Let me warn you: These statistics are going to shock you. One third of American high school students, including half of all students of color, fail to graduate on time. What's even worse is that every 26 seconds a kid drops out of high school here in the U.S. That amounts to a staggering 1.2 million students leaving 9th through 12th grades each year.
As a mom of four teens all now in high school now I had no idea the problem with kids failing to get a high school education was so serious prior to this. That all changed when I was invited as one of a handful of influential mom bloggers to attend a press conference followed by a special roundtable just for us at Venice High School in California.
Limos picked up each mom blogger and delivered us to the event |
To illustrate the magnitude of the problem check out this interactive infographic showing public high school graduation rates across the country. Click on any state to find out how many kids dropped out of school in 2011.
With such a crisis at hand impacting our youth right now and by extension the future of America as a whole, it is reassuring to know that there are companies like Procter & Gamble (P&G) and organizations such as Communities in Schools (CIS) and Just Keep Livin Foundation (j.k. livin) founded by actor Matthew McConaughey and his wife Camila that care and are working together toward turning those sad trends around.
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Cameramen representing a wide range of media prepare for the press conference to begin |
It's really easy for consumers to take an active part in helping to literally school the nation with the Buy, Give and Get program. Just by purchasing $25 worth of select P&G products consumers get a $5 rebate by mail plus P&G will donate $5 to CIS on your behalf.
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McConaughey, Karen Kei Schlosser of P&G, Mike Benton, CIS and j.k. livin kids |
CIS, one of the nation's leading dropout prevention groups, has a long history in this arena. As a matter of fact they've been working for more than 30 years to reach out to kids in 2,700 schools in 25 states and in Washington, DC. The organization currently works with 15,000 community partners such as j.k. livin -- reaching a total of almost 1.25 million youth and their families annually.
McConaughey's presence loomed large both inside and outdoors on the day the big announcement was made both in relation to his commitment to social good and to his visibility as a public figure that has a particularly strong following among young people.
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Mcconaughey works out with a group of j.k. livin's Venice High participants |
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McConaughey with the Coach and kids of Venice's j.k. livin program |
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Mom Blogger Classroom Roundtable, Image from Procter & Gamble |
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Healthy refreshments at the launch were abundant |
This is one man who is incredibly talented and really good looking. He is also doing great things with his Hollywood celebrity status to give back to communities across America. If you ask me, Matthew McConaughey potentially has the power to influence an entire generation of American kids.
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Me with McConaughey at the event, Image from Procter & Gamble |
P&G GIVE is a social sustainability platform of Procter & Gamble the company that serves approximately 4.4 billion people around the world with its many household name brands. It is designed to inspire and enable people to use their everyday purchases to touch lives and improve life. More information on the campaign is available at GetGiveSave.com. In addition, consumers are encouraged to visit the program's official Facebook page for more details.
FTC Disclosure: I wrote this blogpost on behalf of Procter & Gamble Company and the P&G Give Education program. I received VIP perks for attending the launch event but did not receive any monetary compensation. See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.
This is so awesome!!!!!!
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