Tag Archives: google.org

Google.org’s $100 million contribution to COVID-19 relief

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Google.org committed $50 million in grants focused on the areas where our resources and people can have the most impact: health and science, economic relief and recovery, and distance learning. Today we’re committing another $50 million, bringing our total contribution up to $100 million. Additionally, Google.org Fellows will give a total of 50,000 hours to COVID-19-specific projects. Read on about where our initial commitment has gone so far and how we’re thinking about allocating the next $50 million.

Google.org COVID-19 relief

Health and Science 

With over 3 million COVID-19 cases and 250,000 deaths worldwide, one of our top priorities has been supporting frontline workers who are battling the virus, as well as data science and disease tracking. Moving forward, we’ll continue to provide funding, Google.org Fellows, and volunteers to projects that use data analytics and AI to improve understanding of COVID-19 and its impact. 

Health

We've committed up to $10.5 million through public-matching campaigns  (which combines Google.org funding and Googler donation) to organizations including the World Health Organization to support preparedness, containment, response and recovery for those affected and for frontline workers around the world

AI and data to understand the impact of the virus

Data on the spread of COVID-19 is critical to understanding how it impacts public health and the economy. With Google.org Fellowships and grants to Boston Children's Hospital's HealthMap consortium and Médecins Sans Frontières in France, we're supporting the application of AI to develop new tools and models that monitor the spread of COVID-19 and provide real-time information to policy makers and healthcare systems. 

Economic Relief and Recovery 

Millions have been laid off worldwide as businesses close their doors, and, according to the OECD, these closures are likely to hit small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) hardest. We've been providing grants to nonprofits supporting SMBs, local communities and hard-hit individuals and will continue to prioritize our efforts in these three ways. 

SMBs in underrepresented communities and led by women

We've given more than $15 million in cash grants to nonprofits benefiting underrepresented business-owners. Today we’re giving a $5 million grant to Common Future to provide capital and technical assistance to 2,000 women and minority small business entrepreneurs in the U.S. We’re also making a $5 million grant to Youth Business International to launch a Rapid Response and Recovery Program that will provide critical support services including crisis helplines to more than 200,000 underserved SMBs in 32 countries across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific.

Local community efforts 

We’re committing more than $10 million in immediate crisis relief grants to nonprofits in communities where we have offices around the globe. Local organizations know how to best address food security, care for vulnerable homeless populations, support victims of domestic violence or increase access to mental health care within their communities. We’ve made over $1 million in grants so far to organizations including the Silicon Valley Strong Fund, Kirkland Small Businesses Relief Fund, and Cambridge Mayoral Disaster Relief Fund in the U.S.. Across EMEA, we’re providing more than $4 million in grants to local organizations such as Feeding Britain and FareShare in the UK, A Lust for Life in Ireland, CEAR and Red Acoge in Spain, and the Egyptian Food Bank in Egypt.

Direct cash assistance

Nearly 70 percent of U.S. self-employed workers have seen a decline in their earnings as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. Research shows that giving cash directly is one of the most effective ways to aid people in times of crisis. A month ago we kicked off an effort to support GiveDirectly’s cash assistance campaign in the Bay Area. Since then, we’ve expanded efforts to support GiveDirectly in 12 other locations across the U.S. which has resulted in  donations of more than $8 million (this includes Google.org seed funding as well as Googler and public donations). We've also given $1 million to the Family Independence Initiative and provided grants to support nonprofits providing cash assistance to support vulnerable families in India through GiveIndia, part of $10 million we’ll be giving to direct cash efforts. 

Distance learning 

At the peak of school closures due to COVID-19, more than 1.5 billion students around the world could no longer physically attend school. Our $10 million distance learning fund helped schools, teachers and parents continue teaching through this disruption. As part of that fund, we made an initial grant of $1 million to Khan Academy, who will reach over 18 million affected learners every month.

