Tag Archives: google.org

How The Trevor Project is using AI to help prevent suicide

Suicide disproportionately affects LGBTQ+ youth. In the U.S. alone, more than 1.8 million LGBTQ+ youth between the ages of 13 and 24 seriously consider suicide or experience a significant crisis each year. Additionally, LGBTQ+ youth are over four times more likely to attempt suicide than their peers, while up to 50 percent of all trans people have made a suicide attempt—most before the age of 25. Black LGBTQ+ young people are even more impacted as they hold multiple marginalized identities, and research shows that Black youth ages five to 12 are dying by suicide at roughly twice the rate of their white peers. 


To support this particularly vulnerable and diverse community, The Trevor Project takes an intersectional approach to crisis intervention and suicide prevention. The organization offers free and confidential crisis services that they provide 24/7 via phone, chat, and text. In this time of emotional stress, isolation and civil unrest, these services offer much needed support to LGBTQ youth experiencing fear, hopelessness, confusion, and race-based trauma. Sadly, the volume of callers sometimes outnumbers the available crisis counselors who are trained to assist. With support from Google.org, The Trevor Project is incorporating artificial intelligence into its crisis services to connect more people to the resources they need.  


Last year, Google.org provided The Trevor Project with $1.5 million and 11 Googlers from the Google.org Fellowship, a pro-bono program that matches teams of Googlers with Google.org grantees and civic entities for up to six months to work full-time on technical projects. Google.org Fellows assisted The Trevor Project in building an artificial intelligence system that could identify and prioritize high-risk contacts while simultaneously reaching more people. 


Here’s how it works. When someone first contacts The Trevor Project, they're asked a few intake questions like: "What's going on?” After that, they talk to a crisis counselor who assesses their risk using a clinical assessment model. Looking at anonymized historical data, the team used natural language processing (NLP) to train the system to learn which types of responses on the intake form were most likely linked to a particular diagnosis risk level. While some specific words or phrases are known to correlate with high risk, the NLP model interprets the entire sentence to determine risk level. Now if a person is identified as a high or imminent risk based on their initial intake questions, they are automatically placed in a priority queue and connected to a counselor sooner. 


To help accelerate this work, Google.org has committed an additional $1.2 million in grant funding and is planning to engage a new cohort of Google.org Fellows set to start in July to expand Trevor’s application of NLP to new contexts. This will include developing a conversation simulator to enhance and scale Trevor’s virtual counselor training program, and automating the moderation of TrevorSpace, the organization’s affirming international online community, to flag and address unsafe content. At the same time, Google.org is partnering with Google’s LGBTQ+ employee groups to build a pool of volunteer digital crisis counselors to help respond to Trevor’s increased need for crisis services due to COVID-19 impacts. More than fifty Googlers have signed up already. 


The Trevor Project is the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ+ youth. We’re honored to support their critical mission and stand with LGBTQ+ people of color, trans and non-binary communities, LGBTQ+ families, and so many more. 

Providing Google.org support to LGBTQ+ organizations worldwide

LGBTQ+ organizations around the world extend critical services to their communities every day. I’ve seen this firsthand in my work on the Google.org team, where I support organizations challenging bias and exclusion to advance social justice. As diverse as the local communities they serve, these organizations create cherished spaces to embrace our intersections and individuality, organize against injustice, and provide access to services. For the most vulnerable LGBTQ+ communities, including Black+ communities experiencing the disproportionate impacts of COVID-19 and racial injustice, these spaces and services are essential.

Today Google.org is donating more than $1.2 million to over 70 local LGBTQ+ organizations around the world—many of which are located in cities around the world where Google is proud to call home. Read on to learn how some of these grantees are meeting heightened health, social and economic risks impacting LGBTQ+ communities during this time, providing year round resources and support, and celebrating Pride.

Sheldon Darnell, Austin Black Pride, (Austin, Texas)
Our mission is to transform the living and social environments of LGBTQ+ people of color, with a focus on Black LGBTQ+ individuals. We focus on facilitating culturally-specific programs, policy, advocacy, and relationship building at the intersection of being both Black and LGBTQ+. While, this year, we had to cancel our annual Austin Black Pride celebration, we have been holding mental and spiritual wellness check-ins for our community to connect with licensed and trusted professionals. During a time where our community is on the frontline pushing for justice, it is important that we hold space to check in with ourselves and each other.

