Tag Archives: google.org

Encontrando pertenencia en espacios LGBTQ+

El Stonewall Inn, un pequeño bar en la ciudad de Nueva York donde en junio de 1969 las personas LGBTQ+ lucharon contra años de opresión y abuso, tiene un significado especial para muchas personas, incluyéndome a mí. Cuando me mudé a Nueva York en 2007, vivía en West Village, el barrio donde se encuentra el bar. Compartí muchas noches memorables y significativas con nuevos amigos en Stonewall y otros bares locales, donde sentimos un sentido de comunidad y pertenencia. Al ser una minoría en la mayoría de los demás establecimientos, es difícil explicar lo reconfortante que es entrar en un lugar y sentir que estás entre tu gente y no sentirte diferente o inseguro. Eso es lo que estos lugares eran para mí y millones de personas más.

La más significativa de esas noches de Stonewall Inn fue cuando conocí a mi futura esposa, Christine, una empresaria digital con su propia startup de medios LGBTQ+. Además de este trabajo, ella también era bartender allí los jueves por la noche. No hace falta decir que pasé más jueves por la noche allí de lo que debería, pero valió la pena.

Con tan buenos recuerdos de mi tiempo allí, me sorprendió saber que el Stonewall Inn tenía casi el doble del tamaño que tiene ahora cuando tuvo lugar la rebelión en 1969. A medida que aumentaban los alquileres en la ciudad de Nueva York, los arrendatarios se vieron obligados a alquilar parte del edificio, que ahora está en Christopher Street, 51.

Hoy, Google continúa con nuestro compromiso con la comunidad LGBTQ+ al apoyar a Pride Live, un grupo de defensa dedicado a la lucha por la igualdad LGBTQ+. Con casi $1 millón de dólares en apoyo de Google y Google.org, Pride Live está trabajando para asegurar el contrato de arrendamiento de Christopher Street, 51 para recomponer en su totalidad el Stonewall Inn y construir el Stonewall National Monument Education and Visitor Center. El 24 de junio, Pride Live celebrará la reunión de Stonewall Inn, con la invitada musical Kesha, en su evento anual "Stonewall Day".

Google se ha comprometido a preservar y compartir esta historia del movimiento moderno por los derechos LGBTQ+ en los EE. UU. En 2019, a través de subvenciones de Google.org por un total de 1,5 millones de dólares y el trabajo incansable de Googlers voluntarios, el Centro Comunitario LGBT de Nueva York conmemoró el 50º aniversario de los disturbios de Stonewall con el lanzamiento de Stonewall Forever, el primer "monumento interactivo " dedicado a la comunidad LGBTQ+ y su lucha por la igualdad de derechos.

Dentro de Google, nuestros grupos de recursos para empleados PRIDE at y Trans at Google continúan creciendo cada año. Es genial ver a tantos Googlers LGBTQ+ y sus aliados unirse a sus comunidades locales y participar en las marchas locales del Orgullo. Por primera vez, los Googlers participarán en Baltic Pride, organizado por la Liga Gay Lituana (un beneficiario de Google.org) en Vilnius. Mostraremos una pieza de Google Arts & Culture sobre Harvey Milk, quien fue un pionero de los derechos LGBTQ+ y tenía ascendencia lituana.

El objetivo delOrgullo no es solo de celebración. Ha sido otro año difícil para las personas LGBTQ+ y muchas comunidades históricamente marginadas. Vemos una continua discriminación y violencia en todo el mundo, especialmente contra la comunidad trans y para las personas en las intersecciones de las comunidades negras, asiáticas e isleñas del Pacífico en los EE. UU. Además, muchos refugiados LGBTQ+ en Ucrania siguen desplazados y son ignorados mientras el conflicto continúa

Dados los desafíos que enfrentan tantas personas LGBTQ+, estamos donando a organizaciones sin fines de lucro que trabajan directamente con la comunidad. Los empleados de Google podrán donar a organizaciones sin fines de lucro durante el mes del Orgullo y Google.org igualará sus donaciones paraorganizaciones benéficas LGBTQ+ locales de todo el mundo. Google.org también ha hecho una contribución crítica al Fondo de Emergencia de Ucrania de OutRight Action International. Este programa brinda apoyo humanitario a los refugiados LGBTQ+, brinda ayuda a los países vecinos y ayuda a aquellos que han sido desplazados internamente y afectados por el conflicto. También proporcionamos publicidad de búsqueda donada y otras herramientas a organizaciones sin fines de lucro como GLAAD y The Trevor Project, ayudando a difundir su trabajo fundamental y a cultivar el apoyo para las comunidades LGBTQ+.

