Statement by the President on World Press Freedom Day

On this World Press Freedom Day, the United States honors the role of a free press in creating sustainable democracies and prosperous societies. We pay special tribute to those journalists who have sacrificed their lives, freedom or personal well-being in pursuit of truth and justice.

Over sixty years after the Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaimed the right of every person “to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers,” that right remains in peril in far too many countries.

While this year has seen some positive developments, like the release of journalists along with hundreds of other political prisoners in Burma, arbitrary arrests and detentions of journalists continue across the globe. As we condemn recent detentions of journalists like Mazen Darwish, a leading proponent of free speech in Syria, and call for their immediate release, we must not forget others like blogger Dieu Cay, whose 2008 arrest coincided with a mass crackdown on citizen journalism in Vietnam, or journalist Dawit Isaak who has been held incommunicado by the Eritrean government for over a decade without formal charge or trial.

Threats and harassment, like that endured by Ecuadorian journalist Cesar Ricaurte and exiled Belarusian democratic activist Natalya Radzina, and indirect censorship, including through restrictions on freedom of movement like those imposed on Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez, continue to have a chilling effect on freedom of expression and the press. We call on all governments to protect the ability of journalists, bloggers, and dissidents to write and speak freely without retribution and to stop the use of travel bans and other indirect forms of censorship to suppress the exercise of these universal rights.

In some cases, it is not just governments threatening the freedom of the press. It is also criminal gangs, terrorists, or political factions. No matter the cause, when journalists are intimidated, attacked, imprisoned, or disappeared, individuals begin to self-censor, fear replaces truth, and all of our societies suffer.  A culture of impunity for such actions must not be allowed to persist in any country.

This year, across the Middle East, North Africa and beyond, the world witnessed not only these perils, but also the promise that a free press holds for fostering innovative, successful, and stable democracies. On this World Press Freedom Day, we call upon all governments to seize that promise by recognizing the vital role of a free press and taking the necessary steps to create societies in which independent journalists can operate freely and without fear.

Presidential Proclamation -- National Foster Care Month

NATIONAL FOSTER CARE MONTH, 2012
- - - - - - -
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

Childhood is a time for our young people to grow and learn, protected by their families and safe in their homes. But for almost half a million children who are unable to remain at home through no fault of their own, childhood can be a time of sadness, pain, and separation. These children need and deserve safe, loving, and permanent families who can help restore their sense of well-being and give them hope for the future.

During National Foster Care Month, we recognize the promise of America's children and youth in foster care, and we commend the devotion and selflessness of the foster parents who step in to care for them. We also pay tribute to the professionals nationwide who work to improve the safety of our most vulnerable children and assist their families in addressing the issues that brought them into the child welfare system. In communities across America, dedicated men and women -- in schools, faith-based and community organizations, parent and advocacy groups -- volunteer their time as mentors, tutors, and advocates for children in foster care. We all have a role to play in ensuring our children and youth grow up with the rich opportunities and support they need to reach their full potential.

My Administration is committed to increasing positive outcomes for every infant and child in foster care, and to promoting a successful transition to adulthood for older youth. We are working to increase permanency through reunification, adoption, and guardianship; to prevent maltreatment; to reduce rates of re-entry into foster care; and to ensure all qualified caregivers have the opportunity to serve as foster parents. Through the Child and Family Services Improvement and Innovation Act, we are granting States more flexibility in supporting a range of services for children in foster care, including health care and treatment of emotional trauma. And through the Affordable Care Act, beginning in 2014, every State will be required to extend Medicaid coverage up to age 26 for former foster youth.

This year also marks the 100th anniversary of the Children's Bureau, an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services that carries forward a legacy of protecting our Nation's children and strengthening families through programs like the Permanency Innovations Initiative. Over 5 years, this initiative is investing $100 million in new strategies to identify permanent homes for youth in long-term foster care, including more than 100,000 children awaiting adoption, and to reducing time spent in foster care placements.

