Media Kit2016 STEM Mentoring Awards

US2020 – together with Co-Founding Sponsors, Chevron and Tata Consultancy Services – will present the second annual STEM Mentoring Awards (SMAs). The SMA winners will be recognized at the STEM Mentoring Symposium to be held at the White House complex the week of August 8, 2016. The awards are a platform to celebrate and encourage exceptional work in the STEM mentoring field and an opportunity to build recognition for STEM mentoring as an important tool for education reform. This document includes tools and resources available to US2020 Co-Investors, City Network staff and their partner organizations to communicate about the STEM Mentoring Awards; in the following pages you will find:

• US2020 press release announcing STEM Mentoring Awards• Timeline of events• Themes to communicate the STEM Mentoring Awards• Social media guide• Image files describing award categories• STEM Mentoring Awards information sheets

We hope you and your partners share our excitement in making the SMAs a great way to recognize and celebrate the high-impact work being done across the country in STEM mentoring.

US2020 AND 250+ PARTNERS ADDRESS THE STEM OPPORTUNITY CRISISSTEM Mentoring Awards Announced at 2016 White House Science Fair

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Announced today at the White House, US2020 has launched the second annual STEM Mentoring Awards, together with co-founding sponsors Chevron and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). The initiative also announced a new online matching platform designed to enable any STEM professional to find high-quality, STEM volunteer opportunities across the country.

“Access to high quality mentoring can help prepare our youth for 21st century STEM careers, and remove barriers faced by girls and students from minorities and low-income groups. We deeply cherish our long standing partnership with US2020, and are proud to provide our technology and human capital to enable this national movement,” said Surya Kant, President, Tata Consultancy Services, North America, UK and Europe.

US2020 and its partners – more than 250 organizations in 14 cities -- are collaborating to build a quality-driven STEM mentoring movement focused on engaging underrepresented youth.

STEM Mentoring Awards & Symposium: US2020, together with Chevron and TCS, will present the second annual STEM Mentoring Awards and Symposium. The STEM Mentoring Awards are a platform to share best practices and to celebrate and encourage exceptional work in the STEM mentoring field. The 2015 winners were: University City Science Center FirstHand and Chicago Student Invention Convention for Most Innovative Hands-On Project; Iridescent and We Teach Science for Excellence in Volunteer Experience; and IBM and NetApp for Excellence in Corporate Culture.

In 2016, US2020 will recognize exceptional work in three categories: Excellence in Volunteer Experience, Excellence in Corporate Culture, and Excellence in Public-Private Partnerships. The latter two categories are fully public and open to any U.S.-based firm. This year’s winners will be recognized at the STEM Mentoring Symposium to be held at the White House complex this summer. The Symposium will serve as a national field-building event, attended by the country’s leading practitioners and supporters of the STEM mentoring movement.

To learn more about the award categories, register for an informational webinar and apply visitwww.US2020.org/SMA.

US2020 Matching Platform: Today US2020 and TCS also announced a new online matching platform that functions like “Match.com for volunteers,” enabling any nonprofit organization or classroom teacher to connect easily with a STEM professional, improving student learning while also increasing access to educational and career pathways in STEM. The development of the site has been led by TCS, a national corporate partner and pro-bono developer, and JMS, an award-winning creative studio. In 2016, US2020 will utilize the platform as a central hub to engage more than 1,000 corporations and civic organizations and serve more than 20,000 students with a focus on girls, traditionally underrepresented ethnic minorities, and children from low-income families. Nonprofits, schools and other education providers interested in leveraging this national tool should contact US2020 at us2020.org/contact.

For Immediate ReleaseApril 13, 2016

About US2020US2020 launched at the 2013 White House Science Fair, with the mission to dramatically scale the number of STEM professionals mentoring and teaching students, especially those who have been traditionally underrepresented in STEM fields. US2020 has built a network of more than 250 organizations in 14 cities actively working together to develop a “STEM Mentoring Movement”. The initiative is building national supply and demand for STEM mentors by partnering with Fortune 500 companies and best-in-class nonprofits, and matching committed volunteers with quality programs. The match-making process and data collection is supported by a dynamic online platform built by pro-bono developer Tata Consultancy Services. US2020 is a division of Citizen Schools, a nonprofit organization in its 20th year of service. More information about the US2020 network and the 2016 Awards can be found at www.us2020.org/SMA. Follow US2020 on Twitter @US_2020.

