FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: Courtney Klein, Co-Founder & CEO 480.628.2300

The partnership combines GVP’s vision for high-quality public education with SEED SPOT’s mission of empowering impact-driven entrepreneurs, of all ages, across the nation

The Georgia Vision Project (GVP) and SEED SPOT are excited to announce a newly developed partnership focused on preparing Georgia high school students for the future workforce through social entrepreneurship curriculum. The partnership combines GVP’s vision for high-quality public education, across Georgia’s 600+ school districts, and SEED SPOT’s mission of supporting the dreams of impact-driven entrepreneurs, of all ages, across the nation.

The SEED SPOT Schools curriculum integrates 21st century learning skills such as STEM, design thinking, and entrepreneurship to help students develop market-based solutions to local, national, and global issues. Taught as SEED SPOT Explore, a flexible 20-lesson program, or SEED SPOT Build, a structured full-year course, the curriculum prepares students for college and the workplace with heightened collaboration and leadership skills, professionalism, global awareness, and social responsibility.

During the program, students are empowered to learn the intersection between business and purpose. They are encouraged to develop tech-enabled “Internet of Things” (IoT) solutions that involve building a website, coding, and conducting thorough data analysis. Students are also challenged to align their tech solutions to the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) dedicated to solving social and economic development issues like poverty, hunger, and gender equality.

“We are excited about the impact of this partnership with SEED SPOT and the Georgia Vision Project”, said Dr. Stanley W. DeJarnett, Director of the Georgia Vision Project. “We are vigilant about seeking innovative programs and services that will prepare our students for a bright future and SEED SPOT fits this criteria perfectly.”

“Partnering with the Georgia Vision Project and expanding our programs to mission-aligned schools is a powerful next step in transforming the next generation into proactive dreamers, doers, and leaders of the future”, said Courtney Klein, Co-Founder and CEO of SEED SPOT. “We are excited to see the impact this partnership cultivates in the lives of innovative high school students across the state of Georgia.”

Previous SEED SPOT youth alumni include: LexAI, a venture using AI to help public defenders protect the rights of underserved defendants; BrailleBoard, a smartphone keyboard for the blind and visually-impaired; and REFUresource, a venture that was recently recognized by the UN Foundation for their work solving Goal 8 of the SDGs by employing refugees relocated in the United States.

SEED SPOT is accepting applications to partner from Georgia’s most innovative school districts on a rolling basis for the 2018-2019 school year. To learn more, contact Dave Kavlick, SEED SPOT’s Director of School Expansion at ​dave@seedspot.org​, or express interest online ​here​.

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About SEED SPOT:
SEED SPOT is social impact incubator educating, accelerating, and investing in entrepreneurs building products, services, and technologies that improve lives. SEED SPOT is nationally ranked by Gust as one of the Top 20 Accelerators in the World and in 2015 was named by Cisco & UBI Global as one of the Top 3 Social Impact Incubators in the United States. SEED SPOT runs two impact areas: Communities and Schools. SEED SPOT Communities supports local ecosystems empowering adult entrepreneurs through two programs: the 2-Day Launch Camp and the Impact Accelerator. SEED SPOT Schools empowers high schools to teach social entrepreneurs with Explore: Intro to Impact-Driven Entrepreneurship and Build: Designing an Impact-Driven Business.

About the Georgia Vision Project (GVP):
The Georgia Vision Project organizes the resources and energies of Georgia’s stakeholders to effectively focus on preparing students to become contributing members of a democratic society and global economy. By setting world-class educational standards, establishing viable directives, creating a sustainable framework and organizing contemporary networks at the local, county and regional levels, the Project endeavors to gain the enthusiastic support of Federal, State and local policy makers and the citizens of Georgia. For more information, visit ​gavisionproject.org​.