We also made a $2.7 million grant to INCO so that nonprofits in Europe and Asia can digitize  learning materials and adapt to the new distance learning environment. On Monday, we announced the final component of the $10 million distance learning fund: a $2 million grant to DonorsChoose for their Keep Kids Learning effort. It helps teachers from high-poverty U.S. public schools purchase materials for remote teaching and student care packages containing food, books and school supplies. 

Making it easier for Googlers to give back

There are thousands of Googlers eager to give money, or their own skills to organizations they’re passionate about. At the start of COVID-19, we launched an internal site to help Googlers find COVID-specific giving and volunteering opportunities in their communities. We’re matching skilled volunteers to select nonprofits and civic organizations including 31 Google.org Fellows who are providing three to six months of full time pro bono support to four COVID-19 specific Fellowship projects. We also increased Google’s annual gift match from $7,500 to $10,000.

This is one of many commitments at Google to help during this crisis, keep people safe and ensure they have access to the information they need. We’ll be sharing more as we build on these commitments globally, and continue to deploy resources to help the most affected and underserved communities recover and thrive.

To every teacher, thank you times infinity

Editor’s note: Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! We’re honored to have 2019 National Teacher of the Year Rodney Robinson as today’s guest author to share the many ways we’re celebrating and supporting teachers, in classrooms or at home.

As National Teacher of the Year, I’ve been afforded opportunities that most teachers don’t get. It’s been exciting and rewarding to advocate for my students—some of the most resilient and courageous people I know—in places like the White House and Halls of Congress. But it’s also been challenging. And now with so many students, teachers and families impacted by this global pandemic, we’re presented with a whole new set of challenges we must face together.

Whether you’re a veteran teacher or a new parent, this is uncharted territory for everyone. We could all use a little help at the moment, and that’s why I’m so happy that Google is acknowledging the work teachers and families are putting in, and providing us with the support we need right now.

Free tools, training and support for educators and families

Today Google released two new resources to help educators and families make better use of technology as part of teaching and learning, whether you’re at home or back in the classroom. Their latest version of Teach from Home provides those newer to tech with tools and tips they need to get going with distance learning, with new sections for schools and families. And their new Teacher Center has free training, certification programs and product guides for those looking to advance their practice. As teachers it’s important for us to continue learning new things, and these resources make it easier for us to come up with new ways to engage our students by incorporating technology into how we teach.


$2 million to DonorsChoose to support vulnerable students

Teachers know that for all of us, but particularly for our young students, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is more important than Bloom’s taxonomy of learning. In other words, essential needs are paramount: you can’t learn if you’re hungry or feel unsafe. That’s why I’m so encouraged to see Google support U.S. teachers from high poverty public schools like mine by providing a $2 million Google.org grant to DonorsChoose. The Keep Kids Learning program will provide thousands of teachers with $1,000 funding credits to get the materials they need to teach remotely and send their students personalized education care packages including items like books, basic supplies, educational games or kits, and groceries for students who rely on school to provide meals.  


Teachers are out there working hard for our underserved students, converting their homes into remote learning centers, teaching from driveways, delivering meals and providing learning  materials; crucially, they are also offering a familiar face and comfort to our students who need it most. This grant will help ensure more of our teachers can provide this for their students.

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Amanda Calzada and her kindergarten class in Chicago, in a photo from earlier this school year. Recently, Amanda received a grant through Keep Kids Learning, a program from DonorsChoose. With the funding, she bought supplies like pencils and playdough, “giving her students the tools they need to make learning at home an engaging, effective and exciting experience.”

Celebrating every teacher, in classrooms and at home

I’m also loving Google’s Doodle today which was created in collaboration with the 2020 State Teachers of the Year to pay tribute to teachers. 

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Today's teacher Doodle was created in collaboration with the 2020 State Teachers of the Year when they were at Google headquarters in February.

These teachers—who represent students across every U.S. state and territory—began brainstorming the Doodle when they met as a cohort at Google’s headquarters in February. Everything they do over this next year will be about advocating for their students and elevating the voices of their fellow teachers. You can get to know them and hear some of their words of wisdom in this YouTube playlist. 