About Citizen SchoolsCitizen Schools is a national nonprofit organization that partners with middle schools to expand the learning day for children in low-income communities. Citizen Schools mobilizes a team of Ameri-Corps educators and volunteer “Citizen Teachers” to teach real-world learning projects and provide academic support, in order to help all students discover and achieve their dreams. For more informa-tion, please visit www.citizenschools.org.

If you are interested in engaging your local journalist contacts to gain traditional media coverage, please reach out to US2020 National at rickyramos@citizenschools.org; we are happy to collaborate on the pitch and outreach.

STEM Mentoring Awards Timeline:• March 30, 2016: SMA applications go live on the US2020 website• April 13, 2016: Bridging STEM Newsletter announcement • April 13, 2016: White House Science Fair press release mentions SMAs• April 28, 2016: Informational webinar on Excellence in Volunteer Experience Award• May 3, 2016: Informational webinar on Excellence in Corporate Culture Award• May 5, 2016: Informational webinar on Excellence in Public-Private Partnerships Award• Week of May 9, 2016: Announce 2016 SMA judges• May 31, 2016: Application deadline for Excellence in Volunteer Experience• June 10, 2016: Application deadline for Excellence in Public-Private Partnerships and

Excellence in Corporate Culture• June 30, 2016: Deadline by which US2020 must receive a minimum of 10 volunteer survey

responses in order for applicants to reach full eligibility for Excellence in Volunteer Experience Award

• July 8, 2016: SMA winners notified• Week of August 8, 2016: Winners attend SMAs and receives recognition

STEM Mentoring Awards Messaging Themes:The following statements are campain themes to use throughout the SMAs• Identify and Elevate Excellence in STEM Mentoring• Adavance the Momentum for the STEM Mentoring Movement

Social Media GuideWe invite you to use the following Twitter hashtags, tweets, sample LinkedIn and Facebook posts, and photos to share across your networks. Let your followers know about your interest in the STEM Mentoring Awards, why you or your partners are applying, and why they should too.

LinkedIn• US2020 -- together with Co-Founding Sponsors, Chevron and Tata Consultancy Services – is

proud to announce the second annual STEM Mentoring Awards. Leaders in STEM education will gather at the White House complex to celebrate and encourage exceptional work in the field of STEM mentoring in three categories: Excellence in Volunteer Experience, Excellence in Corporate Culture, and Excellence in Public-Private Partnerships. The latter two categories are fully public and open to any U.S.-based firm. The STEM Mentoring Awards serve as a unique opportunity to build recognition for STEM mentoring as an imlportant tool in education reform. Learn more at US2020.org/SMA

• Applications for US2020’s 2016 STEM Mentoring Awards are live. US2020 is seeking to identify and elevate excellence in STEM Mentoring by awarding organizations and compaines in three categories: Excellence in Volunteer Experience, Excellence in Corporate Culture, and Excellence in Public-Private Partnerships. Learn more at US2020.org/SMA

TwitterUS2020 National Handle: @US_2020

Hashtags#SMAs#STEM#STEMmentoring Sample Tweets:• .@US_2020 is proud to announce the second annual #STEM Mentoring Awards sponsored by @

Chevron and @TCS_News #SMAs• Apply for the @US_2020 #STEM Mentoring Awards! Join our effort to Identify & Elevate

Excellence in STEM Mentoring US2020.org/SMA• Applications for the #SMAs are live! Know of an organization advancing momentum for the

#STEM mentoring movement? US2020.org/SMA

The following tweets are to be posted with the related award image attached(see example)

• Know a company promoting a culture of #STEM volunteerism? Apply to the STEM Mentoring Awards US2020.org/SMA

• Does your team host exceptional @US_2020 #STEM mentoring opportunities? Apply to the #SMAs! US2020.org/sma

• When public and private sectors team up to serve youth, we want to know! Apply for the #SMAs US2020.org/SMA

FacebookUS2020 page: www.facebook.com/us2020.org

The following sample posts are to be shared with the an award description image attached(see example)

Sample Posts:• US2020 -- together with Co-Founding Sponsors, Chevron and Tata Consultancy Services – is

proud to announce the second annual STEM Mentoring Awards. Leaders in STEM education will gather at the White House complex to celebrate and encourage exceptional work in the field of STEM mentoring in three categories: Excellence in Volunteer Experience, Excellence in Corporate Culture, and Excellence in Public-Private Partnerships. The latter two categories are fully public and open to any U.S.-based firm. The STEM Mentoring Awards serve as a unique opportunity to build recognition for STEM mentoring as an imlportant tool in education reform. Learn more at US2020.org/SMA

