Microsoft Latin America 2014 Citizenship Reportdownload.microsoft.com/download/8/B/B/8BB497F0-45E8-4696-841… · program that helps software startups succeed by giving them access

Microsoft.com/latam/responsabilidadsocial

Microsoft Latin America 2014 Citizenship Report

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Microsoft Latin America 2014Citizenship Report



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“At Microsoft, our corporate mission is to help people and businesses around the world realize their full potential. Our work would not be complete without providing much needed support and tools across communities that need it most.

Technology can help bridge the opportunity divide between young people who have the access, skills, and opportunities to explore and realize their potential and those who don’t. That’s why we’re empowering youth through our company-wide initiative, YouthSpark, to increase access to technology and to equip them with the tools and skills they need to succeed.

Since the launch of YouthSpark in September 2012, Microsoft has created new education, employment, and entrepreneurship opportunities for more than 30 million youth around Latin America with the ultimate goal to help transform their communities and create social change.

This year we continue to create opportunities for the communities and the people we touch through our citizenship programs”.

Hernán RincónPresident for Microsoft Latin America


Microsoft.com/latam/responsabilidadsocial 2



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To create real impact we partner closely with governments, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and other organizations, locally and globally, to apply our expertise, technology, and company resources to support the economic health and welfare of communities around the world.

Since the release of our first product in 1975, our technology has helped transform the way people work, learn, play and communicate in Latin America. Our products also help nonprofits and governments

Real Impact for aBetter Latin America

The impact of our Citizenship programs

Reached30 million youth

Donated $370 million dollars in software and cash

Helped more than

4,500 nonprofitsprovide support to young people

provide faster, better service and operate more efficiently, while reaching more people, and helping millions of youth gain access to the tools that can help open windows to the world, inspire entrepreneurship and connect them to skills and opportunities.

With more than 4,500 nonprofit partners, who have received grants for more than $370 million dollars in software and cash, we have built a model that contributes to the growth of local economies by promoting innovation.




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Microsoft YouthSpark

www.YouthSparklatam.com


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Part of the ongoing work in the region is to work jointly with our partners to identify the key issues we can help address and strengthen communities so they can realize their full potential. The current climate for youth development in Latin America is fraught with challenges. According to a recent International Youth Foundation report, “Opportunity for Action,” nearly 75 million young people were unemployed worldwide. This equates to an unemployment rate of 12.7%, which is more than double the rate for people over the age of 25.

In Latin America, 40% of the population is young. Among them, less than 50% of those enrolled finish high school, one youth out of every five is not working or studying, and there are two unemployed youths for every unemployed adult.

To address some of these challenges, we are working together with an array of institutions, governments, youth representatives, social organizations, political parties, educational entities, and the private sector partnership. We are supporting the Ibero-American Youth Organization (OIJ, in Spanish) with specific recommendations for the Youth Development and Social Inclusion Agenda Post 2015. This Youth Agenda they have developed recommends specific public policies for the development and social investment in youth, to be included in the Post 2015 United Nations Agenda.

Strategic partnerships to enable youth opportunitiesAs a partner, Microsoft has recommended the following policies:

1. Include technology access and skills training in the elementary school learning process so students can master productivity tools and learn basics of online safety, to preserve youth privacy, and to respect intellectual property rights. Computer skills proficiency should be required before promotion to High School.

2. Require one semester-long computer programming (coding) class in the 8th grade curriculum (13/14 years old). This will enable 8th grade students to connect abstract thinking and scientific analysis to practical reality via computer programming projects. This Class will also make connections between classroom innovations and product sales by introducing students to the value of intellectual property. In addition, this class will also open the door to computer science as a career option, create interest in STEM courses, and create a platform for entrepreneurship and innovation.

3. Require one business administration class in the senior year of high school, with a focus on starting a business, managing a business, financing, marketing, human resources, and use of technology, as well as government contracting.

4. Extend Policy Proposals 1-3 to students at public community centers, tertiary and vocational schools and foster internships at local companies for young graduates from such institutions. Specify a percentage of local company positions to be reserved for the internships of such graduates, promoting agreements in this regard between local companies and public community centers/tertiary/vocational schools.



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Microsoft YouthSpark is a company-wide initiative to create opportunities for 300 million youth around the world over three years. It empowers youth to imagine and realize their full potential by connecting them with greater opportunities for education, employment and entrepreneurship, and by helping them create a better tomorrow. The program consists of multiple tactics and programs that cohesively and universally help set the stage for development and success among the young population in the region.