I’ll also be hosting an Edu OnAir webinar later today with the four 2020 National Teacher of the Year finalists, so I hope you’ll tune in. This session is all about how we can best support teachers right now, and kicks off a free 6-week distance learning webinar series. 


For teachers like me, the best part of Teacher Appreciation Week is always the handwritten notes from our students thanking us for doing what we do. Since most of us can’t be together in person this year, Google worked with some incredible student artists (former winners of their Doodle for Google competition) and organizations like the National PTA, CCSSO (who runs the National Teacher of the Year program) and TED-Ed to design these free digital thank you cards. Whether you’re a student, caretaker or fellow teacher, be sure to use these to #ThankATeacher—I will be sending a few of these myself, and I know we could probably all use a kind, encouraging word these days. 


As my tenure as National Teacher of the Year comes to a close, I’m reflecting on what a different course it has taken than I could have ever imagined. But I know wherever we are, teachers will continue fighting for our students and putting them first so that we can ensure that education continues—no matter what. 

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Be sure to #ThankATeacher this week using one of these free digital thank you cards.

Helping educators and students stay connected

As many educational institutions around the globe are undergoing, extending or planning closures due to COVID-19, half of the world’s student population is unable to attend school. Educators face the challenge of teaching remotely at an unprecedented scale, and in some cases, for the first time.

In the last week we’ve created new distance learning resources including a collection of training materials, a list of useful apps, a new Learn@Home YouTube resource designed for families, as well as a series of blog posts and webinars. We’ve also made our premium Meet features free for schools through July 1, 2020. This includes the ability to have 250 people in a call together, record lessons and livestream. And thanks to feedback from educators, we’re also constantly making product improvements, like these new educator controls for Hangouts Meet. 

We’ve continued to listen to the challenges teachers are facing during these uncertain times and today we’re announcing two new resources to help teachers and students stay connected.

Teach from Home

Teach From Home is a central hub of information, tips, training and tools from across Google for Education to help teachers keep teaching, even when they aren’t in the classroom. 

To start, we’re providing an overview of how to get started with distance learning—for example how to teach online, make lessons accessible to students, and collaborate with other educators.

The resource will continue to evolve. We've built the hub with the support and cooperation of UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education, who is also working with other education partners to respond to this emergency. As we continue receiving feedback from teachers and partners on what’s most helpful, we’ll continue to build and improve this. Teach From Home is currently available in English, with downloadable toolkits available in Danish, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Arabic and Polish, with additional languages coming soon.

Supporting organizations who are helping to reduce barriers to distance learning

When facing these challenges, we’re at our best when we respond as a community. As part of our $50 million Google.org COVID-19 response, we’re announcing a $10 million Distance Learning Fund to support organizations around the globe that help educators access the resources they need to provide high quality learning opportunities to children, particularly those from underserved communities.

The Google.org Distance Learning Fund’s first grant will be $1 million to help Khan Academy provide remote learning opportunities to students affected by COVID-19 related school closures. Along with the grant, Google volunteers are planning to help Khan Academy provide educator resources in more than 15 languages, and through their platform, they'll reach over 18 million learners a month from communities around the globe. We hope to announce additional organizations soon.

We’re inspired by the ideas and resources educational leaders are sharing with each other during this time. To continue the conversation, join a Google Educator Group, share your distance learning tips and tricks, and connect with us on Twitter and Facebook. We hope you’ll keep passing along your ideas and feedback so we can continue to evolve and build this together.
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New skills for Indonesia’s next generation

As a teacher, Nur Ernawati believes in the value of lifelong learning—including for herself. Ernawati was one of 140 Indonesian teachers who signed up for a Bebras Indonesia course on computational thinking: a way of learning that stresses critical thinking and problem-solving rather than learning by rote. She’s since passed those lessons on to more than 400 of her students. Now she wants to see the program rolled out across Indonesia—and we’re ready to help make it happen. 