• Applications for US2020’s 2016 STEM Mentoring Awards are live. US2020 is seeking to identify and elevate excellence in STEM Mentoring by awarding organizations and compaines in three categories: Excellence in Volunteer Experience, Excellence in Corporate Culture, and Excellence in Public-Private Partnerships. Learn more at US2020.org/SMA

Images describing award categories; to include with social media

STEM Mentoring Awards Information Sheets

Award Category Synopsis

Active US2020 STEM mentors overwhelmingly cite initially hearing about their volunteer opportunity from a friend or colleague - second only to hearing about it from their employer. If we are going to bring STEM mentoring to the scale needed to address our country’s STEM education challenge, we need to treat every volunteer not just as an educator, mentor and coach for youth, but also as a powerful promoter and recruiter for our work. It is pretty simple: if volunteers have a great experience volunteering with your organization, they will encourage their friends and colleagues to participate as well.

The Excellence in Volunteer Experience award will recognize education partners that provide high-quality, well-supported engagements for their volunteers during a spring semester or academic year STEM mentoring program. The finalist and winning organizations will be interviewed and their strategies synthesized and presented as best practices for the field.

OverviewThis document is designed to provide prospective STEM Mentoring Award (SMA) applicants with the information they need to submit a strong application. It will provide an in-depth overview of the eligiblity criteria, application process, selection criteria, awards package and timeline.

US2020 -- together with Co-Founding Sponsors, Chevron and Tata Consultancy Services -- will present the second-annual STEM Mentoring Awards in conjunction with the STEM Mentoring Symposium at the White House complex. The final date of the Symposium is pending, but will take place in summer 2016.

The STEM Mentoring Awards provide a unique platform to celebrate and encourage exceptional work in the STEM mentoring field and an opportunity to build recognition for STEM mentoring as an important tool in education reform.

Excellence in Volunteer Experience

STEM Mentoring Awards Timeline

March 30, 2016 SMA applications go live on the US2020 website

April 28, 2016 US2020 hosts informational webinar (attendance is optional, but highly recommended)

May 31, 2016 Step 1: Deadline for SMA registration

June 30, 2016 Step 2: Deadline for US2020 volunteer survey responses

July 8, 2016 SMA winners notified

Week of Winners attend and receive recognitionAugust 8, 2016 at STEM Mentoring Symposium hosted(exact date TBD) at the White House complex

Mentors from US2020 Co-Investor and co-founding STEM Mentoring Awards sponsor, Chevron, help students build a robot

Winners will receive:• Public recognition at the White House complex as a part of the 2016 STEM Mentoring Symposium, to be

attended by national leaders in STEM education across the public and private sectors

• Reimbursement for the cost of airfare/train fare ($400 maximum) and a hotel stay maximum $225 per night for one winning organization representative to attend the SMA ceremony and the 2016 STEM Mentoring Symposium

• An invitation for one representative to attend Discovery Communications’ annual, exclusive Creating Change conference

• Recognition as a leader of the STEM Mentoring Movement whose volunteer engagement strategies will be shared on the US2020 website, through US2020’s growing community of practice, and in an upcoming US2020 white paper

• Permanent visibility on the US2020 website as a 2016 SMA winner, including details on the partnership

• Permanent winner badge displayed directly next to any volunteer opportunities publicized through the US2020 platform

• Exclusive, in-depth promotion of volunteer opportunities with US2020 Co-Investors, including joining webinars, lunch and learn sessions, and highlights in recruitment collateral

• Ongoing recognition via the US2020 newsletter and social media channels

Excellence in Volunteer Experience Award Package

Finalists will have their collective impact strategies shared on the US2020 website and in a future US2020 white paper.

Who Should Apply

The Excellence in Volunteer Experience award is open to all US2020 national education partners and youth-serving organizations affiliated with a US2020 City Network coalition. Participants must be US2020 partners to register. Participating organizations or programs are required to have an explicit mission focus on serving students currently underrepresented in STEM careers -- girls, students of color, or low-income students. Organizations must commit to using the US2020 volunteer survey and to surveying at least one program offering or site. A minimum of ten completed survey responses is required per participating organization.

If you are not currently a US2020 education partner and would like to learn more about how to join our network and participate in the 2016 awards, please visit us at US2020.org/contact

Application and Selection Process

Finalists and winners will be determined based on qualitative and quantitative feedback provided directly from the volunteer STEM mentors participating in the program. The application is a two-step process. First, interested applicant representatives must submit a simple online registration form (accessible via http://us2020.org/sma) by 5/31/16. The registration form is the first step that tells us you are interested in participating, and provides you with the opportunity to share some of your volunteer training and engagement practices. On the form, you will also commit to using the US2020 Volunteer Survey. Second, each organization must receive a minimum of ten survey responses to reach full eligibility. Survey responses are due by June 30, 2016 for SMA consideration.

