10 Winners Announced at White House Youth Summit, Featured in Jon Bon Jovi Video

June 4, 2012 (Washington, DC) - Jasmine Babers of Rock Island, IL, is a winner of the SparkOpportunity Challenge, an innovative "crowdsourcing" competition that asked young people to share their ideas on how to create local jobs and opportunities for youth. Babers, 16, won for Love, GIRLS Magazine, which teaches teenage girls about work skills, marketing, sales, writing, and photography.

The ten winners, all between the ages of 15 and 35, were announced at the White House Youth Summit and in a video featuring Jon Bon Jovi, musician and member of the youth-focused White House Council for Community Solutions. The winners receive an iPad, start-up grants of $1,500, and mentoring from recognized business and civic leaders to help make their ideas a reality.

At a time when more than 6.7 million young people are unemployed and not in school, Jon Bon Jovi traveled the country talking to thousands of young people who had practical, yet inventive ideas to help their struggling peers. Again and again, they asked how they could share their solutions and where they could be heard.

The Challenge created an opportunity for youth to turn their ideas into concrete solutions and generate support through their social networks. One hundred and thirty-five people from across the country submitted ideas on topics ranging from making higher education more affordable to helping autistic youth find meaningful employment. More than 10,000 votes were cast in just 10 days.

To all who entered, Jon Bon Jovi said, "Your ideas are promising and inspiring solutions to the employment crisis for young people."

The Challenge was developed by SparkAction and The Youth Leadership Institute in partnership with 35 leading youth organizations across the country.

The organizers developed the Challenge in support of the White House Council for Community Solutions' call for the nation to do more to reconnect young people with the education, training and comprehensive social supports that are critical for long-term employment and lifelong economic independence.

Visit www.sparkopportunity.org to see Jon Bon Jovi announce the winners on video and for more detailed information on the winning ideas.


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ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP

The SparkOpportunity Challenge is led by three organizations:

The Forum for Youth Investment is a nonprofit, nonpartisan "action tank" dedicated to helping communities and the nation make sure all young people are Ready by 21®: ready for college, work and life. It was founded by Karen Pittman, a nationally recognized pioneer of the field of youth development in the United States.

SparkAction, which developed the Challenge idea and platform, is a collaborative journalism and advocacy website to mobilize action by and for children and youth. Its stories and action tools help concerned young people and adults get informed and get involved across the full range of issues affecting children, youth and families.

The Youth Leadership Institute has been an innovative leader in field of youth development for over 20 years, working to build communities that invest in youth and support young people in their work for effective community change. YLI serves youth and communities through advocacy, training and consulting services, and through community-based programs.

Research shows that broadband access gap in Iowa shrinking; 93% of residents now have access to fixed broadband speeds of 3 Mbps download

Explore the numbers

Des Moines - New research unveiled today by Connect Iowa shows that the broadband availability gap in the state is shrinking, with 93.5% of Iowa residents now having access to fixed broadband of 3 Mbps download or higher, compared to 92.5% last year.

Nonprofit Connect Iowa has been working since 2009 to ensure that Iowans have access to the economic, educational, and quality of life benefits derived from increased broadband access, adoption, and use.

Among the findings of the new broadband availability research are:

• 82.2% of Iowa households can access broadband at advertised speeds of 6 Mbps download/1.5 Mbps upload, meaning that nearly 218,000 households are in areas that may be eligible for Universal Service Fund broadband deployment subsidies
• 80.5% of Iowa households can access broadband at speeds of at least 10 Mbps download/1.5 Mbps upload (excludes mobile and satellite services)

• 96.1% of rural households in Iowa have access to broadband of at Least 768 Kbps download/200 Kbps upload (excludes mobile and satellite services)
• 3.3% of Iowa households have access to broadband speeds of at least 100 Mbps download/1.5 Mbps upload. In October 2011, only 3.2% of households in Iowa had access to these broadband speeds (excludes mobile and satellite services)

• Broadband of at least 768 Kbps download/200 Kbps upload is available to 97.7% of Iowa households, up from 97.6% last October, leaving 28,000 Iowa households unable to connect to basic high-speed Internet (excludes mobile and satellite services)
• 87.2% of Iowa households have the ability to choose broadband service from two or more non-mobile broadband providers (excludes mobile and satellite services)

Note: The data in this report are subject to data validation.

"We are thrilled to see the investment being made by providers and that the work we are doing with our state partners is paying off," said Connect Iowa State Program Manager Amy Kuhlers. "These latest access numbers show we are starting to bridge the broadband access gap and motivates us even more to focus on bringing broadband to the remaining 28,000 Iowans who remain unserved."

Last month, Connect Iowa released an innovative new broadband mapping tool called My ConnectView _TM offering unmatched views of Iowa's technology landscape. Residents and businesses are encouraged to use the interactive map to find area providers and help validate the data. Residents are also encouraged to join their local  Connected technology team to help tailor the broadband expansion plan for their community.

Connect Iowa's research was conducted as part of the State Broadband Initiative (SBI) grant program, funded by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). The data was gathered in accordance with the requirements of the Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) and subsequent clarifications set forth by NTIA. The process begins by contacting all known providers in the state and providing information about the broadband mapping project. Information on broadband service areas is collected from each willing provider through voluntary participation. A nondisclosure agreement (NDA) is offered to all providers prior to the submission of data; the data protected through the NDA is limited to highly sensitive network infrastructure information, including middle-mile locations. Connected Nation strives to maintain a flexible mapping process in order to be able to collect data from providers in a variety of formats based on providers' technical capabilities and resources.

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About Connect Iowa: Connect Iowa is a subsidiary of Connected Nation and operates as a nonprofit in the state of Iowa to promote broadband access, adoption, and use. The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) is leading the initiative to increase broadband Internet access throughout rural Iowa. Connect Iowa was commissioned by the state to work with all broadband providers in Iowa to create detailed maps of broadband coverage and develop a statewide plan for the deployment and adoption of broadband. For more information visit: www.connectiowa.org.

DAVENPORT, IA–Waste Commission of Scott County (Commission) is encouraging area residents to clear their garages, homes and workshops of household hazardous materials (HHM) during the month of June. HHM are items such as paints, pesticides, cleaners and other toxins that are no longer in use. This reduces the risk of accidental poisoning and fires and ensures environmentally sound disposal of these materials through the Commission's HHM program. The service is free to residents in Scott County, Iowa and Rock Island County, Illinois.

 

The Commission accepts these items by appointment on Mondays, Tuesdays and Saturdays at its facilities in Davenport and Buffalo. Appointments are required to ensure adequate staffing to handle the hazardous materials, which leads to shorter wait times for the customer.

 

To make an appointment, residents should first take a rough inventory of their materials and then visit www.wastecom.com or call (563) 381-1300 to choose the facility, date and time that is most convenient. Residents who make an appointment by June 30 are entered in a drawing to win one of thirteen $25 gift cards from K&K Hardware in Bettendorf.

 

If residents do not have material to dispose of at this time, there is still al chance to win! The Commission is gathering data on opinions and awareness related to local hazardous waste disposal options. Everyone who takes the survey automatically receives a coupon for $5 off a $25 purchase at K&K Hardware and is entered to win a $250 gift card to K&K Hardware. Visit www.wastecomgiveaway.com by June 10 to be entered to win.

 

The Commission is an inter-governmental agency that operates the Scott Area Landfill, Scott Area Recycling Center, Scott Area Household Hazardous Material Facilities and the Electronic Demanufacturing Facility. In addition, it provides public education and outreach through the iLivehere: myhome ourcommunity® program. For more information about the Commission visit www.wastecom.com.

 

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