At an event in Jakarta today, we announced a $1 million Google.org grant that that will enable Bebras—a global education nonprofit—to launch Gerakan Pandai: a new program designed to train another 22,000 Indonesian teachers in computational thinking over the next two years. 

Why is this so important? With 64 million students, Indonesia has the fourth-largest education system in the world. But to give those students the best possible future, we need to make sure they have the skills and knowledge to handle changes in technology and solve the challenges they’re likely to face in the workplace. Bebras’ programs train teachers to help students break problems into smaller parts, assess data, prioritise information, and create solutions to complex issues: skills that are relevant to every career path, not just in the technology industry.

Gerakan

Announcing our $1 million Google.org grant with Awaluddin Tjalla from the Ministry of Education and Culture, Ibu Inge and Ibu Nur from Bebras Indonesia, and Scott Beaumont, Google’s APAC President.

So far, teachers trained by Bebras have taught computational thinking to more than 5,000 students—including 14-year old Nasha Rainy, one of Nur Ernawati’s students. ”Initially, I found the class very challenging, but Mrs. Erna was always there to support and inspire me to do my best,” Nasha said. “This experience has increased my self-confidence.” 

By 2023, with Google.org’s support, Bebras-trained teachers will have reached two million more students across 22 locations in Indonesia, reaching underprivileged communities which might not have had these kinds of opportunities in the past.  

Not only will Gerakan Pandai help young Indonesians shape their future with confidence, it will also contribute to closing Indonesia’s digital skills gap—one of our country’s most urgent priorities for the 2020s. 

The Google.org grant was one of several steps we announced today, at the launch of our Grow with Google skills program in Indonesia, as we work to help millions more people succeed in Indonesia’s $40 billion internet economy.  

Our skills training programs range from helping entrepreneurs use digital tools to supporting Indonesia’s most promising developers with courses in artificial intelligence and machine learning. But it all starts with education: what we teach our children and how well we prepare them for the opportunities that technology creates. With the support of Bebras—and brilliant teachers like Nur Ernawati—I’m confident the next generation will be ready to lead Indonesia forward.

Announcing Google.org’s new safety grants in Europe

Whether you’re online searching for answers, creating something new, or just looking for a little help, you should be able to do so with confidence that you and your family will stay safe. 


That’s why last year we opened the Google Safety Engineering Centre, our global hub for privacy engineering, in the heart of Europe. It’s there where we build many of the tools that protect the privacy and security of our users all over the world—and where last year we also announced the Google.org Impact Challenge on Safety, a fund to support organisations that are creating practical, real-world solutions when it comes to hate, extremism, and child safety, both online and offline. 


Today, we’re announcing the grant recipients: 29 organizations across 14 countries who are receiving grants totaling €10 million to fund their work in their home countries and across Europe. 


One of our grantees, the FARE Network, has developed tools to improve, understand and report extremist hate crime and discrimination in football. Another, Mama Chat, has built a chat service that gives free and anonymous support for women and girls in need. 


To see the full list of grantees, visit our website at g.co/safetyimpactchallenge.


Nearly 900 applications came in from all across the region. We would like to thank our panel of experts—including Member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies Laura Boldrini, journalist Kübra Gümüşay, Executive Director of ILGA Europe Evelyne Paradis, and many more—as well as partners the Institute for Strategic Dialogue and Ashoka, the largest global social network for entrepreneurs, who were chosen for their expertise on these important issues.  


Our focus on safety doesn’t end with our development of tools for Google users. It extends to our support for the important work of civil society and cross-sector experts, developers, and collaborators—everyone, in other words, who is invested in making the internet a safer place.

Supporting future history makers with NAACP

When I was in the 11th grade, I had the opportunity to write my first screenplay through NAACP’s Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) program. The program provides a platform for Black high school students—more than 300,000 to date—to bring their ideas to life and kickstart their journeys to becoming leaders in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), humanities, business, and the arts. 