Winners and finalists will be finalized at US2020’s discretion following SMA committee confirmation of each participant’s mission focus and a full review of volunteer survey materials. Note: Survey responses and scores will remain confidential and will not be shared with any external parties.

If you have any questions about the information presented in this document, please contact US2020 at awards@us2020.org

.

Award Category Synopsis

Perhaps more than any previous generation, Millennials consider corporate citizenship when making career decisions. According to the Deloitte 2011 Volunteer IMPACT Survey, 70 percent of Millennials surveyed strongly favor companies committed to the community. Active US2020 STEM mentors’ most cited entry point to their current volunteer engagement is through their employer. The private sector has a big role to play in addressing the STEM education challenge. We believe it starts with an intentional focus on building a corporate culture that is conducive to service. The Excellence in Corporate Culture award will recognize companies that are promoting and supporting a culture of STEM volunteerism across all levels of their business operations. The finalist and winning companies will be interviewed and their strategies will be synthesized and presented as best practices for the field.

Students program robots as part of US2020Co-Investor and co-founding STEM Mentoring Awards Sponsor, Tata Consultancy Services’ goIT program

Who Should Apply

The Excellence in Corporate Culture award is open to all U.S.-based STEM companies, large and small.

Excellence in Corporate CultureOverviewThis document is designed to provide prospective STEM Mentoring Award (SMA) applicants with the information they need to submit a strong application. It will provide an in-depth overview of the eligiblitycriteria, application process, selection criteria, awards package and timeline.

US2020 -- together with Co-Founding Sponsors, Chevron and Tata Consultancy Services -- will present the second-annual STEM Mentoring Awards in conjunction with the STEM Mentoring Symposium at the White House complex. The final date of the Symposium is pending, but will take place in summer 2016.

The STEM Mentoring Awards provide a unique platform to celebrate and encourage exceptional work in the STEM mentoring field and an opportunity to build recognition for STEM mentoring as an important tool in education reform.

STEM Mentoring Awards Timeline

March 30, 2016 SMA applications go live on the US2020 website

May 3, 2016 US2020 hosts informational webinar (attendance is optional, but highly recommended)

June 10, 2016 Application deadline

June 1 - 30, 2016 Judging period for Excellence in Corporate Culture Award

July 8, 2016 SMA winners notified

Week of Winners attend and receive recognitionAugust 8, 2016 at STEM Mentoring Symposium hosted(exact date TBD) at the White House complex

Application and Selection Process

Applying companies will be assessed through an online application. In the application, we will ask companies to share how they support and incentivize STEM volunteerism. Using a standardized rubric, expert judges will assess the efficacy of each company’s STEM volunteerism efforts and policies. In the event of a close call between any finalist applicants, we will use US2020 volunteer survey data gathered directly from employees/volunteers that are actively working with a US2020 national education partner or youth-serving organization affiliated with a US2020 City Network coalition.

An expert panel of judges (to be announced in May) will be asked to assess each application on the merits of HR policies and procedures that support volunteerism, the resources and benefits provided to employee volunteers, and how companies engage and support local communities through philanthropic and collaborative partnerships.

Winners will be finalized following SMA committee review of all judges assessments and any supplemental volunteer survey materials. Note: Survey responses and scores will remain confidential.

For consideration, applications must be received by June 10, 2016. Winners will be notified of our decision by July 8, 2016 and receive public recognition at the White House complex during a ceremony with national leaders in STEM during a summer 2016 event.

Winners will receive:• Public recognition at the White House complex as a part of the 2016 STEM Mentoring Symposium, to be

attended by national leaders in STEM education across the public and private sectors

• Recognition as a leader of the STEM Mentoring Movement whose corporate culture strategies will be shared on the US2020 website, through US2020’s growing community of practice, and in a future US2020 white paper

• Permanent visibility on the US2020 website as a 2016 SMA winner

• Recognition via the US2020 newsletter and social media channels

Excellence in Corporate Culture Prizes

Finalists will have their collective impact strategies shared on the US2020 website and in a future US2020 white paper.