Rachel Kesley, Anaya Robinson, Marvyn Allen, Transformative Freedom Fund(Denver, Colorado)
Our mission is to support the authentic selves of transgender Coloradans by removing financial barriers to transition-related healthcare. COVID-19 has acutely impacted our community—gender-affirming surgeries have been rescheduled after years of waiting, and there are increased barriers to accessing necessary medical care or hormones. The isolation from COVID-19 is also particularly difficult because this year marks the 50th anniversary of the first Pride March, led by trans women of color, including Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and Miss Major. Though the loss of the march this year is devastating, we’ll engage with our community with unapologetic authenticity—the gift that makes our communities better, stronger and more beautiful.

Dameyon Bonson, Black Rainbow, (Australia)
At Black Rainbow, we provide advocacy and leadership to Indigenous Australians who identify as LGBQTI. We’re a virtual volunteer group with members located across the country. We work to identify, address and alleviate a range of health outcomes in the community, including the prevalence of suicide and non-suicidal self-harm. During this period of increased stress and isolation, we’re strengthening our response through a soon-to-be-circuited Indigenous LGBQTI+ survey related to the effects of COVID-19. The findings from this survey will be shared publicly to bolster the services that Indigenous LGBQTI+ people access.

Khuresha Ally, Pride of Africa(Johannesburg, South Africa)
Pride of Africa exists to liberate every LGBTQ+ African so they can live their most authentic life. One way we do this is hosting Johannesburg Pride, the oldest and biggest annual pride celebration in Africa. Pride is a place where Africans come to feel supported, hopeful, and seen. It also provides access through relevant partnerships for medical services that are often life sustaining for our community. But, right now, as the most reputable LGBTQ+ organization in Africa, we’re raising funds for food and housing accommodation during a time when many in our community are going hungry and losing their jobs due to COVID-19.

Gloria Careaga Pérez, Fundación Arcoiris(Mexico City, Mexico)
We educate and influence stakeholders on the importance of protecting the rights of LGBTQ+ people in Mexico to achieve social justice and equality. In Mexico, there’s widespread discrimination and violence aimed at the LGBTQ+ community—which is why visibility and education are key to our mission of achieving equality. This year, we’re deepening our efforts to fight and report hate crimes and also planning a virtual parade for the city’s 42nd march. Celebrating Pride is an essential part of recognizing our historical struggles, and we’re using the opportunity to expand our reach beyond Mexico City and call for a fairer world for LGBTQ+ people.

Belle Haggett Silverman, Bisexual Resource Center(Boston, Massachusetts)
The BRC provides support to the bisexual+ community and raises public awareness about bisexuality, pansexuality, and other non-monosexual identities. Our office overlooks the plaza in Boston where Pride is held, and it’s tough to think about not celebrating in-person this year. Instead, we’ll engage with our community by holding virtual gatherings. We’re hopeful that even though this Pride will be different, we’ll find ways to be together. Anyone is welcome to send in their short videos honoring Pride, which we’ll share as a bisexual+ pride montage on social media.

Karyn Skultety, Openhouse(San Francisco, California)
At Openhouse, we provide housing, services, and community engagement for LGBTQ+ seniors, who are one of the most at-risk populations for COVID-19, and face detrimental effects from long-term isolation. We’re finding ways to connect these seniors with others, including over 1,000 support calls with every senior who has walked through our door and a socially-distanced drag show for residents to watch from their windows. It was amazing. Like other organizations, our annual Pride activities will look different this year, but we’re keeping important traditions like our intergenerational Trans March, which will be virtual this year.

This year, I will be honoring the tradition of Pride by remembering the Black+ queer leaders who stood up at Stonewall and reflecting on my role in advancing justice today. I hope everyone finds a way to honor Pride that is meaningful to them, representing the traditions, struggles, and joys of their community.

Honoring Pride, in solidarity

In August 1966, trans women, drag queens, and other members of the LGBTQ+ community fought for their rights and fair treatment outside Compton’s Cafeteria in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood. Three years later on June 28, 1969, the LGBTQ+ community, once again, rose up against inequitable treatment and police misconduct at the Stonewall Inn. For both of these historic moments, LGBTQ+ people of color—and in particular Black trans women and trans women of color—helped lead the fight against hate and injustice. In many respects, the modern-day LGBTQ+ movement for equality was born from these rebellious acts and the many events preceding them. 

Pride should still be a protest. For those within the Black+ and LGBTQ+ community—especially Black+ trans women—the injustices we're seeing today are a reminder of past and present struggles for equity, justice, and equality under the law. We believe communities must show up for one another, and we stand in solidarity with the Black+ community across the world, honoring the longstanding Pride tradition of unity. 

