Become a Scout Master: Take the JobScout Pledge

Unemployment and the Digital Divide Currently the unemployment rate is at 7.8% in the United States. Despite recent dips in statistics, unemployment remains a critical problem that calls for new solutions. While the United States is known the world over for its innovative and industrious spirit, 60,000,000 Americans lack the Internet skills they need to make it in the new economy. In today’s economy, Internet skills are essential for finding a job. jobscout seeks to teach people these necessary skills, so they can find employment. jobscout: Developing Internet And Employment Search Skills jobscout, a free online social platform designed to get people back to work by teaching them the skills they need to find a job using online resources, is designed specifically for those marginalized by the digital divide. jobscout uses gaming elements to create a friendly and accessible entry point for those unfamiliar with the Internet. It engages users and motivates them to cultivate new skills by being awarded badges with each skill developed. jobscout activities, lessons and tools are self-led, which enables users to learn at their own pace. jobscout’s Support System Even though jobscout’s platform allows users to learn at their own pace, they are never alone on the TRAIL to becoming Scout Master. Users are provided top-quality customer support made possible by a community of stakeholders. Supported by a partnership between TRAIL, the company that created jobscout, the California State Library, the LINK AMERICAS Foundation, community organizations and school districts, jobscout has been provides jobseekers with the technical and educational resources needed to bridge the digital divide. Get Involved This cooperative effort between the public and private sector is actively recruiting scouts, and showing them the essential skills they need to survive in the wilderness of the current market. Together, we make up the current team of Scout Masters. We are looking for more private and public sector leaders to stand up, and become Scout Masters by encouraging community members to use jobscout as a means of seeking out both Internet skills and employment. You can show your support by requesting a Buzz Kit equipped with posters, stickers, brochures and buttons for your organization or event. Take the Pledge Whether you are a private foundation that wants to support projects helping California's jobseekers, a private corporation looking for workforce training solutions, an education

expert, a librarian or an organization that provides career services to job seekers who can benefit from jobscout’s features, we encourage you to take one of the following pledges. I PLEDGE, to raise awareness about jobscout amongst: ☐ Patrons served by my library branch. ☐ Constituents served by my state agency. ☐ Constituents served by my organization. ☐ Students served by my on-campus career center.

I PLEDGE, to explain the benefits, and give a jobscout tutorial to: ☐ Friends ☐ Family members ☐ Neighbors ☐ People I just met

I PLEDGE, to share the “MyJobScout.org” web address with 10 people: ☐ Per month ☐ Per week ☐ Per day ☐ I will not stop talking about jobscout.

I PLEDGE, to donate/volunteer the following resources to the jobscout initiative, each of which will help make jobscout available to future Scouts:

☐ Public display space for jobscout promotional materials. ☐ Time dedicated to jobscout in my computer class. ☐ On-site access to jobscout from your library, office, classroom or computer lab.

I PLEDGE, to volunteer my time and expertise to jobscout by: ☐ Working with jobscout’s development team on new games and features. ☐ Working with jobscout’s content team on new curriculums and resources. ☐ Working with jobscout’s public affairs team to raise awareness about jobscout and recruit users.

I PLEDGE, to provide support to jobscout in the following ways: __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ Thank you for taking the jobscout pledge! Please tell us who you are by providing your name, your organization's name and your email address in the space below.

Name:

Association Title:

Phone: Email: