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Mobilizing the Millennials

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Mobilizing the Millennials

Mobilizing the Millennials

A foundation to promote youth philanthropy, an interactive game to promote financial literacy, and electronic budget journals for daily “wealth watching” are among the award-winning ideas generated at the recent Youth Summit sponsored by the Peter G. Peterson Foundation and Mobilize.org.

The summit brought together young people from around the United States to discuss issues affecting members of the millennial generation, such as high rates of unemployment and student debt. Their discussions in work groups led to the development of solutions, which were then voted upon by the group, with the winning proposals receiving funding from Mobilize.org.

First place winner was Daniel Kaufman of Sacramento, California, whose One Percent Foundation calls on young people “to make a collective impact by making recurring donations of 1% of their annual income through a single funding entity.”
2nd Place: Gaming for Our Future, Eric Heis, 27,(Washington, DC) and Nicola Moore, 27, (Washington, DC)
Interactive web-based game to raise fiscal awareness, utilizes social networking and multiplayer components.

3rd Place: Wealth Watchers International, Edward Sandrick, 25, (Naperville, Illinois)
Enables users to enter and manage daily spending into an electronic budget journal on their PDA or smartphone.

4th Place: You Are Your Business, Alicia Holmes-Busby, 32, (Dallas, TX)
Establishes a two semester financial literacy program for older teens that focuses on the “business of self” by utilizing a peer educator program.

5th Place: MyImpact.org, Chris Golden, 20, (Coventry, CT) and Nick Troiano, 20, (Milford, PA)
Utilizes a “volun-tweet” application, which measures impact of Millennial volunteerism on Twitter and encourages volunteering through social networking.

Economic Challenges Facing the Millennial Generation – Mobilizing the Millennials

The Millennial generation faces giant hurdles in putting its economic future on a sustainable path. Currently, 30% of young Americans born between 1976 and 1996 are uninsured — more than any other generation. Additionally, these young Americans experience the highest rate of unemployment and more debt than any other age group. The average Millennial is burdened with $27,000 in student loan debt after college, and $2000 in credit card debt that doubles by age 35.

PGPF and Mobilize.org recognize that young Americans must take a greater role in protecting their economic futures, and are providing the tools, resources, and forum necessary to enable today’s Millennial leaders to work collaboratively to execute solutions to a variety of economic issues.

About Mobilize.org
Mobilize.org is an all-partisan network dedicated to educating, empowering, and energizing young people to increase our civic engagement and political participation. For more information, visit www.mobilize.org.

About the Peter G. Peterson Foundation
PGPF is dedicated to increasing public awareness of the nature and urgency of key economic challenges threatening America’s future and to accelerating action on them. To address these challenges successfully, we work to bring Americans together to find sensible, long-term solutions that transcend age, party lines and ideological divides in order to achieve real results. For more information, see www.PGPF.org.

Hispanics still underrepresented in Corporate America

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The Hispanic Association for Corporate Responsibility (HACR) to release findings of its Corporate Inclusion Index survey in partnership with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Corporate America Task Force

Only 6% out of 384 open board positions are held by Hispanics. And of the 1,281 executive and director positions available, Hispanics held only 61 positions.

Only 6% out of 384 open board positions are held by Hispanics. And of the 1,281 executive and director positions available, Hispanics held only 61 positions.

The Hispanic Association for Corporate Responsibility (HACR), one of the most influential advocacy organizations in the nation representing 13 national Hispanic organizations in the United States and Puerto Rico, will release the finding of its 2009 HACR Corporate Inclusion Index survey (CII), Wednesday, December 16th at 11:30 am at the Cannon House Office Building, Room 121, Independence Avenue and 1st Street, SE.

As part of the HACR Corporate Accountability Strategy that was adopted early this year, the CII was conducted to measure all Fortune 100 companies and HACR corporate partners, relative to their Hispanic inclusion strategies within the corporation’s business model. Over the past few years, HACR has been working closely with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) Corporate America Task Force on Hispanic inclusion in Corporate America.
“While the Hispanic community continues to make strides in our country, we are still not represented on corporate boards, upper management, and key decision-making positions in the  most successful and largest corporations in the United States,” said HACR Chairman Ignacio Salazar, president and CEO of SER Jobs for Progress, headquartered in Dallas, TX.  “Fortune 100 companies can no longer ignore the largest and fastest-growing ethnic group in the United States because to do so is not only bad business, it is irresponsible.”

The CII survey focused on four key areas that are reflective of the mission of HACR’s corporate responsibility and community reciprocity: employment, procurement, philanthropy, and governance.

HACR’s CII shows that of those surveyed, only 6% out of 384 open board positions are held by Hispanics. And of the 1,281 executive and director positions available, Hispanics held only 61 positions.

In the area of philanthropic giving, the CII revealed that the average corporate giving distributed in 2008 was approximately $68 million – only 2.5% was directed to the Hispanic community.

And finally, the survey also found that there remains a discrepancy in earnings paid to Hispanic and non-Hispanics. On average, Hispanics are earning $12,000 less for a full-time position.

“HACR commends the Fortune 100 and HACR Corporate member companies for participating in the 2009 HACR Corporate Index Survey.” said HACR President and CEO, Carlos Orta “We are confident that those companies that did not participate this year will do so in the future; if for no other reason than to lend credence to their claims of being “leaders” in their respective industries.”

The 2009 HACR Corporate Inclusion Index survey will be available for download on HACR’s website, www.HACR.org, on Wednesday afternoon. The data collected from HACR’s CII survey, was voluntarily submitted by Fortune 100 and HACR corporate member companies.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Teresa Chaurand

816-582-3130 cell

Source: HACR