Microsoft: No Single Organization Can Close Skills Gap

After decades of economic and social despair that once saw it named the poorest big city in America, Cleveland has become a model of revitalization, thanks to a unique “anchor strategy” that harnesses the immense wealth and power of the city’s public institutions.

Jirogasy developed solar-powered computers and, maximizing a partnership with an education NGO, has helped expand computer access among rural schools without access to a grid. Using internationally-funded grants, they created the Jirodesk II, a Windows 10 powered PC that can be powered by the grid or charged via a solar panel. The computers are monitored remotely, which allows users to quickly get tech support, and the company monitors usage in Watt-hours for its “pay-per-use-until-you own model,” where users pay per number of Watt-hours used, and after a certain number of Watt-hours the machine is paid off.

A multi-millionaire has poured money into his home suburb of Irlam, buying up empty stores, funding public art projects, and supporting the town center, sports center, health clinic, and train station. Employment is up, but this model of urban renewal raises ethical questions and may not be easily replicable.

Many kids living in low-income areas of Chicago never leave their isolated neighborhood, leaving them with a lack of knowledge about the outside world, and a plethora of knowledge about gangs and danger of their area. Embarc is an extra-curricular program that brings these kids on field trips to places around the city. It provides experiential development allowing them to see new things, shadow different careers and build trust.

Illegal fishing is a grave concern that not only threatens to destroy the ocean's ecosystem but the livelihoods of billions of people around the world who depend on stable fish populations for food. Now, software developed in a partnership between Vulcan - a private Seattle-based tech firm - and Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization allows law enforcement to quickly analyze suspicious patterns from the transponders of thousands of ships at a time, using special algorithms that automatically detect is a ship is a high-risk for criminal activity.

Mitigating homelessness on Los Angeles' infamous "Skid Row" comprises myriad obstacles. But a collaboration between city officials, a USC architecture class project, and the Skid Row Housing Trust has responded with a multi-pronged solution in "pod-style" housing units. They have composed a cost-effective pre-fab design technology that eases their transportation, on-site construction and visual imposition on a neighborhood, while the pods' zoning classification as "congregant housing" minimizes the risk for local opposition to homeless support services on claims of structural or aesthetic noncompliance.

The economic growth along the West coast has been huge, but the population increase has also increased housing costs, pushing thousands onto the streets. In response, the non-profit Panza has developed a novel approach to sheltering the homeless. With an affordable land lease from the county, and financial support from the state and local community organizations, Panza has created a "tiny-house village" that has offered space, safety and support for individuals to overcome their financial hardships and find jobs and housing on their own.

Social and economic factors are increasingly being linked to health circumstances and outcomes. This article highlights the city of Richmond, California, which has responded to this correlation, integrating issues of health into all levels of policy.

Some social welfare programs may receive funding but have no evidence of success. By insisting that funds go primarily to programs with rigorous evidence of success, the federal government can make non-partisan decisions that will increase the effectiveness and efficiency of social programs and decrease spending waste. Obama administration evaluated programs based upon their successes and these programs are highlighted.

The country of India has long suffered from extreme income inequalities, with many poor children growing up with lackluster education. The Right to Education Act, passed in 2009, requires elite private schools to admit 25% low-income or disabled children. The law's success is measured at the Shri Ram School in New Delhi, and some wealthy families are unsatisfied with its inclusiveness.