Scholas Labs, Education and Technology Initiative Supported by The Pope Introduces Flagship Program to Local Communities in U.S. and Cuba

Supported by tech companies like Globant, Google, and Microsoft, Scholas Labs is an IT and Education Project Accelerator that aims to promote inclusion through innovation

NEW YORK, September 23, 2015 – As Pope Francis embarks on his first trip to the United States and Cuba this week, he is bringing Scholas, through its flagship program Scholas Labs, an IT and Education Project Accelerator which aims to improve the world through technology, to local communities.

Created in early 2015, Scholas Labs selected Scholas Citizenship as its first project. The initiative which creates an online space for high school students to share their thoughts around civic and political topics, made its debut last week in the United States and Cuba, connecting high school students  just a few days before the Pope’s historic visit to both countries (Watch the video)

The objective of the initiative is to generate a personal approach to local issues and to allow students to find solutions with their communities. The initiative has already proven successful in both Argentina and Paraguay.

“Technology and Education are key in tackling the roots of violence,” said Jose María del Corral, Worldwide Director of Scholas. “They can help take down the physical barriers and ignorance that stand in the way of peace.”

Scholas Labs is currently open to individuals and startups from around the world interested in postulating projects relating to education and technology. Applications are currently being accepted. A worldwide-recognized committee of experts will evaluate each project, and, if selected, will pass through the four-month stage of "acceleration." The acceleration will include mentoring, funding, visibility, networking, and other tools that will transform the original idea into a concrete solution. Several technology companies have provided Scholas Labs with pro bono services, including Globant, Google, Microsoft, and the Telecom Argentina Group.

Martín Migoya, CEO and Globant's co-founder added, "For us, Scholas represents the opportunity to integrate education projects across regions through technology. We are very excited to join and to participate with Scholas Citizenship, which seeks to generate a virtual space to share specific problems in student communities worldwide, encouraging their participation and social, civic, and political engagement."

About Globant

Globant (NYSE: GLOB) is a digitally native technology services company that creates digital journeys for its customers, which impact millions of consumers. Globant is the place where engineering, design, and innovation meet scale.

Globant has more than 4,500 professionals in 9 countries working for companies like Google, Linkedin, JWT, EA, and Coca Cola, among others.

Globant was included in the “Cool Vendor in Business Process Services” Report by Gartner and its client work has been featured as business case studies at Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Stanford University.

About Scholas

Scholas is the first global scope initiative aimed at encouraging integration and fostering peace amongst peoples of the world through education. Connecting more than 400.000 schools and education networks both public and private and from all religions.