Black Eyed Peas Peapod Foundation, Adobe
Foundation and Entertainment Industry Foundation Launch Partnership at
February 5 Benefit Concert
Partnership to Help At-Risk Youth Develop Creative Skills Through Video, Dance, Music and Art
SAN JOSE, Calif. and LOS ANGELES/PRNewswire/ -- The Adobe
Foundation, the Black Eyed Peas and the Entertainment Industry
Foundation today announced a new partnership to help underserved youth
access and learn to use multi-media production tools, including those
for video, dance, music and art, to comment on critical issues and
spark social change in their communities. The collaboration will be
highlighted this evening at a benefit concert hosted and performed in
Los Angeles by the Black Eyed Peas and other musical artists.
"As a group, we've made a commitment to help give teens the artistic
tools and opportunities to help them realize their fullest potential,"
says will.i.am, who grew up in the projects in Boyle Heights, Calif.
"Thanks to the incredible generosity of Adobe Youth Voices, we are able
to expand our vision and give even more kids a chance to be productive,
enterprising adults."
"Creativity and digital literacy are as fundamental to a quality
education as every other skill taught in the classroom today," said
Shantanu Narayen, president and chief executive officer of Adobe
Systems Incorporated and president of the Adobe Foundation. "We're
proud to be working with such talented and committed artists to nurture
self-expression among young people in underserved communities. We hope
this is just the beginning."
Last year, internationally acclaimed hip-hop group The Black Eyed
Peas - will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo and Fergie - opened the first Peapod
Academy, a state-of-the-art music and educational center and recording
facility serving foster care youth and other at-risk teens, at the
Watts/Willowbrook Boys and Girls Club. AYV, introduced by Adobe in
2006, continues to expand worldwide, building on more than 160 sites in
31 countries. Together, the organizations will launch two new
integrated music and multi-media academies in the San Francisco Bay
Area in Fall 2009. Plans to scale the program over time include
combining Peapod Academies and Adobe Youth Voices (AYV) sites worldwide.
Moving forward, the joint Adobe Youth Voices/Peapod Academy sites
will incorporate high-tech curriculum developed by AYV with the latest
multi-media production tools, recording studio tools and expertise and
mentoring in the performing arts. Past students enrolled in AYV
programs have had their work showcased at prestigious venues including
the Sundance Film Festival and the Human Rights Watch International
Film Festival, addressing topics such as domestic violence, drug abuse
and migrant labor. AYV participants from the Bay Area will appear on
stage tonight with the Black Eyed Peas; their work will be shown in and
around the concert venue.
The Adobe Foundation's commitment includes a $1 million cash
donation along with other in-kind support, including a comprehensive
training program designed for youth and educators, and volunteer
support from Adobe employees. The Peapod Foundation will contribute an
on-site fully-equipped recording studio at each site, along with
expertise and mentoring.
About the Adobe Foundation and Adobe Youth Voices
The Adobe Foundation is a 501(c)(3) private foundation created and
funded by Adobe Systems Incorporated to leverage human, technological
and financial resources to drive social change and community
improvements. The Foundation's Adobe Youth Voices global philanthropic
program brings digital and multimedia tools and training to students
and educators and empowers youth to comment on their world, share their
ideas and demonstrate their potential to take action in their
communities. The AYV global network currently includes more than 160
sites, grantees, and organizations in 31 countries engaging youth and
educators in schools and out-of-school programs. For more information,
visit www.adobe.com/go/youthvoices.
About the Black Eyed Peas Peapod Foundation
The Black Eyed Peas Peapod Foundation encourages social change by
uniting people, especially children, through the universal language of
music. The Peapod Foundation was established as a Charitable Service
Fund administered by the Entertainment Industry Foundation. For more
information, visit www.thepeapodfoundation.com.
About the Entertainment Industry Foundation
The Entertainment Industry Foundation, as a leading charitable
organization of the entertainment industry, has distributed hundreds of
millions of dollars to support charitable initiatives addressing
critical health, education and social issues. For more information
visit www.eifoundation.org.
Source: Adobe Foundation
CONTACT: Lindsay Rubin, +1-212-704-8227, lindsay.rubin@edelman.com, for
Adobe Foundation; or Maurine Slutzky, +1-213-240-3923,
mslutzky@EIFoundation.org, for EIF/Black Eyed Peas Peapod Foundation
Web Site:
http://www.adobe.com/
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