since 2008 with the aim of contributing to the global dialogue concerning hygiene, health and well-being through knowledge and insights, anchored in current and forthcoming global agendas. The full version of the latest report can be accessed here.
