Discovery Communications Announces New Partnerships and Commitments in Support of United Nations, Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) and Obama Administration Education Priorities

NEW YORK, Sept. 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- In keeping with its 27-year mission to support education and lifelong learning by igniting curiosity and delivering the thrill of discovery to people around the world, Discovery Communications today announced a number of new partnerships and commitments in support of United Nations, Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) and Obama Administration education priorities through its Discovery Education division and the nonprofit Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership (DCGEP).

The new commitments, announced this week at separate events in New York City by Discovery Communications Founder and Chairman John Hendricks and Discovery Education CEO Bill Goodwyn, include:

• A new $7.4 million commitment to extend DCGEP's efforts to use the power of media to transform education and improve lives in the developing world, in support of the UN's 'Education First' initiative and the Global Business Coalition for Education, of which Discovery is a founding member.
• i.am.STEAM, a collaboration between artist and youth advocate will.i.am's i.am.angel Foundation and Discovery Education to engage U.S. students in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) education as part of Discovery's commitment as a member of CGI.
• STEM POWER!, a new Discovery Education program dedicated to empowering girls in the U.S. with tools for succeeding in STEM-related fields, and 'Discovery Girls,' a new DCGEP program in Africa dedicated to improving the education outcomes of marginalized girls, in support of the Equal Futures Partnership led by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Additionally, Hendricks joined UN Secretary Ban Ki-Moon, former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown and other leaders at UN General Assembly events on September 26 and 27 to address business' role in acting on global education priorities, and, on September 24, Goodwyn represented Discovery on a plenary panel at the CGI Annual Meeting to discuss Discovery's overall commitment to improving global education through its Discovery Education division, the i.am.STEAM initiative with will.i.am and the i.m.angel foundation, and DCGEP.

"Empowering and supporting education has been part of Discovery's DNA since the day we launched Discovery Channel on June 17, 1985, and the first call we received was from a teacher asking to use our content to ignite and inspire the curiosity of students in the classroom," said Hendricks. "Discovery is proud to be partnering with the United Nations, the Clinton Global Initiative, and other members of the Global Business Coalition for Education to make a difference in the lives of young people around the world, both through Discovery Education and the Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership."

"When John Hendricks founded Discovery Communications he recognized the power and responsibility that private industry has in helping to drive education priorities around the world," said Goodwyn. "Today we're excited to continue building upon that legacy through Discovery Education's partnership with the i.am.angel Foundation on a groundbreaking youth engagement initiative, i.am.STEAM."

As part of today's announcement, Discovery is committing an additional $7.4 million to the work of DCGEP, of which John Hendricks is chairman, to continue its successful innovations that have enabled the development of an award-winning library of educational programs specifically for communities in the developing world served by the project. The library, together with equipment and tailored teacher training, is provided to all DCGEP Learning Centers, which to date have engaged and impacted more than one million students. This effort is part of Discovery's commitment in support of the UN's 'Education First' initiative and its role as a founding member of the Global Business Coalition for Education, which brings together corporate leaders committed to delivering on the promise of quality education for all of the world's children.

i.am.STEAM is a five-year youth engagement initiative, implemented by Discovery Education on behalf of will.i.am's i.am.angel Foundation, designed to bring STEAM education to life for millions both inside and outside the classroom. Launching this fall, i.am.STEAM will provide a portfolio of immersive learning experiences for under-resourced elementary and middle school students, including after-school enrichment programs, immersive summer camps and educator tools and resources. i.am.STEAM is part of Discovery's commitment in support of CGI, on behalf of the i.am.angel Foundation.

Developed by Discovery Education, STEM POWER! is a program dedicated to tapping into girls' passions, interests, and capabilities, and empowering them with the tools that will enable them to succeed in STEM-related fields. The key components of the STEM POWER! initiative will target girls in U.S. middle schools and high schools, and include the development of STEM-related curricula that prepares girls for later success in college coursework, exposure to female role models to create a belief system that women can succeed in STEM, and exposure to exciting STEM-related careers in everything from game design to fashion design to connect girls' passions to STEM fields. As part of Discovery's commitment as a founding member of the Equal Futures Partnership, STEM POWER! is an opportunity for like-minded partners to join forces on a program dedicated to realizing women's human rights by expanding opportunity for women and girls to fully participate in public life and drive inclusive economic growth in our countries.