ACT-SO gave me the confidence to pursue my dream of working in the entertainment and tech industry. After competing in NAACP’s local and national competitions, I wrote and directed my first short film, which I used in my portfolio to attend New York University. That eventually led me to my job as a Google Account Manager handling sales in the Media and Entertainment industry. 


Looking back, the greatest gift was that the program instilled values of community, excellence, and discipline in the participants. I’ve carried those values throughout my academic and professional career. I’ve found ways to build community and culture at Google, such as serving as the 2017-2018 Co-Lead of our Black Googler Network Bay Area chapter. 


This weekend, Google.org announced a $3 million grant and opportunities for Googlers to volunteer to help scale the ACT-SO program over the next three years. I sat down with National ACT-SO Director Larry Brown, Jr. to learn about how NAACP plans to expand the program to more students.


Can you give us an overview of ACT-SO, for people who aren’t familiar?


ACT-SO is an achievement program designed to recruit, stimulate, and encourage high academic and cultural achievement among African-American high school students. Students work throughout the year to develop a compelling project in one of 32 categories. After qualifying at their local ACT-SO contest, winners present their ideas at our national ACT-SO competition and compete for top scholarship prizes. The ACT-SO experience is unique and I dare say irreplaceable—it helps students build a support system for a lifetime of success. 


I understand that supporting the ACT-SO program is very personal to you. How did you first get involved with the program and what does your role include today?


As a high school student in Detroit, I competed in ACT-SO's Oratory competition. Although I never won, I was able to build a foundation of transferable skills that had a lasting impact. Now, as the leader of ACT-SO, I'm able to use what I learned as a contestant—active listening, critical thinking, and persuasion, to name a few skills—to create a memorable and impactful program that further enhances students' experiences, while in ACT-SO and beyond. I’ve also been able to create rewarding volunteer opportunities for my fellow ACT-SO alumni to give back to the program that benefited them. 


At Google, we often talk about moonshots—“anything is possible,” 10x ideas. What is ACT-SO’s moonshot, and how can a grant from Google.org and volunteer support from Googlers bring it to life? 


Over the years, we’ve heard from many alumni who, like you, point back to the ACT-SO competition as a pivotal moment in being recognized for their brilliance and potential. NAACP believes that every student, particularly students from underrepresented backgrounds, should be encouraged to pursue their academic excellence. That’s why, over time, we want to expand the ACT-SO program and make sure every student of African descent has access to a local ACT-SO competition. 


Google.org’s grant is a first step in moving closer to that goal. We were on a trajectory to engage 30,000 students over the next three years, but with Google’s support, we’re planning to expand to new chapters and engage almost 70,000 students. We’ll be hiring new staff, offering more travel stipends to students, and keeping alumni engaged. We’re also thrilled that members of the Black Googler Network and Black@YouTube have committed to volunteer as mentors and judges at the local and national level. Having Googlers involved will give our students the opportunity to meet new role models and begin building relationships in the tech industry. 


NAACP’s vision is a society where all individuals have equal rights without discrimination based on race. What role can computer science play in moving closer to that outcome? 


NAACP wants to put students on a path to high-wage careers that will make an impact on their lives, families, and communities, which is why we’re investing additional funds in our program’s science and technology tracks. The data shows that more than half of all jobs require technical skills, but a majority of students still aren’t learning these skills in school. Across the country, millions of technical jobs are projected to go unfilled, yet women and minorities are drastically underrepresented in technical fields. We believe that computer science education opportunities can be transformative in the lives of young people, and in particular, young people who do not have equal access and regularly face barriers to learning computer science. 


I don’t want to forget the role that artists have in computer science. I believe that artists and scientists have a lot in common. Technologists, scientists and artists share an inquisitiveness and drive to better understand the world through their work. Plus, computer scientists need great designers. 


What’s one way that we, as a society, can better support Black and Latino students on their educational journeys?


