AT&T announced that it will be furthering its commitment to Native American youth programs with a contribution of more than $1 million dollars, to commemorate Native American Heritage Month.
The donation includes $600,000 to the American Indian College Fund (College Fund) and $450,000 to George Washington University (GW) and will connect Native youth to education that leads them to the 21st century workforce.
This more than $1 million contribution will build on the company’s long history of support for the communities of Indian Country.
- The goal of the College Fund is to increase the number of American Indian students who graduate from high school. They also aim to grow a college-going culture among Native American students.
- The contribution will serve about 700 Native students at 3 tribal colleges (TCUs) and local high schools in Nebraska, Oklahoma and Arizona.
- Working with TCUs will connect Native students to programs and supportive services. These help them finish high school, pursue higher education, and thrive in the 21st century knowledge economy.
- GW will establish AT&T Center for Indigenous Politics and Policy, its first-ever politics and public policy center dedicated to indigenous learnings.
- The GW Native American Political Leadership Program will continue to provide a semester in Washington, D.C. for Native American college students.
- The AT&T sponsored GW Native American INSPIRE Pre-College Program is a full scholarship open to Native American high school students. They spend 3 weeks on the GW campus to learn about relations between tribal governments and the federal government.
AT&T is contributing more than $1 million to help connect Native American youth to education that leads them to the 21st century workforce, in honor of Native American Heritage Month. (PRNewsFoto/AT&T Inc.)
Tom Brooks, Vice President in External & Legislative Affairs at AT&T explained its significance.
Where did the idea for the Native American Youth program come from?
AT&T wanted to raise awareness about the unique challenges Native Americans face. Among these challenges is education. Native American students continue to have the lowest high school graduation rates of any demographic group in this country. In 2013-14, the Native high school graduation rate was 69.6 percent, compared to the national high school graduation rate of 82.3 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics.
The American Indian College Fund is an organization that provides scholarships and funding toward higher education.
The College Fund will partner with tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) as well as local high schools located on or near reservations to connect Native students to programs and supportive services that will help them finish high school, persist in higher education, and thrive in the 21st century knowledge economy. With support from AT&T, the College Fund will be able to serve a greater number of American Indian high school students in Arizona, Nebraska and Oklahoma. This will help more students get a high school diploma, access postsecondary education, and learn about their language, culture, and history.
AT&T Foundation Tribal College Scholarship Program: The AT&T Foundation provides scholarships to American Indian students through its Tribal College Program. Scholarship recipients must be enrolled in a federally recognized tribe with proof of descendancy; be enrolled at an accredited tribal college or university; be majoring in science, technology, engineering, math and/or business; and demonstrate a combination of financial need and/or merit.
Why is this issue so important to AT&T as a company?
AT&T’s 140-year history of innovation is a story of people from all walks of life and backgrounds coming together to connect customers with their loved ones, their work and their world.
Our diverse, inclusive culture welcomes all points of view and helps to make us who we are: a great place to work, a desired business partner and a committed member of the communities we serve.
- AT&T is committed to supporting and connecting Native American communities.
- We support organizations that are devoted to advancing the Native American population. And, we proudly back initiatives that enhance the quality of life for Native American youth.
Can you elaborate with your partnership with GW?
GW established the Native American Political Leadership Program sponsored by AT&T. This program provides a semester in D.C. attending GW for Native American students. It also places them with an internship with a U.S. senator or at a federal agency like the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The lessons learned from a semester in D.C. are skills students carry for a lifetime. Students of the program have gone on to use these skills on their reservations, in tribal government, or working in state or federal government.
Why is the Center at GW significant for AT&T?
With support from AT&T, GW will establish the AT&T Center for Indigenous Politics and Policy, its first-ever politics and public policy center dedicated to indigenous learnings. The Center builds on AT&T’s long-time support of the university’s Native American Political Leadership and INSPIRE Pre-College Programs, which give Native students the chance to study in Washington D.C. and learn about relations between tribal governments and the federal government.
Can you tell me about any diversity initiatives at AT&T?
AT&T’s strong, diverse workforce reflects the diversity of our customers and vendors. As of December 31, 2015:
- AT&T’s 50-state workforce is 33% female and 43% people of color
- Our management is 36% female and 35% people of color
- Since 1988, hundreds of recently hired college graduates have successfully completed AT&T’s Leadership Development Program—45% are people of color.
- AT&T is a proud member of the Billion Dollar Roundtable, a supplier diversity think tank of corporations that spend more than $1 billion annually with diverse companies.
- In 2015 AT&T exceeded our goal of allocating 21.5% of our procurement spend with diverse suppliers for the fourth consecutive year with a 24% diverse supplier spend, or $13.7 billion.
- AT&T has 12 Employee Resource Groups and 9 Employee Networks with more than 122,000 members focused on professional and personal development, supporting their communities and driving the success of the business.
- In 2015, ERG members volunteered more than 362,000 hours of their time to various causes and granted more than $600,000 to scholarship programs.
- AT&T’s Joint Diversity Council (JDC) includes national presidents of the ERGs and members
