HP and Junior Achievement Empower Students Across the Globe to Better Compete in 21st Century Workforce

HP and Junior Achievement, the world's largest organization dedicated to inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy, today announced the winner of the first Social Technology Relay, a global competition where teams of students from 11 participating countries designed projects that could have a significant positive social impact.

Team of high school students from Nizhnekamsk

A team of high school students from Nizhnekamsk, Russia, took home the global title for Fortuna, a simple and sustainable business concept designed to encourage citizens to manufacture and sell products created from recyclable waste materials, potentially driving profit and as well reducing landfill.

To expand the project's reach and impact, the students integrated into their project activities just as trainings, awareness events and grassroots campaigns designed to encourage recycling and share best practices in sustainability. In terms of scale, the project would first be rolled out within the local community, and at that time disseminated to a wider, global audience via web-based activities. In point of fact, many of the finalists integrated an information and communications innovation component into their project designs.

Active role in these programs

HP plays an active role in these programs and goes beyond traditional corporate sponsorship by not only donating funds and equipment, however also tapping into its vast innovation expertise and mobilizing members of its more than 300,000-employee workforce to participate via mentoring and volunteering.

"The HP mentors who participated and the HP innovation used in the competition were key in making the Social Technology Relay a success. This year's winners demonstrated real out-of-the-box, original thinking in conceiving and developing their projects, and I wouldn't be surprised if some end up being implemented."

The Social Technology Relay taught us communication

"Participation in the Social Technology Relay taught us communication and business skills, and as well made us more confident working in teams. Through this program, we learned that business can and should have a positive impact on society and the environment. It was great being able to come up with new ideas, designs and technologies that could address environmental challenges and improve our quality of life."

Junior Achievement is the world's largest organization dedicated to inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy. Through a dedicated volunteer network, Junior Achievement provides in-school and afterwards-school programs for students which focus on three key content areas: work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy. Today, 124 individual area operations reach 4 million students in the United States, with an additional 5.8 million students served by operations in 119 other countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.jaworldwide.org.