In today’s world there is no scarcity of opportunities yet there is a growing divide between young people who have the chance to succeed owing to their enhanced skills and those who don’t. In response to this divide Microsoft has targeted its corporate citizenship program particularly towards youth empowerment.
Microsoft YouthSpark is a youth empowerment initiative that connects millions of youth the world over and provides them with opportunities for education, employment and entrepreneurship. It brought together more than 350,000 students from more than 260 regions and countries to participate in the 2012 Imagine Cup—the world’s largest student technology competition. In the auspicious event students from different parts of the world and cultures use their skills to solve world’s most challenging problems. Such competitions are great motivators for youth as it provides them with a platform to showcase their talent across borders and to explore and enhance global opportunities. Microsoft has provided students free access to state-of-art technology facilities at more than 90 Microsoft innovation centres in 44 countries to accelerate their career opportunities. It has also provided innovative designer and web developer tools to students and teachers around the globe under the Microsoft Dreamspark initiative. Most of the company’s donations are targeted towards Non-profit