Internet and 21st Century Skills

Huffington Post

As gaming becomes more social, it is expanding into parts of society once seen as untouched by video games. The largest of these groups is women, who make up 55 percent of social gamers on average. Women are also more likely than men to make charitable contributions, care about youth-related causes, and purchase virtual goods in social games. 

The kinds of in-game donations and virtual goods that helped fund disaster relief in Haiti and Japan are a natural next step for helping our own children. The potential is enormous for both gaming companies and children. In 2011, the virtual goods industry saw $2.3 billion in US sales. In a market that big, there is certainly room for many causes. The Children's Partnership is working to make sure that child poverty is one of them.

Download the full article.

The Washington Post

An article highlighting the VirtuallyGood4Kids (VG4K) inititative encouraging  the gaming "industry to provide parents and their kids with more opportunities to direct the money they spend on virtual purchases toward fundraising causes."

Learn more about VirtuallyGood4Kids.

The Children’s Partnership released Can Game Companies Help America’s Children?, the result of a yearlong study of the $24.75 billion digital game industry and its current—and potential—participation in cause partnership efforts.  The report provides a focused look at the demographics of gamers, trends in social gaming and virtual goods, and the potential of cause partnerships to benefit child health and education.  

“At a time when US children are suffering more than at any time since the Great Depression, game companies can—and should—be at the forefront of a high-impact form of philanthropy that benefits their bottom line while also improving children’s health and success in school,” said Wendy Lazarus, Founder and Co-President of The Children’s Partnership and lead author of the report in a full press release.

By Wendy Lazarus | September 2012

The report includes the results of a yearlong study of the $25.1 billion digital game industry and provides a focused look at the demographics of gamers, trends in social gaming and virtual goods, and the potential of cause partnerships to benefit child health and education.

Download the full report.

Download a PDF of the Power Point Presentation

By The Children's Partnership | October 2010

By Jenny Kattlove | September 2009

By Elaine Carpenter and Jessica Rothschuh of The Children’s Partnership with the California Emerging Technology Fund
March 2009

Working Draft by Stefanie Gluckman with Terri Shaw | October 2008

This Issue Brief describes how Electronic Record Systems (ERS) - electronic health records, personal health records, and similar technology solutions that facilitate the management, sharing, and use of information - can benefit children in foster care, and the systems that serve them. The brief profiles state and local ERS efforts for the foster care population, highlighting early evidence of the efforts' impact and outlining lessons- learned. It also provides recommendations for actions to expand the reach of ERSs to benefit greater numbers of children in foster care and, potentially, other children and families.

Download the Issue Brief (PDF, 516 KB)

Download the Exectuve Summary (PDF, 216 KB)

Download a One-Page Overview of How Technology is Being Used to Improve the Lives of California's Foster Care Youth (PDF, 92 KB)

By April KirkHart, Jessica Rothschuh, and Jenny Kattlove
April, 2008

By Jenny Kattlove with Terri Shaw | March 2008

By April KirkHart and Rebecca Shwalb
July 2007

By The Children's Partnership

By Jessica Rothschuh and April KirkHart with Wendy Lazarus | July 2007

By April KirkHart and James Lau with Wendy Lazarus and Laurie Lipper | March 2007

By Wendy Lazarus and Andrew Wainer with Laurie Lipper | June 2005

By Wendy Lazarus and Andrew Wainer with Laurie Lipper | June 2006

By Wendy Lazarus and Laurie Lipper | October 2003

This report includes original research and recommendations to encourage both the creation and evaluation of online content in a way that considers the particular needs of low-income or other underserved individuals. The report also includes a set of guidelines to guide those seeking to create or evaluate content.

Download the report (PDF, 708 KB).

By Wendy Lazarus and Laurie Lipper

This guide is for parents who have begun to see that computers and online services will be or already are a part of children’s at school, at community centers, at home, or at the library—and who are looking for some guidelines and advice. We have written it with the computer novice in mind and have provided simple definitions and ideas for how to get involved.

Download the guide (PDF, 341 KB).