Since launching YouthSpark in September 2012, Microsoft has created new opportunities for 100 million young people around the word, more than 30 million youth in Latin America. These opportunities are helping youth build their futures, inspire those around them to take an active role, and ultimately are helping revitalize local economies and secure a sustainable future for all of us.

A strong member of the OIJ is the government of Colombia, represented in their Secretary of Youth initiative called Colombia Jóven. There, we signed a YouthSpark memorandum of understanding to enable Microsoft’s resources and trainings to be available for the youth through their portal. Furthermore, we held a town-hall discussion “Los jóvenes preguntan” with our Microsoft Colombia President and more than 200 youth. The open forum discussion included topics such as communications, the future, and access to opportunities and peace – topics that were top of mind for attendees.

YouthSpark in Latin AmericaThrough our focus and investment in youth, we help accelerate local economies. This is possible due to our strong relationship with local governments and universities. For example, in Chile, with Jean-Philippe Courtois, President of Microsoft International, and the Government of Chile – represented by the Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Telecommunications and Transport, the President of CORFO (Chile Innovation and Development Agency), and the President of GECHs (Local Software Chamber) – we announced the creation of the “Imagine Business Lab”, a Microsoft Innovation Center. The Innovation Center represents a shared investment of almost $4 million dollars in the next 6 years, including CORFO funds and Microsoft resources. Together we aim to build and foster a healthy startup ecosystem around Microsoft technologies.

Following other important partnerships to promote Education, in Brazil, Microsoft signed a YouthSpark agreement with São Paulo University (USP) with the joint objective of creating a Technology Study Center. Microsoft will invest $750,000 dollars in this project by 2015. The multidisciplinary center will engage law, economics, information technology (IT) and computer science to produce research relating to technology and social impacts. USP will have complete independency on research methodologies and findings from research projects conducted by the joint Center.

Furthermore, in Brazil, an agreement with Campos de Jordao Municipality was signed to benefit 7,000 young people from public schools. The objective is to train teachers and students in new technologies, promoting professional qualification, innovation and entrepreneurship. The agreement will also benefit startups through BizSpark. Microsoft BizSpark is a global



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program that helps software startups succeed by giving them access to Microsoft software development tools, connecting them with key industry players, including investors, and providing marketing visibility to help entrepreneurs starting a business. Since 2008 in Latin America, over 10,000 startups have joined the BizSpark program.

Last but not least, Microsoft announced an agreement with the São Paulo State Department of Education (SEE) to offer Office 365 free of charge to more than 4 million students from the state education network. This initiative represents an investment of almost $900 million dollars, based on the individual subscription costs for Office 365.

In Costa Rica, a YouthSpark Memorandum of Understanding, will support Costa Rican Education and the usage of Microsoft tools to better prepare students and teachers as part of the Costa Rica National Competitiveness Plan in partnership with Laureate Group International-- a global network of 42 accredited campus-based and online universities offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs to nearly 500,000 students around the world.

Empower youth to achieve through education is possible everywhere around our region thanks to partnerships such as the first Partners In Learning memorandum of understanding with the Government of Haiti focused on four main pillars: Offer Office 365 for Students and Educators with the purpose of gaining agility and introduce personalized learning in the fragile education system; Shape the Future, our cloud services and personalized education initiatives will pave the way to offer the full value of our Windows devices; IT Academy, will make an impact in the way tertiary careers align with global industry skills and also help to foster much needed local and global job opportunities; and Teacher Training, will be our core initiatives to engage with teachers and educators to bring our technology to their curriculum training in order to adapt and embrace the use of technology in the classrooms.

As part of the Jean-Phillipe Curtois – President of Microsoft International – visit to Mexico, Microsoft and the National Institute for Entrepreneurs (INADEM) signed a Letter of Intent to design and implement tools to develop human capital and allow the introduction of SMEs to the digital era. With this agreement, Microsoft and INADEM will promote innovation and foster young

entrepreneurs through Microsoft YouthSpark initiative. Also Microsoft will be part of the National Entrepreneur Support Network, an effort of the Mexican Government that seeks to articulate public policy, government programs, the private sector and civil society for the benefit of young entrepreneurs.