National Foster Care Month is a time to reflect on the many ways government, social workers, foster families, religious institutions, and others are helping improve the lives of children in foster care, and it also serves as a reminder that we cannot rest until every child has a safe, loving, and permanent home. Together, we give thanks to those individuals from all walks of life who have opened their hearts and their homes to a child, and we rededicate ourselves to ensuring a bright and hopeful future for America's foster youth.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 2012 as National Foster Care Month. I encourage all Americans to observe this month by dedicating their time, love, and resources to helping youth in foster care, whether by taking time to mentor, lending a hand to a foster family, or taking an active role in their communities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this second day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand twelve, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.

BARACK OBAMA

We Can't Wait: White House Announces Nearly 300,000 Summer Jobs and Other Employment Opportunities for Youth and New Online Tool to Help Youth Access Opportunities

Today, Secretary Solis will join Mayor Nutter at Philadelphia’s City Hall to announce that the Administration has secured additional commitments from 95 companies and non-profits, three cities, two federal agencies and the White House to provide 110,000 new summer jobs and other employment opportunities for low-income and disconnected youth this year as part of the Summer Jobs+ initiative for a total of nearly 300,000 opportunities. Employment opportunities include 90,000 paid jobs and thousands of mentorships, internships and other training opportunities. The Administration will also launch the Summer Jobs+ Bank, a new online search tool to help connect young people to jobs, internships and other employment opportunities this summer and year round.

“In January, we called on the private and public sectors to help us address record unemployment among America’s youth. Today, we are proud to announce that cities, federal agencies, non-profits, and companies from across the country have come together to provide hundreds of thousands of summer jobs and employment opportunities for our young people,” said President Obama.

“The Summer Jobs+ Bank and the growing list of organizations stepping up to answer the President's challenge are important to maintaining our commitment to the next generation of the American workforce,” said Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis. “There's no replacement for the dignity that comes with earning your first paycheck, and whether young people are looking for a job at the retail store around the corner-or at a national park states away-they now have one place to start their search.”

The President proposed $1.5 billion for high-impact summer jobs and year-round employment for low-income youth ages 16-24 in the American Jobs Act as part of the Pathways Back to Work fund. When Congress failed to act, the Federal government and private sector came together in January to commit to creating nearly 180,000 employment opportunities for low-income youth in the summer of 2012, with a goal of reaching 250,000 employment opportunities by the start of summer. Since the announcement of the initiative in January, nearly 100 more private sector partners nationwide have answered the President’s challenge to provide young people summer jobs, mentorships, internships and other opportunities to build skills.   

As pathways to careers, summer employment is critical to the success of young people, good for business, and important for our country.  But today’s youth are struggling to get the work experience they need for the jobs of the future: last summer, the unemployment rate among youth ages 16-24 set a near record high, and only 21 out of 100 low-income teens had a job.  According to a recent report, taxpayers shouldered more than $93 billion in direct costs and lost tax revenue to support young adults disconnected from school and work in 2011 alone. 

Summer Jobs+ Bank

Working with 10 job posting websites and employers across the country, the Summer Jobs+ Bank provides a single-stop resource for young job seekers to go online and search for jobs and other employment opportunities in their communities. Modeled after the Veterans Job Bank, the Summer Jobs+ Bank is powered by a new open Web standard, the JobPosting schema, designed by a voluntary network of job search and technology companies and supported by schema.org.  Job Posting Partners include:  AboutJobs.com, Inc., AfterCollege.com, Campus2Careers.com, CollegeRecruiter.com, CoolWorks.com, DirectEmployers Association, InternMatch.com, Internships.com, JobOn, and LinkedIn. In addition to the search tool, the Administration challenged the developer community to build apps that connect even more young people to job opportunities in their area.  In response to the challenge, many apps were created on several of the leading platforms, including Facebook, Google Android, Apple iOS, Windows Phone, and web browsers. Learn more about these innovative apps here.

Summer Jobs+ Cities

Three cities have joined with the Administration as Summer Jobs+ Cities and have committed to create new jobs, internships and other employment opportunities for low-income and disconnected youth this year. They include:

• Philadelphia:  In response to the President’s call to action, Mayor Michael A. Nutter and the City of Philadelphia, in partnership with Philadelphia Youth Network, is challenging Philadelphians and the business community to provide 7,500 youth summer jobs in 2012. At the event with Secretary Solis today, Mayor Nutter will announce commitments from local businesses and make a general call to Philadelphia citizens to join the Save Summer Jobs campaign. In addition to increasing employer-paid jobs and internships this year, Mayor Nutter is asking Philadelphians to sign on as donors – with personal contributions as small as $5 – to help reach the summer jobs goal. 