También continuamos nuestro trabajo para hacer que nuestros productos sean más inclusivos y útiles para todos, incluida la comunidad LGBTQ+. Escuchamos directamente de los miembros de la comunidad transgénero que la forma en que Google Photos estaba recordando los momentosdel pasadodoloroso. Así que el año pasado trabajamos con GLAAD y con la comunidad trans y aprendimos cómo podíamos hacer para que recordar con Google Photos fuera más inclusivo. Este esfuerzo llevó al lanzamiento de nuevos controles que permiten a los usuarios ocultar fotos de ciertos períodos de tiempo o personas de la función Recuerdos de Google Photos.

Nuestros productos continúan ayudando a los propietarios de pequeñas empresas a conectarse con la comunidad LGBTQ+. Como la función de Google Maps que ayuda a los comerciantes a mostrar su compromiso mediante el uso de los atributos "LGBTQ+ friendly" y "Transgender safespace" y nuestros productos de Google Ads que ayudan a las empresas a conectarse con usuarios que buscan productos fabricados por empresas que coincidan con sus valores.

Mientras nuestra comunidad sigue siendo atacada tanto aquí en los EE. UU. como en el extranjero, lo que me da esperanza es el trabajo que hacemos en todos nuestros productos para ayudar a la comunidad LGBTQ+ a encontrar lugares donde puedan sentirse aceptados y seguros. Encontré Stonewall Inn y encontré a mi esposa. Muchos otros establecimientos, como el Stonewall Inn, juegan un papel vital para muchos en nuestra comunidad. Son más que simples lugares donde socializamos y nos reunimos, brindan un sentido de comunidad, pertenencia y seguridad que salva vidas y que todos merecen.

Supporting our Asian community organizations

Growing up, I spent my grade school years in a community where my family and I — along with a Korean family and Filipino family — were the only Asians. While I had a great childhood, the realities of racism were always there — and to press on, I believed I had to work hard, keep my head down and stay in the background.

Now as VP of Audit in Google’s Finance team and one of the executive sponsors for the Asian Googler Network employee resource group, I’ve learned how important it is to have safe, supportive spaces that can remind the Asian and Pacific Islander (API) community of the power of our voice. I get to use my own voice to connect API-owned or focused organizations with the incredible resources Google has to offer.

Last year, Google announced our efforts to help #StopAsianHate by supporting organizations leading the charge in creating safe and inclusive spaces for the API community. And today, we're continuing our commitments to support API-focused organizations with an additional $3.25 million in cash and in-kind contributions to help fight for safety, dignity and equity for the API community.

As a part of this recommitment, Google will donate Search advertising to Right To Be, Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies and Council of Korean Americans. These in-kind contributions will help these and other API organizations raise funds, share resources with community members and cultivate new allies and supporters. Google.org will also continue its funding of Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC) to help them as they advance civil and human rights for Asian Americans.

But giving is only a small part of the equation for real impact. I sat down with Emily May, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Right To Be, to learn more about all the work they’re leading to advance a more fair and equitable society and how partnership with companies like Google help them make lasting change in the world.

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Asian community and culture in focus

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month — and all year long — is a chance to celebrate and support the Asian community.

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A spotlight on Right To Be: taking action, together

Right to Beis focused on building a world free of harassment, for all communities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, you expanded your training program to include addressing anti-Asian hate and xenophobia. Tell us about how this got started.

In March 2020 when the pandemic started, we quickly saw a significant rise in hate against the API community. We reached out to AAJC, and together asked, “what can we do to help?” We created and launched a 1-hour Bystander Intervention training in April 2020. Although we weren’t sure what the response would be, the demand kept growing and our sessions were always full. In our two-year partnership with AAJC, we’ve trained 200,000 people!

That’s incredible! What did you find most surprising or challenging in developing this training?

