Google has just released a YouTube video acknowledging their recent support toward The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) ACT-SO Program. The NAACP is preparing future history makers with support from Google.org.
The NAACP has announced that over the next three years, Google.org will provide a $3 million grant and volunteering support to help assist with the NAACP’s Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO). This program, which has helped over 300,000 black high school students to date, is a platform to help bring their ideas to life, compete, and start their journey to becoming leaders in STEM, humanities, business, and the arts.
“ACT-SO is a celebration of black excellence,” said Derrick Johnson, NAACP president and CEO says in a written press release. “This funding and volunteer support will help our outstanding youth, who exemplify scholastic and artistic achievement, to continue to pursue their passions free from limitations. We are excited to continue this tradition and ensure all of our students have access to mentorship in STEAM careers.”
NAACP ACT-SO has seen a 7% increase in STEM category participation in 2019 and is looking for the percentage to increase and to grow its authority and capacity to raise up mentors within the field of tech and coding. Employees from the Black Googler Network and Black@YouTube employee resource groups are volunteering at local and national ACT-SO competitions across the country.
“Growing up, I saw firsthand how the NAACP ACT-SO program inspired young, black talent to believe in and showcase their brilliance,” said Google.org Director Justin Steele.
“We know that 65% of students will work in careers that don’t even exist today, so programs like ACT-SO that are preparing, recognizing, and rewarding African American students are important to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to be innovators and culture makers.”
Click here to learn more about the NAACP’s initiatives.