It’s Time for More Than Just Lip Service —
I choose to be a glass-half-full person. I believe in sharing good news that has merit and is being ACTED on. But, don’t confuse my positive nature with complacency. When companies or individuals make promises and don’t act on them, my respect is lost in a nanosecond.
That’s why my interest is piqued about Verizon’s new initiative: Citizen Verizon. It focuses on taking action in 3 key areas:
1. Digital Inclusion. The company will provide 10 million youths with the digital skills training necessary to thrive in a modern economy, and will provide 1 million small businesses with resources to help them thrive in the digital economy by 2030. This includes creating an education platform geared towards grades K-12 that will address the new hybrid learning models emerging from COVID-19. The platform will support district leaders, teachers, parents, and students; enhance teacher resources with a focus on remote learning and expert tech guidance for districts; provide parents with digital literacy training; and offer engaging content for under-resourced youth.
2. Climate Protection. Verizon’s pledge is to become carbon neutral in its operations by 2035 by reducing emissions, investing in renewable energy, and purchasing carbon offsets.
3. Human Prosperity. The company will prepare 500,000 individuals for the jobs for the future through skills training and job advancement tools. They plan to equip vulnerable populations with the skills and mentorship they need to enter the future economy; and collaborative partnerships to advance the conversation around skills-based hiring.
It’s helpful to see large service providers investing in economic, environmental, and social issues. It’s also important to recognize that small- to medium-sized providers, vendors, distributors, and their partners, are doing significant work as well.
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That’s why we want to spread the word about the concrete good works YOUR organization is doing. Send along a short description with a picture or two to [email protected]. We’ll share it on ise.mediaquest.co.
Right now, we could all benefit from seeing examples of proactive citizenship in action.