We’re focusing on helping local organizations that create change for LGBTQ+ people of color, trans and non-binary communities, LGBTQ+ families, and many more. We’re also expanding access to mental health resources and bringing people together virtually. 

Local love: $1.2 million for LGBTQ+ organizations worldwide 

COVID-19 has shown us that vulnerable communities, including LGBTQ+, too often bear the brunt of any crisis. This means that local LGBTQ+ organizations are serving as a critical safety net for those in need, whether they're helping someone find a bed in a shelter, offering healthcare services, or advocating for more inclusive and equitable policies. Lives depend on these organizations. 

However, LGBTQ+ organizations are now figuring out how to do their work virtually—with increased demand and strapped financing—which is why Google.org is donating $1.2 million to over 70 organizations around the world. These organizations improve the lives of LGBTQ+ people in the cities where they operate. As the 2020 Pride Committee—a group of LGBTQ+ Googlers from all backgrounds and identities—we’re proud to support organizations in Googlers' hometowns, many of which have influenced our lives or our colleagues’ lives in some way.

An additional $1.2 million for The Trevor Project

In a physically distant world, grappling with inequities, isolation, and challenging situations at home can have devastating effects on LGBTQ+ people, especially those of color. Every year, an estimated 1.8 million LGBTQ+ youth seriously consider suicide in the U.S., and the lifeline, text, and chat crisis services at The Trevor Project—a Google.org grantee—are experiencing their highest demand in 22 years. While Black LGBTQ+ youth have similar mental health disparities compared with all LGBTQ+ youth, they’re significantly less likely to receive professional mental health care, and Black children die by suicide at nearly twice the rate of their white peers. The Trevor Project’s continued targeted outreach to LGBTQ+ Black youth is incredibly important, and the organization offers resources to help allies be more supportive. 

The Trevor Project’s work is life-saving, which is why we’re providing $1.2 million to build on our existing work with them. In addition, a new cohort of Google.org Fellows will help The Trevor Project use natural language processing to automate the moderation of crisis content on its online forums and instruct counselors through a virtual conversation simulator training.

Together, virtually

This year, Pride will feel different for many of us. We’re finding ways to bring people together virtually, including a toolkit that helps organizations host remote Pride events, a collection of apps, shows, movies, and books about LGBTQ+ stories, and a YouTube "spotlight" channel to elevate LGBTQ+ voices. On Google Arts & Culture, you can explore the history of Pride, including new exhibits on the birth of the Pride march, and critical leaders of the movement like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. 

  • Marsha P. Johnson at the First Christopher Street Liberation Day March

    Marsha P. Johnson at the First Christopher Street Liberation Day March, 1970 - Leonard Fink

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    Marsha P. Johnson at the Second Christopher Street Liberation Day March, 1972  - Leonard Fink

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    First Christopher Street Liberation Day March, 1970 - Leonard Fink

  • Gay Activists Alliance Protest of New York City Board of Education

    Gay Activists Alliance Protest of New York City Board of Education, 1971 - Richard C. Wandel

  • Crowds gathered at the March on Albany

    Crowds gathered at the March on Albany, 1971 - Richard C Wandel

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    Levante a bandeira do orgulho LGBT [Raise the LGBT Pride flag], 2017 - Adriana de Maio

  • chiclete.png

    Chiclete do Amor [Love Bubblegum], 2017 - Janaína Leão

  • gira.png

    Deixa a gira do Orgulho LGBT+ girar [Let the LGBT+ Pride spin], 2017 - Adriana de Maio

  • beijo.png

    Beijo sob o bandeirão [Kiss under the big flag], 2015 - Carla Carniel

  • cores.png

    Todas as cores na Paulista [All colours in Paulista Avenue], 2015 - João Benz


While Pride is usually marked by jubilant marches and beautiful parade floats, it’s much more than that. For us, Pride is about the ongoing struggle for equity, visibility and acceptance. We’ll be spending Pride as allies to our Black+ community members, reflecting on the many LGBTQ+ people of color who started our liberation movement decades ago, and finding ways to remedy systemic injustices.

Standing with the Black community

Sundar sent the following email to Google employees today.

Hi Googlers,

I realize that nothing about this week feels like business as usual—and it shouldn’t. Our Black community is hurting, and many of us are searching for ways to stand up for what we believe, and reach out to people we love to show solidarity. Yesterday, I met with a group of our Black leaders to talk about where we go from here and how we can contribute as Google. We discussed many ideas, and we are working through where to put our energy and resources in the weeks and months ahead—I’ll share more on that below. 