To enable us to empower youth and create further opportunities for employment or entrepreneurship, we have also signed a strategic YouthSpark Memorandum of Understanding in Trinidad and Tobago with the Minister of Tertiary Education and Skills Training. This partnership will implement the Microsoft YouthSpark initiative to help young people develop their full potential by connecting them with greater opportunities in education, employment and entrepreneurship. “We have trained almost 80,000 students in the use of technology. We have done about 13,000 different courses here in T&T for those students. We have funded eleven new entrepreneurial activities, companies that use our software for free so that they can grow and flourish, actions that go significantly beyond what we do as a business”, mentioned Hernán Rincón, president of Microsoft Latin America, just after signing this Memorandum.

Continuing along this line of commitment, in the Dominican Republic, the YouthSpark Memorandum of Understanding with the Vice-President of the country is intended to create opportunities for the Dominican Youth, while in Argentina, specifically in the cities of Tigre and Buenos Aires, local Microsoft teams have entered into agreements with the local government in support of YouthSpark initiatives promoting digital and social media skills for workforce development.



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An online global community of young people is mobilizing to drive social change in their local communities around the world. Through Innovate4Good, a YouthSpark program that promotes the use of technology for the growth of local communities, we will help them take the next steps to bring their dreams come to life and help them put technology to work for the good of society.

A group of 40 Brazilian youths from six different states came together to discuss innovative ideas and experiences that can help positively transform their communities. With representatives from São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Mato Grosso, Distrito Federal, Bahia and Ceará, we challenged the participants to each present an idea and create projects, of which 10 were selected to be executed for their communities. You can watch Video here: http://bit.ly/1hV8b7U

We are also starting to see the results from seeds planted early on through YouthSpark efforts around the region. For

example, in El Salvador, the Centro ¡Supérate! celebrated the graduation of its first class -- 33 students who earned internationally recognized certifications such as Microsoft Office Specialist that will create new job opportunities in their future.

To encourage innovation that leads to creating opportunities, Microsoft organized the Windows 8 Hackathon in Panama, This initiative’s main goal was to provide bigger opportunities to youth in an attempt to encourage local innovation through the development of Windows 8 applications.

By providing expanded access to technology, we also are committed to helping youth understand the landscape and be prepared to navigate the web and social media realms safely and responsibly. “Beyond Youth National Development 2015” is a global event focused on these topics and the gathering in Costa Rica brought together government and other organizations to discuss internet youth regulation, connections in social networks and their risks, and generated agreements and commitments aggregated in the “Declaration of youth” that was presented, at the United Nations General Assembly by President Chinchilla, Republic of Costa Rica.

Igniting the Spark.Helping young people create and capture opportunity

YouthSpark is making an impact through our programs and partnerships in every part of the continent. Because today’s youth are tomorrow’s leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs through our Microsoft YouthSpark initiative, we are creating paths of opportunity by connecting hundreds of millions of young people to opportunities for education and employment.



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In 2013, POETA YouthSpark was implemented in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru, and Mexico. By the end of the year over 3,000 young participants were empowered through training in IT skills. The centers also have a job intermediation strategy to create opportunities, such as employment or internships, and support for their entrepreneurial ventures, as well as guiding those participants interested in furthering their technical or professional studies. This initiative will be expanded in 2014 to new centers including a new one in Dominican Republic, for a total of 12 POETA YouthSpark Centers in the region.

Among our projects around the region, POETA YouthSpark is a successful initiative which empowers youth to become self-sufficient and engage them in productive livelihoods. The program was created in collaboration with The Trust for the Americas and helps youth 16-29 years old, aiming to reach an 80 percent of young women. POETA YouthSpark centers are focused in promoting inclusion, entrepreneurship and skills development.

Empowering Youth with POETA YouthSpark centers

Through a software donation worth an estimated value of $2.3 million dollars, we are helping the organization expand its reach and include young women between the ages of 18 to 24 in Argentina, Bolivia, Mexico, Nicaragua and Peru. ProMujer focuses on women as microentreprenuers, and Microsoft tools help support the development of their businesses and create efficiencies.

International Women’s Day is celebrated every year in March, as an event sanctioned by the United Nations to support women’s rights. Gender and diversity inclusion are a priority at Microsoft, therefore we support ProMujer –a nonprofit organization that serves women in underprivileged communities through financial education, workforce skills development and even primary health care services to break the poverty cycle in the region.