Understanding history was one of the most important things we did, and this is where AAJC was incredibly helpful. There’s a common belief that Asian Americans are the model minority, do not face discrimination, and are running Silicon Valley. But Asian Americans have been consistently sidelined, especially through policy. Anti-Asian hate did not suddenly appear because of the pandemic; this is just the latest chapter in a long history.

And how do you build awareness of this training and your organization?

Word-of-mouth promotion is definitely a key channel for us. But having advertising funds like Google Ad Grants is just as important, because when you are dependent on word-of-mouth, you are also dependent on people who are connected through similar ideologies and communities. When you are trying to change the world, however, you need people from different spaces and communities to get involved and spread the word through their networks.

I have two young daughters and so much of our conversation today are topics I didn’t expect I’d be having with them at a young age. A lot of what we discuss is reflective of the Bystander Intervention’s trainings core principles, the 5Ds: Distract, Delegate, Document, Delay, and Direct. For those who haven’t taken the training yet, can you tell us about the 5Ds?

My vision is that the 5Ds become the “stop, drop, and roll'' for this generation. My hope is that the 200,000 people who have taken our training addressing anti-Asian hate will now feel empowered to say, “That’s not okay; I’m going to distract; or I’m going to delegate.” using these core principles. If folks want to learn more, we share more about this in our free training and our new book that complements the training.

Infographic showcasing the five D's of bystander intervention

Right To Be’s 5D’s, the core principles to its bystander training program

Finally, what is one piece of advice that you’d like to give someone who wants to be an ally and help marginalized groups?

Listen. Don’t commit to an outcome or your vision on how you think things should be. Let those who are most impacted take the lead, make the space for them to do that, and learn from them.

NativeNonprofit.day highlights Native-led organizations

Native Americans/American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians make up 2% of the U.S. population, yet large philanthropic foundations allocate less than half a percent of their total annual grantmaking towards Native communities, according to Native Americans in Philanthropy.

The Native Ways Federation (NWF) is working to change this disparity. Founded in 2008 by seven national, Native-led nonprofit organizations, the NWF unites the Native nonprofit sector, advocates for Native nonprofits and provides resources to educate people on the needs of Native communities. On May 20, NWF is launching their inaugural Native Nonprofit Day to drive awareness for Native-led nonprofits that are systematically underfunded. To help celebrate this initiative, they’ve partnered with the Google Registry team to register and use the domain NativeNonprofit.day, which anyone can visit to learn about and support Native nonprofits.

Initiatives like Native Nonprofit Day play an important role in building awareness and amplifying the voices of Native people. As a citizen of the Oneida (Onyota’a:ka) Nation of Wisconsin and a lead for the Google Aboriginal and Indigenous Network (GAIN), I see so many inspiring Indigenous organizations that are doing impactful work, but these groups and their efforts are sorely underrepresented in mainstream media. That’s why I hope everyone will take a moment today to visit NativeNonprofit.day to learn more about the NWF’s efforts, and other Native-led organizations that are doing critical work to support Native communities.

At Google, we’ve also launched several initiatives to support Native communities. Google.org recently announced a $10 million grant to the National Digital Inclusion Alliance to provide vocational internet training to thousands of rural and tribal communities.

Grow with Google made a $1 million investment in Partnership with Native Americans to provide digital skills curriculum and career services to 10,000 students at more than 50 Native-serving organizations. This program will also reach high school students preparing for college and careers, as well as vocational and non-traditional students.

If there’s an initiative or special day you want to raise awareness for, you can get your own .day domain name by visiting new.day.

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Honoring Indigenous communities around the world

November 1 kicks off Native American Heritage Month in the U.S. This year, Google is honoring the month through its products, people and...

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Mothers.day: Highlighting inequality in maternal health

Mothers.day is dedicated to highlighting inequities in maternal health and helping families at different stages of their parenthood journey.

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Today is the .day

.day, the latest top-level domain extension from Google Registry, helps you bring attention to any important day

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Connecting more Americans to in-demand digital skills

America’s employers are starting to look at the world differently as they look for talent to fill their growing needs. Many businesses are moving beyond narrowly defined degree requirements. They’re seeking employees who may have acquired skills through alternative routes, which may include career experiences and targeted training programs.

Since only 36% of American adults have four-year college degrees, requiring that piece of paper automatically screens out 70% of rural workers, almost 70% of African-American workers and 80% of Latino workers.