In the meantime, I wanted to provide space for us to come together as a community. Today at 1:00pm PDT we’ll be standing together to honor the memories of Black lives lost in an 8 minute and 46 second moment of silence.  

The length of the moment of silence represents the amount of time George Floyd suffered before he was killed. It's meant to serve as a visceral reminder of the injustice inflicted on Mr. Floyd and so many others. We acknowledge that racism and violence may look different in different parts of the world, so please use this as a moment to reflect on those who have been lost in your own country or community at a time that works for you. If you would like to share this silent space with your fellow Googlers, join thelive stream at 1:00 pm PDT today. 

Coming together as a community and showing support is important, but it isn’t enough. So today, we are announcing a few initial commitments to meet the urgency of the moment. 

  • We’ll be giving $12 million in funding to organizations working to address racial inequities. Our first grants of $1 million each will go to our long-term partners at the Center for Policing Equity and the Equal Justice Initiative. And we’ll be providing technical support through ourGoogle.org Fellows program. This builds on the $32 million we havedonated to racial justice over the past five years. We’ll also offer $25 million in Ad Grants to help organizations fighting racial injustice provide critical information.

  • As a result of last week’s internal giving campaign, I‘m pleased to share that you all have contributed an additional $2.5 million in donations that we’re matching. This represents the largest Googler giving campaign in our company’s history, with both the largest amount raised by employees and the broadest participation.  

Supporting worthy organizations is a step in the right direction, but it is not a replacement for doing the harder work ahead both within and outside of Google. The events of the past few weeks reflect deep structural challenges. We’ll work closely with our Black community to develop initiatives and product ideas that support long-term solutions—and we’ll keep you updated. As part of this effort, we welcome your ideas on how to use our products and technology to improve access and opportunity.

-Sundar

Google.org’s $100 million contribution to COVID-19 relief

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Google.org committed $50 million in grants focused on the areas where our resources and people can have the most impact: health and science, economic relief and recovery, and distance learning. Today we’re committing another $50 million, bringing our total contribution up to $100 million. Additionally, Google.org Fellows will give a total of 50,000 hours to COVID-19-specific projects. Read on about where our initial commitment has gone so far and how we’re thinking about allocating the next $50 million.

Google.org COVID-19 relief

Health and Science 

With over 3 million COVID-19 cases and 250,000 deaths worldwide, one of our top priorities has been supporting frontline workers who are battling the virus, as well as data science and disease tracking. Moving forward, we’ll continue to provide funding, Google.org Fellows, and volunteers to projects that use data analytics and AI to improve understanding of COVID-19 and its impact. 

Health

We've committed up to $10.5 million through public-matching campaigns  (which combines Google.org funding and Googler donation) to organizations including the World Health Organization to support preparedness, containment, response and recovery for those affected and for frontline workers around the world

AI and data to understand the impact of the virus

Data on the spread of COVID-19 is critical to understanding how it impacts public health and the economy. With Google.org Fellowships and grants to Boston Children's Hospital's HealthMap consortium and Médecins Sans Frontières in France, we're supporting the application of AI to develop new tools and models that monitor the spread of COVID-19 and provide real-time information to policy makers and healthcare systems. 

Economic Relief and Recovery 

Millions have been laid off worldwide as businesses close their doors, and, according to the OECD, these closures are likely to hit small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) hardest. We've been providing grants to nonprofits supporting SMBs, local communities and hard-hit individuals and will continue to prioritize our efforts in these three ways. 

SMBs in underrepresented communities and led by women

We've given more than $15 million in cash grants to nonprofits benefiting underrepresented business-owners. Today we’re giving a $5 million grant to Common Future to provide capital and technical assistance to 2,000 women and minority small business entrepreneurs in the U.S. We’re also making a $5 million grant to Youth Business International to launch a Rapid Response and Recovery Program that will provide critical support services including crisis helplines to more than 200,000 underserved SMBs in 32 countries across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific.

Local community efforts 

We’re committing more than $10 million in immediate crisis relief grants to nonprofits in communities where we have offices around the globe. Local organizations know how to best address food security, care for vulnerable homeless populations, support victims of domestic violence or increase access to mental health care within their communities. We’ve made over $1 million in grants so far to organizations including the Silicon Valley Strong Fund, Kirkland Small Businesses Relief Fund, and Cambridge Mayoral Disaster Relief Fund in the U.S.. Across EMEA, we’re providing more than $4 million in grants to local organizations such as Feeding Britain and FareShare in the UK, A Lust for Life in Ireland, CEAR and Red Acoge in Spain, and the Egyptian Food Bank in Egypt.

