YouthSpark - Stories

July 10, 2014

Kids create games, not just play them, at free YouthSpark Summer Camps

Of course, playing Xbox games is fun. But so is creating those games, and that’s what kids ages 8 to 13 can do this summer at free YouthSpark Summer Camps, held at Microsoft retail stores in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico.

May 14, 2014

Microsoft YouthSpark summer programs include free camps, classes for the kids

Starting June 2, Microsoft will kick off summer break with free YouthSpark Summer Camps at local Microsoft retail stores. Camps include Smart Game Coding and Smart Game Designing where students will learn how to build, publish and bring mobile games to life; Smart Movie Making and Smart Photo Taking offers students a chance to produce and design movies and images.

May 2, 2014

Weekend Reading: May 2 Edition — Nokia joins the family, Xbox goes original, YouthSpark challenge winners announced

Hopefully your week has been as filled to the brim with excitement as ours. If not, Weekend Reading is here with the opportunity to live vicariously. Check out what we’ve had cooking (or in some cases cooling).

May 1, 2014

Meet this year’s YouthSpark Challenge for Change winners

This year’s YouthSpark Challenge for Change winners, announced Thursday, are an impressive bunch hailing from around the world. Their projects seek to expand science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education to underrepresented groups, promote the power of storytelling and broaden the horizons of others with e-learning.

April 30, 2014

Microsoft’s 2013 YouthSpark Challenge for Change winners: Where are they now?

On Thursday the 2014 winners of the Microsoft YouthSpark Challenge for Change contest will be named. See how last year’s winners have been moving forward with their dreams.

April 15, 2014

Microsoft announces 2014 YouthSpark Challenge for Change finalists

Each finalist created a video sharing more about themselves and their ideas. Watch the videos and vote for the project that inspires you the most beginning today, through April 22.

April 11, 2014

YouthSpark Connections event in New York City highlights education gap

On Friday, a YouthSpark Connections event – the seventeenth in a national series of meetings – brought together local leaders in business, education and government to discuss the emergence of an education gap in the New York City metro area.

April 8, 2014

Judges announced for Microsoft YouthSpark Challenge for Change

Judges include Romanus Berg, chief information officer, Ashoka; Adam Braun, founder, Pencils of Promise; Jennifer Corriero, executive director, TakingITGlobal; and Ben Goldhirsh, co-founder and CEO, GOOD. The judges will select 20 finalists, to be announced April 15, with the most promising ideas moving to the next phase of the Microsoft YouthSpark Challenge for Change competition.

March 12, 2014

Microsoft takes a stand on student privacy with best-in-class education solutions

Annual Microsoft in Education Global Forum in Barcelona kicks off with strong momentum on Windows 8 and Office 365 with key content partners.

February 12, 2014

Microsoft launches 3-year commitment to We Day and We Act program

Microsoft’s companywide YouthSpark initiative to empower youth through technology has launched a three-year commitment as co-title sponsors of Free the Children’s signature We Day event and We Act program in Seattle and in San Francisco.