Also in support of the Equal Futures Partnership, Discovery Communications is committed to closing the girls' education gap in some of the world's most under-resourced communities through an innovative program in Africa designed to build on the success of DCGEP. By creating educational video content with, for and about girls, and through innovative teacher training and community outreach, the 'Discovery Girls' project will seek to increase enrollment and retention, and improve the education outcomes of marginalized girls.

About the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI)

Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) convenes global leaders to create and implement innovative solutions to the world's most pressing challenges. CGI Annual Meetings have brought together more than 150 heads of state, 20 Nobel Prize laureates, and hundreds of leading CEOs, heads of foundations and NGOs, major philanthropists, and members of the media. To date CGI members have made more than 2,100 commitments, which are already improving the lives of nearly 400 million people in more than 180 countries. When fully funded and implemented, these commitments will be valued at $69.2 billion.

CGI's Annual Meeting is held each September in New York City. CGI also convenes CGI America, a meeting focused on collaborative solutions to economic recovery in the United States, and CGI University (CGI U), which brings together undergraduate and graduate students to address pressing challenges in their community or around the world. For more information, visit clintonglobalinitiative.org and follow us on Twitter @ClintonGlobal and Facebook at facebook.com/clintonglobalinitiative.

i.am.angel Foundation

will.i.am launched his private foundation in 2009 (formerly known as i.am angel foundation, presently known as i.am.giving foundation) around the idea of providing assistance to needy students wanting to attend college through a program entitled "i.am scholarship." In 2012, in response to individuals, corporations, and funders expressing interest in supporting similar charitable activities, will.i.am created "i.am.angel foundation," which is seeking public charity status with the appropriate taxing authorities. The foundation will be striving to trans4m lives through education, inspiration and opportunity, including by providing funding for other charitable activities, such as i.am.College Track, i.am.scholarship, i.am.STEAM and i.am.home.  To learn more, please visit www.iamangelfoundation.org.

About Global Business Coalition for Education

The Global Business Coalition for Education (GBC-Ed) brings together corporate leaders committed to delivering on the promise of quality education for all of the world's children. Our starting point is that education is the birthright of every child, the key to expanded opportunity, and a source of prosperity, employment and social cohesion. GBC-Ed members believe that their core business assets, social responsibility and philanthropy, when used in collaboration with government and other stakeholders, can be a powerful tool to achieve these shared goals. http://www.gbc-education.org

About Discovery Education

Discovery Education transforms classrooms, empowers teachers and captivates students by providing high quality, dynamic, digital content for grades K-12 and community colleges. Powered by Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), the number one nonfiction media company in the world, Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-based digital media, professional development, assessment tools and a passionate educator network to support districts in accelerating student achievement. Discovery Education services like Discovery Education streaming, Discovery Education Techbook and Discovery Education Higher Ed, are in more than half of all US schools and 35 countries around the world.  Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.

About Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership

Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization that for the past 15 years has been working in under-resourced schools around the world, using the power of media to increase student learning, teacher effectiveness, and community access to information and involvement in their children's schools. The initiative is locally managed, and involves a collaborative process of educational video program development that combines contributions of expertise and high quality documentary footage from Discovery Communications with the needs of educators. In addition, DCGEP provides extensive teacher training and capacity building to maximize the value of educational media as a tool for teaching and learning. For more information, please visit www.thepoweroftv.org.

About Discovery Communications

Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the world's #1 nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.8 billion cumulative subscribers in 209 countries and territories. Discovery is dedicated to satisfying curiosity through 149 worldwide television networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science and Investigation Discovery, as well as U.S. joint venture networks OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, The Hub and 3net, the first 24-hour 3D network. Discovery also is a leading provider of educational products and services to schools and owns and operates a diversified portfolio of digital media services, including Revision3. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.

SOURCE Discovery Communications