Direct cash assistance

Nearly 70 percent of U.S. self-employed workers have seen a decline in their earnings as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. Research shows that giving cash directly is one of the most effective ways to aid people in times of crisis. A month ago we kicked off an effort to support GiveDirectly’s cash assistance campaign in the Bay Area. Since then, we’ve expanded efforts to support GiveDirectly in 12 other locations across the U.S. which has resulted in  donations of more than $8 million (this includes Google.org seed funding as well as Googler and public donations). We've also given $1 million to the Family Independence Initiative and provided grants to support nonprofits providing cash assistance to support vulnerable families in India through GiveIndia, part of $10 million we’ll be giving to direct cash efforts. 

Distance learning 

At the peak of school closures due to COVID-19, more than 1.5 billion students around the world could no longer physically attend school. Our $10 million distance learning fund helped schools, teachers and parents continue teaching through this disruption. As part of that fund, we made an initial grant of $1 million to Khan Academy, who will reach over 18 million affected learners every month.

We also made a $2.7 million grant to INCO so that nonprofits in Europe and Asia can digitize  learning materials and adapt to the new distance learning environment. On Monday, we announced the final component of the $10 million distance learning fund: a $2 million grant to DonorsChoose for their Keep Kids Learning effort. It helps teachers from high-poverty U.S. public schools purchase materials for remote teaching and student care packages containing food, books and school supplies. 

Making it easier for Googlers to give back

There are thousands of Googlers eager to give money, or their own skills to organizations they’re passionate about. At the start of COVID-19, we launched an internal site to help Googlers find COVID-specific giving and volunteering opportunities in their communities. We’re matching skilled volunteers to select nonprofits and civic organizations including 31 Google.org Fellows who are providing three to six months of full time pro bono support to four COVID-19 specific Fellowship projects. We also increased Google’s annual gift match from $7,500 to $10,000.

This is one of many commitments at Google to help during this crisis, keep people safe and ensure they have access to the information they need. We’ll be sharing more as we build on these commitments globally, and continue to deploy resources to help the most affected and underserved communities recover and thrive.

To every teacher, thank you times infinity

Editor’s note: Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! We’re honored to have 2019 National Teacher of the Year Rodney Robinson as today’s guest author to share the many ways we’re celebrating and supporting teachers, in classrooms or at home.

As National Teacher of the Year, I’ve been afforded opportunities that most teachers don’t get. It’s been exciting and rewarding to advocate for my students—some of the most resilient and courageous people I know—in places like the White House and Halls of Congress. But it’s also been challenging. And now with so many students, teachers and families impacted by this global pandemic, we’re presented with a whole new set of challenges we must face together.

Whether you’re a veteran teacher or a new parent, this is uncharted territory for everyone. We could all use a little help at the moment, and that’s why I’m so happy that Google is acknowledging the work teachers and families are putting in, and providing us with the support we need right now.

Free tools, training and support for educators and families

Today Google released two new resources to help educators and families make better use of technology as part of teaching and learning, whether you’re at home or back in the classroom. Their latest version of Teach from Home provides those newer to tech with tools and tips they need to get going with distance learning, with new sections for schools and families. And their new Teacher Center has free training, certification programs and product guides for those looking to advance their practice. As teachers it’s important for us to continue learning new things, and these resources make it easier for us to come up with new ways to engage our students by incorporating technology into how we teach.


$2 million to DonorsChoose to support vulnerable students

Teachers know that for all of us, but particularly for our young students, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is more important than Bloom’s taxonomy of learning. In other words, essential needs are paramount: you can’t learn if you’re hungry or feel unsafe. That’s why I’m so encouraged to see Google support U.S. teachers from high poverty public schools like mine by providing a $2 million Google.org grant to DonorsChoose. The Keep Kids Learning program will provide thousands of teachers with $1,000 funding credits to get the materials they need to teach remotely and send their students personalized education care packages including items like books, basic supplies, educational games or kits, and groceries for students who rely on school to provide meals.  


Teachers are out there working hard for our underserved students, converting their homes into remote learning centers, teaching from driveways, delivering meals and providing learning  materials; crucially, they are also offering a familiar face and comfort to our students who need it most. This grant will help ensure more of our teachers can provide this for their students.

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Amanda Calzada and her kindergarten class in Chicago, in a photo from earlier this school year. Recently, Amanda received a grant through Keep Kids Learning, a program from DonorsChoose. With the funding, she bought supplies like pencils and playdough, “giving her students the tools they need to make learning at home an engaging, effective and exciting experience.”