Helping Young Girls through technology access and skills trainings



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Technology for Good



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Since the beginning of our Corporate Citizenship programs in the region, Microsoft has donated $370 million dollars in cash, services and software to nonprofits around Latin America. In fiscal year 2013 alone, Microsoft donated more than $62 million dollars (FMV Fair Market Value) in cash, software and services to 500 nonprofits in more than 20 countries in the region, providing affordable access to technology to better serve their communities.

As part of our Citizenship commitment to serving communities, we created the Technology for Good program to enable nonprofit organizations to use Microsoft technology to help them achieve their goals, extend their reach and solve complex social problems.

Together with our local partners in Latin America and around the world, we engage communities and build innovative, accessible, and efficient technology solutions for the most pressing societal challenges through a variety of services and partnerships that are proven to meet local needs.

For example, in Brazil, Microsoft entered the homes of millions of TV viewers during the annual AACD Telethon that helps support children with disabilities, through a software donation of $1.2 million dollars, reinforcing our great partnership with the organization.

Additionally, we will ensure that all residents of São Paulo have free and easy access to computers and Internet through the donation of $1 million dollars to Acessa São Paulo, which is part of the government’s multipronged approach to help the most vulnerable lift themselves out of poverty.

Through a software donation of $17 million dollars to BiblioRedes in Chile, we enabled a network of public libraries to deliver reliable training to the communities it serves, based on the latest versions of available systems and technology, The project serves more than 105,000 youths every year. And in Mexico we granted a $13 million dollar donation to Nonprofit “Nacional Montes de Piedad” that provides support to middle class and lower class communities through financial services and social impact investments. This organization offers services to 270,000 youths.

These are just a few examples of what we do to empower NGO´s to fulfill their mission.

Technology for Good





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Bringing the Impact to Local Neighborhoods

In September 2012, we proudly announced the availability of Office 365 for nonprofits in the region. We have seen so far a great response from this sector adopting our cloud services, and the NGO’s embracing tools that benefit their execution and leaner administration. This new donation program provides them with affordable access to the technology and the services they need to support their work in our local communities, and to leverage technology to help them be more efficient, effective and innovative in doing their important work.

As the needs of communities expand exponentially around the world and technology advancements accelerate with increasing speed, we’re taking a new step forward to help nonprofits more easily harness the power of technology to do more good. Access to the

cloud democratizes technology because it breaks down cost barriers, promotes collaboration and allows users to gain access to their productivity tools from anywhere and everywhere. That is why cloud solutions have become a key tool for our partners in the region.

Office 365 for Nonprofits

Making meaningful impact for the most at-risk youth requires reaching deep into neighborhoods and communities, and nonprofits play a fundamental role in connecting youth with opportunities. When we celebrate NGO Days, youth have free access to programming, workshops and training. This year, we continued to hold NGO Days to get close to young people where they live, play and work, as well as to empower nonprofits to fulfill their missions.

In Argentina, we celebrated an NGO day that brought together 100 organizations that actively networked to identify opportunities and resources to strengthen their fund raising efforts and expand their reach, while preserving transparency and ethical practices.

Chile celebrated these organizations by gathering more than 60 nonprofits for discussions about engaging local youth and preparing them for the future. At the event, we also introduced the new Office 365 for nonprofits. In Colombia, as well as Chile, NGO Day served as a platform to launch Office 365 and the YouthSpark Program locally, and more than 80 people from 68 organizations participated.

In Mexico, we participated with the US Embassy at a TechCamp event to introduce YouthSpark and tools for NGOs to the more than 100 attendees.



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From nuts to tech Josinaldo, from Ceara, Brazil, earned $15 dollars per month brushing chestnuts. Through ITEVA, Microsoft’s partner, he turned on a computer for the first time, and earned a spot on a S2B program competing against university level students. He is now working on an Innovate4Good (I4G) project, travelled for the first time out of his town, got his first passport, and won a scholarship to continue with his studies.

Chasing a dream Juan Andres Horrach is a 17-year-old youth with an entrepreneurial spirit. Although he comes from a poor family who lives in an agricultural community, this teenager has had a passion for technology since he was a child. He lost his father and lives with his mother in a low populated rural town, called Guayabo Dulce in Dominican Republic. Despite his humble origins, Juan Andres had set the goal to start his own business in 2013, not only to improve his economic situation, but also to contribute to his community. Through the POETA YouthSpark program he acquired technology skills that empowered him to pursue his dream. He says: “I’m very thankful for the program because thanks to this resource, I’ve been able to learn about technology and understand what my future career will be: Systems Engineer”.