If we believe that all students deserve the chance to make history, it’s critical that we lift up diverse representations of excellence and achievement. For example, we know that Black and Latino students have equal interest in CS education, but they face social barriers such as a lack of role models and learning materials that reflect their lived experiences. Only one in four underrepresented students report “often” seeing people “doing CS” in television shows or movies, and only about one in six among them report “often” seeing people like them. Everyone can help challenge these barriers by lifting up stories of achievement that are not traditionally represented. 


ACT-SO has several famous alumni. Can you share one of your favorite ACT-SO testimonies? 


There are many alumni that come to mind, one is Anthony Burrell—a creative director who's choreographed for artists like Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Rihanna and Katy Perry. His work has been featured on some of the largest stages in the world. But he's also used his platform to give back to young people and create a community of dancers. At his Anthony Burrell Center for Dance in Atlanta, dancers learn the fundamentals of various dance forms. He ensures students have access to dance education and training by providing scholarships for students who need assistance.


For the past five years, Anthony has worked with ACT-SO as the choreographer of the annual ACT-SO Awards Ceremony. He elevates our students and provides opportunities for them to connect as professionals—some of them have even been hired to perform with notable talent after their ACT-SO experience. In addition to his own career in dance, Anthony's participation in ACT-SO has given other students the opportunity to create a pathway to their personal success.


The Most Searched: A celebration of Black history makers

Search trends can help us understand what people are interested in and what has endured—the people and events that have captivated our attention over time. 

Last year, as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day approached, our team had a hunch that his monumental “I Have A Dream Speech” might be the most searched speech in the United States in Google Trends history. It prompted us to analyze 15 years’ worth of U.S. search trends data to find out.

Sure enough, it was.

This revelation was an electrifying moment for our team. It pushed us to explore more aggregate Search trends data to identify other Black icons, events and movements that were the most searched within a specific category or field in the U.S. 

Here’s what we found: Dozens of Black Americans and the historical movements they led were searched more than any other person or event in a category. These range from historical milestones like the Montgomery bus boycott to iconic figures like Maya Angelou to the most searched Pulitzer Prize winner—Kendrick Lamar, for his album DAMN.

That’s why, in celebration of Black History Month, we’re releasing a film tribute to these iconic moments, online and as an ad during the 2020 Grammy Awards. 

“Most Searched” tells a powerful story about how the Black community has helped shape and influence American culture. It also shows the tremendous collective interest in our history.

We're proud to celebrate the people and events in this film, and also hope that it inspires future history makers. In an effort to help build the next generation of Black leaders, scholars, artists and technologists, we’re awarding a $3 million Google.org grant to support the NAACP's Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) program. As part of this, we're connecting Googlers to ACT-SO volunteering opportunities. ACT-SO provides a platform for Black high school students—more than 300,000 to date—to bring their ideas to life and kickstart their journeys to becoming leaders in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), humanities, business, and the arts. This initiative joins previous commitments to support organizations and programs that help Black and Latino students develop the technical skills they need to succeed in career and life.

To learn more about these individuals and our celebration of Black History Month, visit g.co/blackhistorymonth.

Supporting AI skills training in Molenbeek, Belgium

MolenGeek started in 2015 in Molenbeek, Belgium, as a coding school for anyone to learn digital skills. But unlike many other schools, MolenGeek is driven by a social mission of fostering inclusion, integration and community development in this culturally diverse suburb of Brussels. 

In five years, it’s become a co-working space for young people from all backgrounds, enabling them to network and share their experiences. Out of Molengeek's community of 800 active members, 195 people from predominantly underprivileged backgrounds have gone through entrepreneurship skills training, and 35 new startups have been built and grown out of their incubator program. We’ve been proud to help support their mission since 2015.

Today, Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, visited MolenGeek to announce an additional Google.org grant of $250,000—over EUR 200,000—to expand its coding school and increase the community’s access to new kinds of digital skills training. MolenGeek will use the funds to develop a new six-month content module focused on artificial intelligence and data analytics. This is part of MolenGeek’s longer-term plan to open a second hub in Brussels later this year, which will include an incubator dedicated to the needs of AI-focused startups, as well as a six-month AI training program. In addition to funding, Google AI experts will also provide MolenGeek with ongoing mentorship and opportunities for Googlers to volunteer.