Celebrating every teacher, in classrooms and at home

I’m also loving Google’s Doodle today which was created in collaboration with the 2020 State Teachers of the Year to pay tribute to teachers. 

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Today's teacher Doodle was created in collaboration with the 2020 State Teachers of the Year when they were at Google headquarters in February.

These teachers—who represent students across every U.S. state and territory—began brainstorming the Doodle when they met as a cohort at Google’s headquarters in February. Everything they do over this next year will be about advocating for their students and elevating the voices of their fellow teachers. You can get to know them and hear some of their words of wisdom in this YouTube playlist. 


I’ll also be hosting an Edu OnAir webinar later today with the four 2020 National Teacher of the Year finalists, so I hope you’ll tune in. This session is all about how we can best support teachers right now, and kicks off a free 6-week distance learning webinar series. 


For teachers like me, the best part of Teacher Appreciation Week is always the handwritten notes from our students thanking us for doing what we do. Since most of us can’t be together in person this year, Google worked with some incredible student artists (former winners of their Doodle for Google competition) and organizations like the National PTA, CCSSO (who runs the National Teacher of the Year program) and TED-Ed to design these free digital thank you cards. Whether you’re a student, caretaker or fellow teacher, be sure to use these to #ThankATeacher—I will be sending a few of these myself, and I know we could probably all use a kind, encouraging word these days. 


As my tenure as National Teacher of the Year comes to a close, I’m reflecting on what a different course it has taken than I could have ever imagined. But I know wherever we are, teachers will continue fighting for our students and putting them first so that we can ensure that education continues—no matter what. 

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Be sure to #ThankATeacher this week using one of these free digital thank you cards.

Helping educators and students stay connected

As many educational institutions around the globe are undergoing, extending or planning closures due to COVID-19, half of the world’s student population is unable to attend school. Educators face the challenge of teaching remotely at an unprecedented scale, and in some cases, for the first time.

In the last week we’ve created new distance learning resources including a collection of training materials, a list of useful apps, a new Learn@Home YouTube resource designed for families, as well as a series of blog posts and webinars. We’ve also made our premium Meet features free for schools through July 1, 2020. This includes the ability to have 250 people in a call together, record lessons and livestream. And thanks to feedback from educators, we’re also constantly making product improvements, like these new educator controls for Hangouts Meet. 

We’ve continued to listen to the challenges teachers are facing during these uncertain times and today we’re announcing two new resources to help teachers and students stay connected.

Teach from Home

Teach From Home is a central hub of information, tips, training and tools from across Google for Education to help teachers keep teaching, even when they aren’t in the classroom. 

To start, we’re providing an overview of how to get started with distance learning—for example how to teach online, make lessons accessible to students, and collaborate with other educators.

The resource will continue to evolve. We've built the hub with the support and cooperation of UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education, who is also working with other education partners to respond to this emergency. As we continue receiving feedback from teachers and partners on what’s most helpful, we’ll continue to build and improve this. Teach From Home is currently available in English, with downloadable toolkits available in Danish, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Arabic and Polish, with additional languages coming soon.

Supporting organizations who are helping to reduce barriers to distance learning

When facing these challenges, we’re at our best when we respond as a community. As part of our $50 million Google.org COVID-19 response, we’re announcing a $10 million Distance Learning Fund to support organizations around the globe that help educators access the resources they need to provide high quality learning opportunities to children, particularly those from underserved communities.

The Google.org Distance Learning Fund’s first grant will be $1 million to help Khan Academy provide remote learning opportunities to students affected by COVID-19 related school closures. Along with the grant, Google volunteers are planning to help Khan Academy provide educator resources in more than 15 languages, and through their platform, they'll reach over 18 million learners a month from communities around the globe. We hope to announce additional organizations soon.

We’re inspired by the ideas and resources educational leaders are sharing with each other during this time. To continue the conversation, join a Google Educator Group, share your distance learning tips and tricks, and connect with us on Twitter and Facebook. We hope you’ll keep passing along your ideas and feedback so we can continue to evolve and build this together.
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New skills for Indonesia’s next generation

As a teacher, Nur Ernawati believes in the value of lifelong learning—including for herself. Ernawati was one of 140 Indonesian teachers who signed up for a Bebras Indonesia course on computational thinking: a way of learning that stresses critical thinking and problem-solving rather than learning by rote. She’s since passed those lessons on to more than 400 of her students. Now she wants to see the program rolled out across Indonesia—and we’re ready to help make it happen. 

