Dell Launches $2 Million Dell YouthConnect Program in China

Dell YouthConnect, a global program designed to support education and digital inclusion initiatives for underserved youth, was launched in Beijing today. Dell awarded $2 million in cash and in-kind grants of products to the China Education Development Foundation (CEDF) and the China Youth Development Foundation (CYDF). Both non-profits will use the grants to enhance Information Communication Technology (ICT) education and digital inclusion for China’s underserved youth.

It’s estimated that every day, nearly 500,000 people get online for the first time in their lives. Most of these people live in emerging countries that will account for about 55 percent of the global volume of PCs in 2012, according to IDC*.

Prior to the launch of the Dell YouthConnect Program, Dell has donated over $740,000 to set up 25 Dell Learning Centers in 15 cities across China since 2006. Dell YouthConnect was first inaugurated in February 2009 with grants totaling more than $2.7 million, to 11 organizations in Brazil, India, and Mexico. The program will also be rolled out in four more countries by the end of this year.

Quotes:

“Dell views education and digital inclusion as critical to connecting youth to a more promising tomorrow. Helping prepare a generation of young people to maximize their potential through education and technology is our way of making this promise reality. China is Dell’s second biggest market, with the largest population in the world, where quality education is in high demand. YouthConnect is aligned with China’s education vision and will fulfill this demand,” said Gil Casellas, vice president of corporate responsibility at Dell.

“Youth education is China’s national development priority. We are pleased to see Dell providing underserved youth access to quality technology and learning in China. Through the collaborations of CEDF and the National Center for Educational Technology, I am confident the project will produce good results,” said Wang Jixin, Deputy Director-General, China Education Development Foundation.

“CYDF has been a philanthropic partner of Dell since 2006 to help bridge the digital divide of rural migrant children. We are proud to collaborate with Dell on this global initiative and nurture the creativity of the younger generation,” said Mr. Tu Meng, Secretary-General, China Youth Development Foundation.

About CEDF Dell YouthConnect program

CEDF is a non-profit organization dedicated to developing national assistance programs to support learning, teaching and improving the educational environment.
Over the next two years, CEDF plans to use the Dell grant to build 50 learning classrooms deploying ICT programs that will help with student-centric, project-driven, explorative and collaborative learning models.
The grant will also be used to train teachers to teach life skills through ICT.
The program will connect rural and urban schools through technology and create an interactive education network that can realize resources sharing between rural and urban areas. As a result, the education quality in rural areas can be improved while nurturing collaboration, information sharing, and creativity.

About CYDF Dell YouthConnect program

CYDF is a non-profit organization committed to promoting education, science and technology, culture, health, social welfare, and environmental protection for China’s youth and children.
CYDF will launch a 12-month project that will provide migrant children between the ages of 6-17 access to advanced technology and introduce real-world engineering challenges through the teaching of basic robotics.
This provides an opportunity to nurture creativity, build math and science skills while boosting confidence and paving the way to positive contributions to society.
The project will also offer ‘train the trainer’ programs for the schools and leverage web training to benefit larger populations in remote areas.

About Dell

Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) listens to customers and delivers innovative technology and services they need and value. For more information, visit www.dell.com. For more details on Dell’s corporate responsibility programs visit www.dell.com/corporateresponsibility.

*IDC WW PC Quarterly Tracker, Feb. 2009