When employers hire for relevant skills, rather than screening for degrees, we get access to a talent pool that is qualified, ready to work, and significantly more diverse. But for employers to hire people with the requisite skills, people must have successful avenues to acquire those skills.

Today in the U.S., the reported number of unemployed people is 5.9 million. That number grows dramatically when we include people who are underemployed, are earning low wages or have stopped looking for work. At the same time, there are more than 11 million unfilled jobs, many open because employers say that they can’t find the people with the requisite skills.

By all indications, this is a skills gap problem that’s only going to get worse. By some estimates, 80% of “middle-skill” U.S. jobs now require digital skills. And the World Economic Forum estimates that up to 50% of workers will need to add new skills to keep up with the requirements of in-demand careers.

Fortunately, innovative initiatives are equipping people to gain relevant expertise. Since 2017, Google and Goodwill have partnered to bring digital skills to local communities and help people get good jobs that don’t require a degree.

Which brings us to some news we're sharing today: Google.org is announcing a $14 million reinvestment in the Goodwill Digital Career Accelerator. This includes grants and in-kind support to help Goodwill continue to provide digital training pathways and support job placement for people seeking jobs.

Google’s expanded support includes $7 million in Google.org grants and $7 million in donated Search ads, which will help Goodwill reach more than 200,000 people across the U.S. and Canada with digital skills and career training so they gain economic mobility. The funds support infrastructure development and expansion like tracking systems for hiring and training that will improve the reach and effectiveness of Goodwill’s services at the local level. Finally, through the Google.org Fellowship, ten Google employees are working full-time pro bono to help Goodwill better reach job seekers online so they can connect with local Goodwill career coaches and work toward brighter futures.

With support from Google.org, Goodwill has helped more than a million people gain digital awareness and new digital skills, and placed more than 300,000 overlooked job seekers in digital economy jobs.

There have been some valuable lessons learned along the way:

  1. Meet learners where they are. Many people don’t know that Goodwill places more people in jobs than any other non-government, nonprofit in America. Over the years, Goodwill teams have found access is one of the biggest barriers for people who want to gain digital skills. Goodwill makes training readily available and convenient at Goodwill locations within communities across the U.S. and Canada. More than 70% of the U.S. population lives within a 20-mile radius of a Goodwill mission services location.
  2. Remove barriers to learning with enhanced support. There are dozens of reasons why people might drop out of a learning program or not sign up in the first place. Living stipends, connectivity support, transportation credits, career navigators and other resources make it possible for people to participate in and complete training so that they can earn career certificates.
  3. Commit to creating pathways to upward mobility. Digital skilling must lead to real jobs with opportunities for growth. Close employer relationships are essential to connect graduates with hands-on internships, apprenticeships, and other learn-and-earn options. An example is Kara Isreal Gooch, a Google Career Certificate graduate who landed a job at Accenture with help from Goodwill and our consortium of employers who have agreed to consider Google Career Certificate graduates for jobs.

Through collaborations like the one between Goodwill and Google, we’re learning what works and what doesn’t. By aligning the right resources, we can build the systems and capacity needed to close the digital skills gap and connect Americans with the skills and support they need to compete in the 21st century economy. In every community, we need talent equipped and participating in our rapidly changing labor market.

Interested in learning more about ongoing initiatives to promote workforce development and connect job seekers with careers and resources? Join Goodwill’s Steve Preston, Google’s Kent Walker and experts from across the labor field today at the Rising Together Action Summit. The live-streamed event kicks off with a fireside chat at 10am EST/ 7am PST.

Critical information for those impacted by the war in Ukraine

Pictured above: David Miliband, CEO and President of the International Rescue Committee visited the Google office in Berlin today, where he met with United for Ukraine’s founders and Google executives.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is a tragedy with a huge human cost. It’s heartbreaking to see all that the people of Ukraine are going through, and it weighs heavily across Europe, particularly for those with family, friends and colleagues in the region.

We’re committed to doing all we can to help. From the beginning of the war, our teams have been working around the clock to support the humanitarian effort, provide trustworthy information and promote cybersecurity.

United for Ukraine — providing critical information for refugees

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees has estimated that more than 5 million refugees have already fled Ukraine into neighboring countries, with a further 13 million living in Ukrainian territory and in need of vital aid.