“MolenGeek’s mission to make sure technology, entrepreneurship, and innovation is accessible to everyone is personal to me, and to the work we do at Google,” said Sundar. “Increasingly that means helping people get the skills they need to succeed in a digital world. We’re proud to support MolenGeek as it expands its digital trainings, including a new module focused on artificial intelligence, to give more people the tools for success.”

Sundar visits MolenGeek

“It’s important that we offer the younger generations a way to invest in themselves,” says Ibrahim Ouassari, co-founder of MolenGeek. “As the momentum is picking up, we are grateful that we can once again count on Google to lend their support and knowledge to the many potential entrepreneurs who look to MolenGeek as a gateway to the tech sector and a springboard for their future careers.”

And this grant support is especially important when it comes to AI, one of the most exciting technologies humanity is working on today. We’re already seeing its potential to change lives, from helping doctors better detect breast cancer, forecast floods in India, to supporting nonprofits applying AI tools to address issues like illegal logging and plastic waste reduction. To help more Belgian businesses make the most of this technology, we’ll be expanding our Machine Learning Checkup tool to small and medium businesses here in Belgium, as well as 10 other markets in Europe. 

With such a huge scope for positive change, countries must invest now in reskilling and education. It all starts in communities like Molenbeek, in organizations like this one, who believe not just in technology, but in the people creating it.

Google.org Fellows bring transparency to local jail data nationwide

In recent years, we’ve seen a bipartisan focus on criminal justice reform in the U.S., but to measure progress—and understand the breadth of the issue—we need data on who is being incarcerated and why. The last nationwide jail census was conducted in 2013, and the federal government’s most recent estimate of the U.S. jail population is from 2017. Because it takes so long to get up-to-date information on jail populations, Vera--an organization working to improve justice systems--started a project to collect the data themselves. 

In Our Backyards looks at jail population data from state and local government websites to understand who’s behind bars simply because they can’t afford bail, or who’s being charged with a non-criminal offense like unpaid child support. As part of our work using data science and technology to help solve some of humanity’s biggest challenges, Google.org contributed to the project with a $4 million grant. Additionally, 12 Google.org Fellows spent six months doing full-time pro-bono work on the project. 

Today, Vera released the results of this project: People In Jails in 2019. We learned that while the U.S. has made strides in prison reform, rural jail occupancy is actually on the rise. Cities like Chicago, New York and Philadelphia are reducing jail populations, but over the last several years, rural counties and smaller cities have sent more people to jail, driving an increase in the nation’s total jail population. 

 I sat down with Google.org Fellow, Aria Ashton, who participated in the Fellowship with Vera.

What exactly did your team set out to achieve during the Fellowship with Vera?

Our goal was to support Vera in building a nationwide jail monitoring and alerting system that shines a light on local justice systems in the United States. The ambition was to get a full picture of how many people are in county jails in near real-time, and for what reasons. Compiling this kind of data allows Vera to derive data-based insights about how county jails are being used. For example, in one county, 50 percent of the jailed population was incarcerated with bond amounts under $500. If we presume that these are individuals who would otherwise be free but cannot afford a $500 bail amount, does this mean that half of the beds in this particular jail are low-level offenders below the poverty line? 

What motivated you to spend six months working full-time with Vera on this Fellowship project?

My brother spent a lot of his life incarcerated. He’d always been troubled with mental illness which led to drug dependency. If it weren’t for these two factors, my brother wouldn’t have been incarcerated at all. One year, after spending six years in a correctional facility in California, he was released to a halfway house where he eventually succumbed to his addiction and died. At this point I began to wonder, “How many brothers and sisters, how many mothers and fathers are cycling in and out of the system because they can’t find proper treatment for mental health and addiction issues?” Using jails and prisons to address mental illness and addiction is unfortunately widespread, and I hope our work with Vera will put an end to these practices.