At an event in Jakarta today, we announced a $1 million Google.org grant that that will enable Bebras—a global education nonprofit—to launch Gerakan Pandai: a new program designed to train another 22,000 Indonesian teachers in computational thinking over the next two years. 

Why is this so important? With 64 million students, Indonesia has the fourth-largest education system in the world. But to give those students the best possible future, we need to make sure they have the skills and knowledge to handle changes in technology and solve the challenges they’re likely to face in the workplace. Bebras’ programs train teachers to help students break problems into smaller parts, assess data, prioritise information, and create solutions to complex issues: skills that are relevant to every career path, not just in the technology industry.

Gerakan

Announcing our $1 million Google.org grant with Awaluddin Tjalla from the Ministry of Education and Culture, Ibu Inge and Ibu Nur from Bebras Indonesia, and Scott Beaumont, Google’s APAC President.

So far, teachers trained by Bebras have taught computational thinking to more than 5,000 students—including 14-year old Nasha Rainy, one of Nur Ernawati’s students. ”Initially, I found the class very challenging, but Mrs. Erna was always there to support and inspire me to do my best,” Nasha said. “This experience has increased my self-confidence.” 

By 2023, with Google.org’s support, Bebras-trained teachers will have reached two million more students across 22 locations in Indonesia, reaching underprivileged communities which might not have had these kinds of opportunities in the past.  

Not only will Gerakan Pandai help young Indonesians shape their future with confidence, it will also contribute to closing Indonesia’s digital skills gap—one of our country’s most urgent priorities for the 2020s. 

The Google.org grant was one of several steps we announced today, at the launch of our Grow with Google skills program in Indonesia, as we work to help millions more people succeed in Indonesia’s $40 billion internet economy.  

Our skills training programs range from helping entrepreneurs use digital tools to supporting Indonesia’s most promising developers with courses in artificial intelligence and machine learning. But it all starts with education: what we teach our children and how well we prepare them for the opportunities that technology creates. With the support of Bebras—and brilliant teachers like Nur Ernawati—I’m confident the next generation will be ready to lead Indonesia forward.

Announcing Google.org’s new safety grants in Europe

Whether you’re online searching for answers, creating something new, or just looking for a little help, you should be able to do so with confidence that you and your family will stay safe. 


That’s why last year we opened the Google Safety Engineering Centre, our global hub for privacy engineering, in the heart of Europe. It’s there where we build many of the tools that protect the privacy and security of our users all over the world—and where last year we also announced the Google.org Impact Challenge on Safety, a fund to support organisations that are creating practical, real-world solutions when it comes to hate, extremism, and child safety, both online and offline. 


Today, we’re announcing the grant recipients: 29 organizations across 14 countries who are receiving grants totaling €10 million to fund their work in their home countries and across Europe. 


One of our grantees, the FARE Network, has developed tools to improve, understand and report extremist hate crime and discrimination in football. Another, Mama Chat, has built a chat service that gives free and anonymous support for women and girls in need. 


To see the full list of grantees, visit our website at g.co/safetyimpactchallenge.


Nearly 900 applications came in from all across the region. We would like to thank our panel of experts—including Member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies Laura Boldrini, journalist Kübra Gümüşay, Executive Director of ILGA Europe Evelyne Paradis, and many more—as well as partners the Institute for Strategic Dialogue and Ashoka, the largest global social network for entrepreneurs, who were chosen for their expertise on these important issues.  


Our focus on safety doesn’t end with our development of tools for Google users. It extends to our support for the important work of civil society and cross-sector experts, developers, and collaborators—everyone, in other words, who is invested in making the internet a safer place.

Supporting future history makers with NAACP

When I was in the 11th grade, I had the opportunity to write my first screenplay through NAACP’s Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) program. The program provides a platform for Black high school students—more than 300,000 to date—to bring their ideas to life and kickstart their journeys to becoming leaders in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), humanities, business, and the arts. 


ACT-SO gave me the confidence to pursue my dream of working in the entertainment and tech industry. After competing in NAACP’s local and national competitions, I wrote and directed my first short film, which I used in my portfolio to attend New York University. That eventually led me to my job as a Google Account Manager handling sales in the Media and Entertainment industry. 


Looking back, the greatest gift was that the program instilled values of community, excellence, and discipline in the participants. I’ve carried those values throughout my academic and professional career. I’ve found ways to build community and culture at Google, such as serving as the 2017-2018 Co-Lead of our Black Googler Network Bay Area chapter. 


