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SpatialNews.com Press Release
ESRI Offers GIS Software and Resources Grants to the U.S. 4-H Program
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Redlands, California - ESRI's 2005 4-H Grant Program will award 75 grants for software, introductory training, and other materials to U.S. 4-H clubs completing successful application and grant acceptance. The grants were created by ESRI in cooperation with National 4-H Headquarters; Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES); and the U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) to support geospatial outreach, education, and community involvement efforts for youth in the United States.
The grant program is part of a multifaceted ESRI 4-H initiative that will help its youth members expand their current programs including National 4-H geographic information system (GIS)/global positioning system (GPS) Technology Programs, the National 4-H Youth Technology Leadership Team, and the National 4-H GIS/GPS Technology Integration Team. Applications from the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the island areas, and domestic and overseas U.S. military installations will be accepted until the March 31, 2005, deadline. This opens the program to more than 400,000 4-H clubs and their members.
"Utah 4-H had been struggling with how to break into the new age of GIS technology," says Kevin C. Kesler, director of 4-H and Youth Programs for Utah State University. "We did not have the resources, technical ability, or the understanding to make this happen. Because of ESRI's support through software, technical support, educational opportunities, and access to GIS groups, 4-H now has GIS clubs all over Utah, making it possible for Utah 4-H to move into a new age of technology from which youth and adults benefit for generations."
4-H Club Grant recipients will receive GIS software and data, which includes a full-year, 25-seat license of ArcView 3.3, ArcView 8.3, or ArcView 9 as well as ArcView Spatial Analyst or ArcGIS Spatial Analyst and ArcPad. The software and data also includes the ESRI Data and Maps CD series, links to the Geography Network, and facilitation with access to local GIS data via various ESRI users and related groups. Recipients will also receive GIS books and training materials that correlate to the type of software requested.
A permanent software license will be awarded to grant recipients when they participate in and submit a project to the ESRI Community Atlas Program (ESRI CAP) by May 30, 2006. For more information on the grant, visit www.esri.com/4-H or send an e-mail to 4-H_external@esri.com. More information about the National 4-H Program is available at www.4-h.org.
About U.S. 4-H
4-H, officially begun in 1902, is focused on the power of youth in a changing world. The 4-H vision rests with youth and adults working together as catalysts for positive change in their communities through developing scholastic, workforce, and service skills; enhancing the value of self and others; and fostering personal and global sustainability. There are more than 400,000 sanctioned youth 4-H clubs representing all U.S. counties plus the U.S. territories and overseas defense installations. With nearly seven million youth members, 4-H represents approximately one out of every eight school-age children in the United States, making it one of the largest youth organizations in the nation. 4-H clubs, once the domain of rural farm areas, are now present in a full range of communities. One-third of all U.S. 4-H clubs are found in cities with 50,000 or more people. 4-H is administered nationally by USDA-CSREES and at the state/local level by land grant universities and the system of county 4-H agents.
About ESRI
Founded in 1969, ESRI is the leading developer of GIS software with more than 300,000 clients worldwide. ESRI software is used in all 200 of the largest cities in the United States and in more than 60 percent of counties and municipalities nationwide. Headquartered in California, ESRI has regional offices throughout the United States, international distributors in more than 90 countries, and more than 1,600 business partners. ESRI's goal is to develop comprehensive tools that enable users to efficiently manage, use, and serve geographic information to make a difference in the world around them. ESRI also provides consulting, implementation, and technical support services. ESRI can be found on the Web at www.esri.com.
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