For those leaving Ukraine and settling for now in a new country, finding authoritative information and trusted services can be challenging and time-consuming. To help make it easier, Google.org is providing a $1.5 million grant to the International Rescue Committee (IRC), along with a team of Google.org Fellows, to expand access to critical information for those impacted by the war in Ukraine.

The money and expertise will help the IRC support unitedforukraine.org, an informative website and civil society effort that helps displaced people to find housing, legal aid and psychological support. The platform was launched by United for Ukraine, a non profit organization founded in February 2022 by two Ukrainian friends — Olga Hamama, CEO of venture development platform Planet FC, and Nina Levchuk, who happens to work for Google.

Gif of Ukraine

Unitedforukraine.org supports Ukrainian refugees through a network of over 400 legal experts and psychological support professionals from more than 30 countries. It will be part of the IRC’s Signpost Project, a global humanitarian technology program that helps refugees find resources to meet their urgent needs. Google has supported the IRC in its important work since 2015, providing $8 million in grant funding and more than 10,000 hours of pro bono support.

Over the course of six months, a Fellowship team of 13 Google employees will work full time and pro-bono with the IRC to help expand unitedforukraine.org and Signpost globally. The goal is to create a trusted place for displaced people to easily find both urgent support and long-term solutions, though of course we hope they will be able to return to a safe and secure Ukraine very soon.

Supporting frontline humanitarian work

This grant is the latest in our work to support humanitarian aid and refugee support groups in Ukraine and the surrounding countries.

Through Google.org and Googlers, we have already committed over $35 million in funding and in-kind support to aid relief efforts for those affected by the war in Ukraine. Many Googlers in the region are themselves hosting Ukrainian refugees in their homes, helping in local reception centers or at the border.

Tomorrow (5 May 2022), at the Donors Conference in Warsaw, I will announce a further commitment of $10 million in humanitarian support, which includes cash grants and in-kind donations, from Google.org and Google to help people in Ukraine. This will bring our total commitment from Google.org and Googlers to over $45 million in funding and in-kind support.

Helping through our products and tools

In times of war, accurate and timely information can save lives. We have been working to make our tools as helpful as possible to people affected by the war in Ukraine.

In Ukraine, we have worked closely with the government to send rapid air raid alerts to Android mobile phones in endangered areas, and feature information on shelter and aid points in Search and Maps.

We’re also working to protect those in the region against cyber attacks — increasing online protections for everyone, while Project Shield, our free protection against DDoS attacks, is already defending over 200 Ukrainian news, government and humanitarian organization websites. On top of this, Google's Threat Analysis Group (TAG) has been closely monitoring cybersecurity activity in Eastern Europe, providing regular updates and sharing information to help others detect and respond to activity.

Globally, Google is elevating trusted news sources in response to searches about the war — and shutting down harmful content and misinformation. Since the war started, YouTube has removed more than 8,000 channels and 60,000 videos for misinformation, hate speech or graphic violence related to the war in Ukraine.

Throughout, we’ve worked to ensure that our efforts provide meaningful support to the people and businesses affected by the war – and we intend to keep focused on that goal, whatever the future may hold.

Helping Africans create their own opportunities

With African entrepreneurs raising more than $4 billion in funding in 2021, more than double the $1.5 billion raised in 2020, it’s clear investors around the globe are waking up to the continent’s potential. For some, like philanthropist Tony Elumelu, this growth is the validation of a long track record of backing African entrepreneurship.

Through the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), he has helped empower African entrepreneurs from across the continent. To date, TEF has distributed more than $85 million in grants for seed capital, and supported more than 1.5 million entrepreneurs from all 54 African countries through its proprietary digital platform, TEFConnect.net. Google is similarly enthusiastic about African startups and has supported them with funding, mentorship and skills development, among other things. That’s what makes it so exciting that TEF and Google’s paths are once again converging in 2022.

Last year, Google.org committed $3 million to the TEF to support an additional 500 female entrepreneurs across the continent. To further support the effort, this year, nine Google employees from Africa and Europe will devote six months of their time and expertise to TEF as part of the first Google.org Fellowship in Sub-Saharan Africa. Composed of engineers, user experience (UX) specialists and business and marketing managers, these Googlers will work with TEF full-time, pro bono, to build a new TEFConnect platform, equipped with new tools to help entrepreneurs access the resources they need to succeed.