This weekend, Google.org announced a $3 million grant and opportunities for Googlers to volunteer to help scale the ACT-SO program over the next three years. I sat down with National ACT-SO Director Larry Brown, Jr. to learn about how NAACP plans to expand the program to more students.


Can you give us an overview of ACT-SO, for people who aren’t familiar?


ACT-SO is an achievement program designed to recruit, stimulate, and encourage high academic and cultural achievement among African-American high school students. Students work throughout the year to develop a compelling project in one of 32 categories. After qualifying at their local ACT-SO contest, winners present their ideas at our national ACT-SO competition and compete for top scholarship prizes. The ACT-SO experience is unique and I dare say irreplaceable—it helps students build a support system for a lifetime of success. 


I understand that supporting the ACT-SO program is very personal to you. How did you first get involved with the program and what does your role include today?


As a high school student in Detroit, I competed in ACT-SO's Oratory competition. Although I never won, I was able to build a foundation of transferable skills that had a lasting impact. Now, as the leader of ACT-SO, I'm able to use what I learned as a contestant—active listening, critical thinking, and persuasion, to name a few skills—to create a memorable and impactful program that further enhances students' experiences, while in ACT-SO and beyond. I’ve also been able to create rewarding volunteer opportunities for my fellow ACT-SO alumni to give back to the program that benefited them. 


At Google, we often talk about moonshots—“anything is possible,” 10x ideas. What is ACT-SO’s moonshot, and how can a grant from Google.org and volunteer support from Googlers bring it to life? 


Over the years, we’ve heard from many alumni who, like you, point back to the ACT-SO competition as a pivotal moment in being recognized for their brilliance and potential. NAACP believes that every student, particularly students from underrepresented backgrounds, should be encouraged to pursue their academic excellence. That’s why, over time, we want to expand the ACT-SO program and make sure every student of African descent has access to a local ACT-SO competition. 


Google.org’s grant is a first step in moving closer to that goal. We were on a trajectory to engage 30,000 students over the next three years, but with Google’s support, we’re planning to expand to new chapters and engage almost 70,000 students. We’ll be hiring new staff, offering more travel stipends to students, and keeping alumni engaged. We’re also thrilled that members of the Black Googler Network and Black@YouTube have committed to volunteer as mentors and judges at the local and national level. Having Googlers involved will give our students the opportunity to meet new role models and begin building relationships in the tech industry. 


NAACP’s vision is a society where all individuals have equal rights without discrimination based on race. What role can computer science play in moving closer to that outcome? 


NAACP wants to put students on a path to high-wage careers that will make an impact on their lives, families, and communities, which is why we’re investing additional funds in our program’s science and technology tracks. The data shows that more than half of all jobs require technical skills, but a majority of students still aren’t learning these skills in school. Across the country, millions of technical jobs are projected to go unfilled, yet women and minorities are drastically underrepresented in technical fields. We believe that computer science education opportunities can be transformative in the lives of young people, and in particular, young people who do not have equal access and regularly face barriers to learning computer science. 


I don’t want to forget the role that artists have in computer science. I believe that artists and scientists have a lot in common. Technologists, scientists and artists share an inquisitiveness and drive to better understand the world through their work. Plus, computer scientists need great designers. 


What’s one way that we, as a society, can better support Black and Latino students on their educational journeys?


If we believe that all students deserve the chance to make history, it’s critical that we lift up diverse representations of excellence and achievement. For example, we know that Black and Latino students have equal interest in CS education, but they face social barriers such as a lack of role models and learning materials that reflect their lived experiences. Only one in four underrepresented students report “often” seeing people “doing CS” in television shows or movies, and only about one in six among them report “often” seeing people like them. Everyone can help challenge these barriers by lifting up stories of achievement that are not traditionally represented. 


ACT-SO has several famous alumni. Can you share one of your favorite ACT-SO testimonies? 


There are many alumni that come to mind, one is Anthony Burrell—a creative director who's choreographed for artists like Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Rihanna and Katy Perry. His work has been featured on some of the largest stages in the world. But he's also used his platform to give back to young people and create a community of dancers. At his Anthony Burrell Center for Dance in Atlanta, dancers learn the fundamentals of various dance forms. He ensures students have access to dance education and training by providing scholarships for students who need assistance.


For the past five years, Anthony has worked with ACT-SO as the choreographer of the annual ACT-SO Awards Ceremony. He elevates our students and provides opportunities for them to connect as professionals—some of them have even been hired to perform with notable talent after their ACT-SO experience. In addition to his own career in dance, Anthony's participation in ACT-SO has given other students the opportunity to create a pathway to their personal success.