• Chicago:  The City of Chicago responded to the President's call to action by committing to provide 973 new summer job opportunities for students through a partnership with Chicago Public Schools (CPS). CPS students will develop transferable skills to increase employability through job readiness training. Nearly half of these opportunities will be explicitly directed towards students at risk of academic failure.

• San Francisco:  San Francisco Mayor Lee, in partnership with United Way of the Bay Area, has responded to the President’s call to action by committing to provide 5,000 jobs and internships for youth ages 14–24.  Mayor Lee challenged corporate partners to match the City’s 2,500 summer jobs with 2,500 new job and internship opportunities for summer 2012. The Mayor’s office is also partnering with the Department of Children, Youth and their Families, Office of Economic & Workforce Development, and San Francisco Unified School District to create a pipeline between youth, community organizations and private sector employers. The United Way and local youth workforce development organizations will provide work readiness training and support to youth job seekers, matching them to employers. The City will kick off Summer Jobs+ San Francisco at a Youth Resource Fair on May 9th.

New Commitments

For a full list of commitments, please visit http://www.dol.gov/summerjobs/Partners.htm.  Commitments announced since January include:

Ascension Health, Assurance for Tomorrows’ Leaders Youth Foundation, Inc., Better Community, Inc., Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Bread for the World, Bright Horizons, Cambia Health Solutions, Campus2careers, Cannon Industries, Capital Workforce Partners, Careerimp, Inc., CBL Sports, CBS Interactive, Christine Hassler, Inc., Cisco, Codeacademy, CodeNow, College Bound Brotherhood, Community Jobs Club, Inc., Communities Working 2gether, Coppin State University, Crossroads for Kids, Curvitude Boutique, Department of Education, Dignity Health, El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Executive Personnel Services, Inc. Staffing, Family Outreach Multipurpose Community Center, Foundation Outreach Multipurpose Community Center, Foundation for Global Collaboration and Peace, Freeland Construction, General Assembly, Greater Phoenix Black Chamber of Commerce, Greatist.com, Hire Learning Career Development Academy, Hope Whispers Community Organization, Inc., Hyatt Hotels Corporation, IdleAir, Innovate+Educate, Intelligent Transportation Society of America, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, International Black Professional Firefighters Association, International Leadership Foundation, Internet Webpages Newspaper, Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation, Job Prep™, The Job1 Youth Readiness Initiative, Johns Hopkins, Johnson & Johnson, Juma Ventures, Kupu, Level Playing Field Institute, LSL Industries, Inc., Meathead Movers, Masimo Corporation, Montefiore Medical Center, National Association of Hispanic Firefighters, National Skilled Trades Network, National U.S. India Chamber of Commerce, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, North Carolina Indian Economic Development, North Shore Community Development Coalition, Northrop Grumman, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Partners HealthCare, Queens Community House, Regional Black Chamber of Commerce-Southern California, Renee’s Hair Designs, Roane State Community College, Roseland Community Hospital, Royal People Group, Inc., The Select Family of Staffing Companies, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, LLP, Southwire, Summer QAmp, Supplying Tools to Empower Peoples’ Success San Antonio, Sweet Beginnings, LLC, Swish Dreams, Targeting Our People’s Priorities with Service, Inc, TeenForce, TeenQuest/Summer Youth Initiative, Teledon Solutions, Texcel, Inc., The Siwel Group, LLC, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc, Tri-State Black Chamber of Commerce (Illinois, Missouri, Iowa), Tutor Perini Construction Company, Unum and Colonial Life, U.S. India Chamber of Commerce, U.S. Small Business Administration, UBS, Vancouver WA Housing Authority, The White House, Workforce.io, Year Up, YMEN, YWCA

Readout of the President’s Call with Prime Minister Netanyahu

President Obama called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel today from Air Force One to express his personal condolences on the death of his father, Benzion Netanyahu.  In the call the President noted Benzion Netanyahu’s remarkable legacy of service to the Jewish people and deep friendship with the United States.