The impact of our programs is creating unique opportunities and providing youth around the region with a strong launch pad for economic success. These stories are better told by the remarkable individuals who live them. Because of their stories, we get to learn that these programs are truly having an effect in promoting local economic growth, and empower individuals to create change in their lives and surroundings. We want to shine a spotlight on a few YouthSpark Stars:

YouthSpark Stars



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Leaving the rails for the web Carlos Herrera spent his childhood playing around in the noisy railways of the small city of Temperley, a crowded town in the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Argentina, which hosts one of the largest train stations in South America.

By the age of 17, he decided to make a radical change in his life and signed up for a computer course called “Programar Project – Puerta 18”. In a couple of months, he successfully completed the training and certified himself in technical support and computer repair. His outstanding academic performance opened the doors for a new job through Reconstruyendo Lazos, a job placement program aimed at young people living in vulnerable conditions.

Through this program, Carlos arrived at Fundación Equidad, an organization which receives daily hundreds of pieces of used computers to recycle, rebuild and further donate them to schools, hospitals, and other community organizations.

“You can’t imagine the happiness I feel when the director of a public school with scarce resources, hugs me when they receive a computer that I built with my hands”, he shares proudly.

Rediscovering a childhood passion Lina Villa, had longed to be a secretary since she was a little Colombian girl. Typewriters used to catch her attention a lot. Unfortunately, her childhood did not develop as she had wished for and she suffered from a family separation that left her alone and living in a home for girls. After twenty years, Lina’s situation has drastically changed for better. She became a Commercial Promoter after training at a POETA YouthSpark center. Today, Lina feels happy with her job and believes dreams may become true.

When innovation has no age Harold Martínez was born in the humble Puerto Rican locality of Toa Alta. His life began to change when he turned 16 and had access to a Windows Phone 7. Harold started to research this platform, dedicating hours of his free time while his friends were out having a good time.

Without having the age or the educational requirements he took a risk and applied for an internship program. The program was designed for college students in areas such as systems and computer engineering that grants them the opportunity to visit the Microsoft facilities to receive training in advanced technology.

Harold was the first case of a non-university student participating in the program and in this internship, he met the members of the Mobile Development Team in the facilities of Microsoft, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Every day after school, Harold took a bus to San Juan to attend the internship at the Microsoft facilities.

A couple of days before he completed his internship, Harold received a job proposal and now, still not even 20 years old, he is an entrepreneur and contributes to his family income, studies at the university and leads lectures to other young students sharing his experiences.



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Joining the Microsoft Team Carlos Rojas is a Peruvian young professional who graduated first in his class in Computer Engineering. In 2010, he joined the Microsoft Student Partner Program.

Nowadays, he works as Technical Evangelist spreading the word and promoting Microsoft technologies. He tells users about the value of Microsoft in improving their careers, providing access to job opportunities, and promoting startups and entrepreneurship, as well as helping organizations become more productive.

In 2012 he was invited by the Latin America Citizenship Team to be the Peruvian representative at “Innovate4Good”, a global community of young people dedicated to collaborating, inspiring and supporting each other while using technology to make a difference in their communities.

In 2013, he was part of the (MSP) Social Media Team-- an international team comprised of the Top 18 Microsoft Student Partners from all over the world--to report on the Imagine Cup 2013 from a student perspective. He was appointed as the leader for the Twitter team and member of the Blog team, and participated in year-long trainings from reputable Microsoft professionals and experts on social media.

“Be aware of new technologies and how they can help you to be more productive, grow up your career and solve social problems. Nowadays we use software and technologies and we like what we do and how we do it, but do not be afraid to learn and try emerging technologies. They are great opportunities to change the way you are working and living.” Carlos Rojas said.

Each of these stories inspires us to continue our work with the realization that Microsoft YouthSpark efforts are encouraging youth to pursue their goals and achieve dreams for themselves, their families and neighborhoods.



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Thank you“Be the spark of change”

Microsoft Latin America 2014 Citizenship Reportdownload.microsoft.com/download/8/B/B/8BB497F0-45E8-4696-841… · program that helps software startups succeed by giving them access

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