Aria

Aria with her brother.

What do you want the world to know about the Vera project?

Society is losing so much because of the lack of visibility into the use of county jails. I hope that when the data is shared, and personal stories are told, everyone gets a sense that this is a black box and someone needs to shine a light on it. There are so many people who are lost in this system. Even though Vera understands this world holistically, they couldn’t get an accurate picture of the jail population through existing data.

How did Google help move this ambitious project along? 

First, we had a ton of technical expertise on our Google.org Fellowship team—engineering resources can go a long way toward developing a technical solution like this. Second, we hadn’t been in this space for as long as Vera, so we brought a fresh perspective. We didn’t have the same assumptions, so we were able to question approaches and offer new solutions.

What surprised you about the Fellowship experience and this project in particular?

When you think about the millions of people who go in and out of jails, inevitably you start to wonder what their stories might be. Many have lost their jobs, can’t pay bills, and no longer have access to their children. Immersing ourselves with Vera and this project drove home that this system has a real human cost.Many corporations are trying to raise awareness about  social justice issues, but awareness doesn’t always translate into action or advance a cause. This Fellowship is a “put your money where your mouth is” program. I hope the Google.org Fellowship can inspire more corporations to do the same.

What did you learn from the Fellowship experience and how have you applied that to your life?

First, I’m proud of the work the Fellowship team did. I’ll have that with me for the rest of my life. Working on something that really matters made me become the most efficient and effective version of myself. Second, I met a lot of people who are involved in criminal justice reform and learned about the ways advocates are trying to change the system. I realized the importance of my voice as a person who hasn’t been incarcerated but has been directly impacted by the dysfunction of the system. By raising my voice, I can perhaps help policymakers and ordinary citizens understand how much suffering this system causes. As a result of the contacts I made doing this kind of work, I am taking part in restorative justice events in prisons, so that I can do as much as I can to drive change and hopefully save other families from bleak futures, punctuated by tragedies.

Thanking all first responders

Growing up, my next door neighbor was a Boston firefighter. Like many kids, I was inspired by heroic portrayals of firefighters battling flames and carrying people to safety. What affected me most, however, was watching my neighbor leave his house every morning, prepared to help those in need. This dedication to helping others stuck with me.

It’s been twenty years since I first joined the fire department, and I’ve served as an on-call firefighter ever since. I’ve worked alongside EMTs, police officers, and community volunteers who on a daily basis are answering the call for help. While the newsworthy crises are part of the job, it’s also the less recognized, everyday moments—from replacing batteries in an elderly resident's smoke alarm to calming a child after an allergic reaction—that are essential elements of this work.

Today we’re recognizing our nation’s first responders for all the ways they dedicate their lives to helping others. A challenging, but often unrecognized, aspect of this work is the preparation required ahead of potential disasters. Therefore, Google.org is giving a $1 million grant to Team Rubiconto build out teams of volunteers, most of them military veterans, who will work alongside first responders to build out disaster preparedness operations.

Jake Wood, co-founder and CEO of Team Rubicon, explains the impact of this grant: "This funding enables us to build disaster preparedness in cities across the U.S. so we can mobilize to help others on their worst day. This includes everything from training in critical skill sets such as damage assessment, roof-tarping and chainsaw operations to incident command and leadership development—all so we can better serve our communities and neighbors affected by disaster."

Investing in preparedness is a key priority for Google.org as studies have shown that for every $1 spent on preparedness, approximately $6 are saved in the post-disaster recovery. Through this Team Rubicon grant and Google’s continued Crisis Responseefforts, we aim to support the work of first responders and the strength of their communities.

The work of Team Rubicon is close to my heart. Some of my closest friends and colleagues have been volunteering with them for many years and I’m grateful to be a part of supporting the incredible work they’re doing. Working within the first responder community has been one of the most meaningful aspects of my life. I continue to be inspired by the everyday selflessness of those I get the chance to work with. On behalf of Google, I want to say “thank you first responders for your daily dedication to help.”