We hope to support TEF in reaching one million more African entrepreneurs through the new TEFConnect, expected to launch later this year. The improved, more mobile-friendly TEFConnect platform will give those entrepreneurs access to a catalog of more curated educational resources, and more avenues for funding.

Additionally, as the world kicks off a month of celebration for International Women's Day, Google.org and The Tony Elumelu Foundation want to mark the occasion. As part of these collective celebrations, we will convene policymakers, private sector and entrepreneurs to engage in a discussion about entrepreneurship on the continent. We will hear from female entrepreneurs who have benefited from the Tony Elumelu Foundation’s support, as well as from notable leaders.

As the year 2022 progresses, we want to play a larger role in supporting the world's next generation of entrepreneurs. Africa's citizenry is youthful, optimistic and enterprising. There is so much to be gained by leveling the digital playing field and creating possibilities that will raise the ceiling for the continent’s population.

By bringing together people from the private and public sector and supporting entrepreneurs in areas that will make the most difference, we can go a long way to helping Africa’s entrepreneurs reach their full potential.

The Google.org grantee using AI to detect bushfire risks

From predicting floods to improving waste management, organizations and researchers across Asia Pacific are using technology to respond to the impact of climate change.

Supporting this important work is a priority for Google.org. At today’s Southeast Asia Development Symposium, we announced a $6 million Sustainability Seed Fund to help organizations dedicated to addressing some of the region’s most difficult sustainability challenges. We look forward to sharing more in the coming weeks, including how nonprofits can apply.

The new fund builds on the support Google.org has already provided — through grants, technology and Googlers’ time — for sustainability-focused organizations and researchers across Asia-Pacific over recent years. I recently had the chance to talk to one of those existing grantees, Professor Hamish McGrowan from the University of Queensland in Australia, who received $1 million in Google.org support in 2021. Professor McGrowan and his team are working on a world-first hazard detection system for bushfires. It’s a powerful example of technology’s potential to protect communities in the short term and inform planning over the long term. It's also part of Google’s Digital Future Initiative to propel Australian innovation and help Australians solve pressing problems.

Here’s what I learned from our conversation.

We know that bushfires have been a persistent issue in Australia. Could you give us a sense of the environmental challenges you're seeing and how big this issue is?

Tackling bushfires is a nationwide issue. The Australian landscape has always been subject to fire, including what we may term nowadays as catastrophic fires. For example, many of Australia's plants have evolved to require fire to germinate.

However, as the climate has changed in response to both natural and anthropogenic causes — and as urban areas expand into bushland — fire incidence has increased and arguably the scale and intensity of fires have too. One of the great challenges is managing and mitigating risk from bushfires in response to climate and land-use change and pollution pressures.

Professor Hamish McGrowan, wearing a blue polo shirt and gray trousers, crouches in an area of green-brown woodland inspecting a laptop, radar and other equipment set up to detect bushfire risks.

Professor Hamish testing out the solution

Could you share more about the solution you and your team have created to address the bushfires?

Over the past few years, my graduate students and I have developed a mobile weather radar capability with the support of generous industry organizations, including Google. Initially, the radar was used to study severe thunderstorms in southeast Queensland. We then tested the radar's ability to observe bushfires and their interactions with the atmosphere. With the assistance of the radar's manufacturer, Furuno Electric Co from Japan, we have now developed the capability to use the radar to identify and monitor meteorological hazards associated with severe bushfires — such as extreme winds, vortices, or burning embers. We are now developing this capacity further by applying artificial intelligence (AI) to near-real-time analysis of the radar data — so we can produce nowcasts of bushfire-related hazards.

I'm glad that through Google.org, we've been able to support the University of Queensland along the way. What do you hope to achieve with the new solution?

Our work ultimately aims to provide increased accuracy in forecasting bushfire movements and alerting community members and emergency responders before they spread. The $1 million grant from Google.org will enable our researchers to work on a new capability to identify and forewarn people in locations up to 30 kilometers downwind from the fire front that may come under attack from embers – sometimes in areas previously perceived as safe. Right now, we're in the process of preparing for our first season of data collection using the mobile radar and have appointed new staff to the project.

From your perspective, how important are partnerships and support from governments, businesses, and communities in developing technology solutions?

