GO Campaign, Lemelson-MIT, and P90X Creator Tony Horton Launch Global Search for Innovators, Granting $50,000 in GO Innovation Awards to Inspire Youth to Solve Real World Problems

    TOPANGA, CA, June 07, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- GO Campaign, a non-profit organization supporting orphans and vulnerable children throughout the developing world, Lemelson-MIT, and P90X Creator Tony Horton are announcing the launch of GO's global search for innovators and entrepreneurs who are sharing their innovations with youth and inspiring them to create solutions for the real world community problems they face. Up to $50,000 will be granted annually to GO Innovation Award (GIA) recipients.

In addition to inviting participation in the global search, GO Campaign will call for private sector support by corporations, nonprofits, educational institutions, and the general public to secure an initial $500,000 for the five-year, global grant program that will be announced at a National Press Club Newsmaker press conference at 10 a.m., Thursday, June 9. Panelists will include Scott Fifer, GO Campaign Executive Director; Tony Horton, P90X Creator/GO Board Member; Joshua Schuler, Lemelson-MIT Executive Director; and Bernard Kiwia, Inventor/2011 GIA Recipient. Lily Munanka, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of the United Republic of Tanzania, will also be in attendance. GO's network of partners and advisors, including Lemelson-MIT, MIT IDEAS challenge, MIT d-Lab, and MIT Public Service Center will collaborate and advise during the implementation of the grant program.

"GO strives to continuously encourage youth to be agents of change and to actively shape the world in which they live," stated Scott Fifer, GO Campaign Executive Director. "The GO Innovation Award furthers that goal by bringing youth into the solution-equation, providing them with role-models with whom they can relate and the tools to see their ideas come to fruition." GO will also present Bernard Kiwia of Arusha, Tanzania, the 2011 GIA recipient. Kiwia is a bicycle repairman-turned-inventor whose inventions include cell phone chargers for bicycles and motorbikes, a bicycle-powered water pump, a solar water heater, and a drip irrigation kit. Kiwia started a youth entrepreneurship program in Tanzania to encourage problem solving through innovation and social entrepreneurship, ultimately creating jobs for community youth.

After the conference, Bernard will visit a local DC elementary school where he will address inner-city youth and demonstrate his inventions and inspire them in the same way he inspires youth in his home country. Media are invited to attend.

GIA Nominations will be accepted between Sept. 1, 2011 - Jan 31, 2012, Finalists will be reviewed by a panel of experts and voted on by the general public. Award nominees must live in the country where the grant will be administered, collaborate with established entities serving youth aged 7-25, and administer a year-long program. Public Voting April 1, 2012 - May 31, 2012. Winners will be announced June 2012. For more information, please visit http://www.gocampaign.org/gia.

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