2011 Webby Activism Award Winner - REDU

This won this year's Webby Awards prize for Activis,. Crowdsourcing is a dirty word in some parts of the marketing industry but here's a fantastic way to use the combined enthusiasm, intellect and experience of the crowd for the betterment of all.

REDU stands for rethinking, reforming and rebuilding US education. And it's really needed. As the video says, the American people have forgotten about education.

• 1.2+ Million - the number of students that drop out of school every year. That’s more than 6,000 students every school day and one every 26 seconds.
• 53% - percentage of U.S. students expected to graduate high school in the 50 largest cities.
• 18th Place - ranking of 12th graders in combined mathematics and science assessments against 21 other countries.
• 1+ Million - number of veteran teachers who are nearing retirement. America will need 2 million new teachers in the next decade.

Powered by people and technology, REDU is a movement designed to expand and encourage the national conversation around education reform by providing information and resources to learn, a community platform to connect, and tools and initiatives to act.

Following the belief that education will not be solved through a single bill passing or by policy makers alone, our goal is to create a destination where educators, parents, students, and everybody who cares about the issue have the means to engage in the ongoing conversations, be inspired by reform stories, and make a difference in their own way. It’s a platform for everyone.

Marketing for the social good. I like this. A lot.

And it's all part of Microsoft's Corporate Citizenship programme.