Extremely important! We’ve long worked closely with local governments and various other organizations in areas of research and development. There are plenty of opportunities for collaboration and it’s wonderful to hear that Google.org is launching a new fund to support this kind of work across Asia Pacific.

What do you aspire to achieve with this solution in the next 10 years?

We hope to have a new bushfire warning capability that can be applied globally to save lives, businesses, and the environment from the perils of extreme bushfires and their interactions with the atmosphere.

Using tech to make hiring more inclusive

Three years ago, Generation and Google.org joined forces to help jobseekers launch meaningful careers and change their lives. Enabled by $7.5M in grant funding from Google.org, and technical support from a team of Google.org Fellows, Generation has now helped to train and place more than 3,000 people in France, Italy, and Spain into entry-level technology sector professions, including digital customer care, full stack and java development, digital marketing, and robotic process automation.

Opening up access to today’s digital economy

At both Google and Generation, we believe that everyone should have the opportunity to participate in today's increasingly digital economy. Yet groups that are already underserved are still often underrepresented in jobs that require digital skills. Like Google’s Grow with Google initiatives, Generation’s programs seek to open access to education for those who have faced systemic barriers to accessing employment — 54% of learners at Generation are female, and most describe themselves as financially unstable before joining Generation, with 80% of learners unemployed.

Graduates from the Generation programs supported by Google.org have seen life-transforming outcomes, even in the midst of a pandemic labor market. Within six months of program completion, 75% of graduates were already placed in jobs. A year later, the majority of those remained employed.

A YouTube celebrating 50,000 lives transformed
10:25

Seeing the impact of Generation’s work and hearing the stories of Generation graduates is deeply inspiring. Stories like that of David André, who started working after high school without a university degree. He had a series of low wage restaurant and retail jobs, and then spent a period of time unemployed, facing financial and family difficulties.

Around that time, he received an email from the French employment agency, Pôle Emploi, about the Generation Customer Care program. David André decided to apply, and was accepted. He invested himself fully in the program. At the end of the course, Generation connected him with a French startup, Doctolib — an online platform that facilitates virtual medical appointments. Within a few months, he was hired permanently. With his newfound work stability, he has moved into his own place, and has stepped into a sales support role as he continues to advance in his career.

Spotlighting skills on the Employer Portal

To help further accelerate Generation’s mission, Google recently provided additional support in the form of a Google.org Fellowship, where a team of Google data scientists and product managers worked full-time, pro bono alongside Generation for six months, to address the challenge of matching job seekers with employers. When employers are accustomed to focusing on resumes, not candidate skills, it can be difficult for jobseekers from underrepresented communities to get seen. To make it easier for recruiters to find the talent they need from its pool of graduates, Google.org Fellows helped Generation to develop and build a new Employer Portal, now being trialed in both Spain and France.

What differentiates the Portal from other job-matching platforms out there is that employers can search for talent based on the skill-set of the job seekers, which Generation helps validate beforehand. Focusing on the skills that candidates bring to the table, rather than data points like age, gender, and education, help to minimize hiring biases and unlock new talent pools for employers — breaking down barriers to employment for underrepresented populations. We’re looking forward to seeing what the Employer Portal can do to help more jobseekers find employment, and like David André, change their lives.

The nonprofit leaders to watch in 2022

For as long as Google.org has been around, we’ve supported big ideas to change the world by funding organizations led by dynamic individuals. We backed Sal Khan’s Khan Academy when he was creating it from his walk-in closet in 2010; today more than 70 million people have used the service to help improve their academic outcomes. Or GiveDirectly co-founders Michael Faye and Paul Niehaus, who’ve grown their initial idea for direct cash assistance from a private giving circle to one of the fastest-growing nonprofits of the decade.

So, we asked ourselves: Who are the nonprofit leaders of today who will help create a better tomorrow? The answer: These seven individuals from around the world who are driving real-world change in their communities and finding unexpected solutions to complex challenges across equity, education, health and sustainability. Take a look at Google.org’s Leaders to Watch for 2022.

  • Black and white sketch of Brandon.

    Brandon Nicholson, Ph. D., (he/him) Executive Director, The Hidden Genius Project, is Uplifting Black male youth to reach their highest potential.

  • Black and white sketch of Ananya

    Ananya Tiwari (she/her), Executive Director, SwaTaleem, is helping girls in rural India gain access to educational opportunities.