If you have any questions about the information presented in this document, please contact US2020 at awards@us2020.org

Award Category Synopsis Leadership from public agencies and officials is critical to the growth of STEM mentoring efforts, from raising awareness about STEM mentoring to convening key stakeholders to tapping the mentoring talents of experienced government employees. When the public sector partners with the corporations employing large STEM workforces or the nonprofits serving youth, STEM mentoring magic can happen. Connecting students with talented volunteers who can provide compelling, real-world STEM learning opportunities requires a collaborative, cross-sectoral approach. This award category seeks to define what works, how it works and begin to develop blueprints for effective, cross-sectoral partnerships that break down barriers for students and communities. Who Should ApplyThis award category is open to any STEM mentoring collaboration that includes at least one organization or representative from the public sector, and at least one from a corporation or nonprofit. Partnerships are required to have an explicit focus on serving students currently underrepresented in STEM careers -- girls, students of color, or low-income students. Potential applicants could include, but are not limited to: private companies or nonprofit organizations working with public entities or representatives, such as a Mayor’s office, a local, state, or federal agency/department, public library, local community center, and/or a public school. The partnership should be working to provide youth with STEM-focused learning opportunities that engage professionals to serve as STEM volunteers. One of the key criteria we are looking for is whether or not youth could have been provided this opportunity without this cross-sector partnership.

2015 SMA winners and leaders of the STEM mentoring movement place all hands on deck

Overview

US2020 -- together with Co-Founding Sponsors, Chevron and Tata Consultancy Services -- will present the second-annual STEM Mentoring Awards in conjunction with the STEM Mentoring Symposium at the White House complex. The final date of the Symposium is pending, but will take place in summer 2016.

The STEM Mentoring Awards provide a unique platform to celebrate and encourage exceptional work in the STEM mentoring field and an opportunity to build recognition for STEM mentoring as an important tool in education reform.

Excellence in Public - Private Partnerships

STEM Mentoring Awards Timeline

March 30, 2016 SMA applications go live on the US2020 website

May 5, 2016 US2020 hosts informational webinar (attendance is optional, but highly recommended)

June 10, 2016 Application deadline

June 1 - 30, 2016 Judging period for Excellence in Public - Private Partnership Award

July 8, 2016 SMA winners notified

Week of Winners attend and receive recognitionAugust 8, 2016 at STEM Mentoring Symposium hosted(exact date TBD) at the White House complex

Application and Selection Process

Applicants must complete an online application that details the model and origin of the partnership, the short and long term goals, the respective roles and activities of each participating entity, and how they have set up systems for effective collaboration and joint accountability. The person submitting the application can be a representative from a private or public entity, however, the application should emphasize cross-sector collaboration, therefore the completion of the application will likely require collaboration across two or more partnering entities.

The key selection criteria will focus on if/how this partnership has the potential to provide underrepresented students with the opportunities and exposure needed to inspire them to pursue a career in STEM. We will critically assess if/how this partnership is uniquely positioned to provide underrepresented students with learning opportunities they may not have been able to participate in had it not been for this specific cross-sector partnership.

A panel of experts in collaborative initiatives will serve as judges for this award category (the judging panel will be announced in May). Using a standardized rubric, judges will be asked to assess each application based on a combination of the current scale/potential for scale, intentional emphasis on high-quality learning opportunities, and the focus on underrepresented students.

For consideration, applications must be received by June 10, 2016. Winners will be notified of our decision by June 30, 2016.

Winners will receive:• Public recognition at the White House complex as a part of the 2016 STEM Mentoring Symposium, to be

attended by national leaders in STEM education across the public and private sectors

• Reimbursement for the cost of airfare/train fare ($400 maximum) and a a hotel stay maximum $225 per night for one winning organization representative to attend the SMA ceremony and the 2016 STEM Mentoring Symposium

• An invitation for one representative to attend Discovery Communications’ annual, exclusive Creating Change conference

• Recognition as a leader of the STEM Mentoring Movement whose volunteer engagement strategies will be shared on the US2020 website, through US2020’s growing community of practice, and in an upcoming US2020 white paper

• Permanent visibility on the US2020 website as a 2016 SMA winner, including details on the partnership

• Permanent winner badge displayed directly next to any volunteer opportunities publicized through the US2020 platform

• Exclusive, in-depth promotion of volunteer opportunities with US2020 Co-Investors, including joining webinars, lunch and learn sessions, and highlights in recruitment collateral

• Recognition via the US2020 newsletter and social media channels

Excellence in Public Private Partnerships Award Package

Finalists will have their collective impact strategies shared on the US2020 website and in a future US2020 white paper.

If you have any questions about the information presented in this document, please contact US2020 at awards@us2020.org