  • Black and white sketch of Engineer

    Engineer Bainomugisha (he/him), Associate Professor & Project Lead, AirQo, is envisioning a world with clean air for all African cities.

  • Black and white sketch of Mariana

    Mariana Costa (she/her), Co-founder & CEO, Laboratoria, is changing the face of tech in Latin America.

  • Black and white sketch of Clara

    Clara Rowe (she/her), CEO, Restor, is leading an open data platform that supports and connects ecological restoration projects globally.

  • Black and white sketch of Dr. Kraemer

    Dr. Moritz Kraemer (he/him), Co-founder, Global.health, is building a future in which we can better predict the spread of infectious diseases.

  • Black and white sketch of Dr. Scott.

    Dr. Allison Scott (she/her), CEO, Kapor Foundation, is fighting for racial equity in the tech sector.

We know firsthand the great work that these leaders do at their organizations; collectively their nonprofits have received millions in funding from Google.org over the past few years. Now we’re going beyond funding the organizations, to focus on supporting the development of individuals behind the work.

No two leaders are in the same stage of their career, so we’re giving them each a financial award of $30,000 to spend how they see fit. We’ve seen the power that direct cash assistance can have through our grantees (for example GiveDirectly) and believe that each leader will know best how to spend their award for their own development.

There is also great power in being able to exchange ideas with fellow leaders, so in addition to creating opportunities for the leaders to learn from each other, they will each also receive mentorship from directors and vice presidents at Google who will be able to provide coaching tailored to their needs. Mentors will include Engineering Director Mekka Okereke, and VP of Marketing in India, Sapna Chadha.

The work of these Leaders to Watch is inspiring, daring and optimistic, and we can’t wait to see what they accomplish in the coming years.

Our new $100 million Google Career Certificates Fund

Editor’s note:Today Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced a new $100 million Google Career Certificates Fundat an event with U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Castillo and the CEOs of Social Finance, Merit America and Year Up. Below is an edited transcript of his remarks. Watch the event above.

One of the best parts of my job is visiting the communities where Google operates. These visits remind me that America is full of people who want to work hard and contribute to their communities.

That sense of purpose and optimism is what brought me to America nearly 30 years ago. And it’s what drew me to Google and its mission to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.

We are a company of technology optimists. We believe in what people can do with technology to improve their lives and the lives of others.

That’s what inspired us to launch Grow with Google in 2017, to help all Americans access training to grow their skills, careers and businesses. What we’ve learned over the last five years is what can be accomplished when private-sector companies like ours come together with public-sector institutions and nonprofit partners. Our digital skills program is one example. Together we’ve helped train eight million Americans in all 50 states.

Another example is our Google Career Certificates. Seventy thousand Americans have now completed these certificates. They prepare people for high-paying, high-growth jobs in fields like data analytics, IT support, project management and user experience design. They are available to anyone, no college degree required. Seventy-five percent of graduates report seeing a positive impact on their career within six months, including a raise or a new job.

That includes Natalie Burns, who I met in 2019, and who is here with us today. Natalie earned her Google IT Support certificate while attending community college in Texas. She got a job in cybersecurity and — I’m told — a significant pay increase. Congrats, Natalie!

We want to help more people access these Certificates, especially in underserved communities.

That’s why I’m excited to announce a new $100 million Google Career Certificates Fund. The goal is to enable Social Finance to reach more than 20,000 American workers. This investment in America’s future has the potential to drive $1 billion in wage gains.

This fund is a new kind of financing model. We’ll invest Google capital and Google.org grants and provide our Career Certificate program. Social Finance will provide funding to nonprofit partners like Merit America and Year Up, who in turn will provide services like career coaching, living stipends and job placement support. And we’ll connect students to an employer consortium of more than 150 companies who are looking to hire workers with these skills.

It’s all designed around student success. They will receive all of this at no upfront cost. And will only pay it back once they find a job earning at least $40,000 a year. Social Finance will then redistribute those repayments to future learners, making this model more sustainable.

It’s another promising example of how the entire ecosystem — from private companies to nonprofits — can work together to help more Americans access economic opportunities.

I’m excited to see all the ways this could be transformative for people, their families and their communities. Thank you to our partners again for their efforts and support.