MUMBAI: The Adobe Foundation, the Black Eyed Peas and the Entertainment Industry Foundation today announced a new partnership to help underserved youth access and learn to use multi-media production tools, including those for video, dance, music and art, to comment on critical issues and spark social change in their communities. The collaboration will be highlighted this evening at a benefit concert hosted and performed in Los Angeles by the Black Eyed Peas and other musical artists.

"As a group, we've made a commitment to help give teens the artistic tools and opportunities to help them realize their fullest potential," says will.i.am, who grew up in the projects in Boyle Heights, Calif. "Thanks to the incredible generosity of Adobe Youth Voices, we are able to expand our vision and give even more kids a chance to be productive, enterprising adults."

"Creativity and digital literacy are as fundamental to a quality education as every other skill taught in the classroom today," said Shantanu Narayen, president and chief executive officer of Adobe Systems Incorporated and president of the Adobe Foundation. "We're proud to be working with such talented and committed artists to nurture self-expression among young people in underserved communities. We hope this is just the beginning."

Last year, internationally acclaimed hip-hop group The Black Eyed Peas - will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo and Fergie - opened the first Peapod Academy, a state-of-the-art music and educational center and recording facility serving foster care youth and other at-risk teens, at the Watts/Willowbrook Boys and Girls Club. AYV, introduced by Adobe in 2006, continues to expand worldwide, building on more than 160 sites in 31 countries. Together, the organizations will launch two new integrated music and multi-media academies in the San Francisco Bay Area in Fall 2009. Plans to scale the program over time include combining Peapod Academies and Adobe Youth Voices (AYV) sites worldwide.

Moving forward, the joint Adobe Youth Voices/Peapod Academy sites will incorporate high-tech curriculum developed by AYV with the latest multi-media production tools, recording studio tools and expertise and mentoring in the performing arts. Past students enrolled in AYV programs have had their work showcased at prestigious venues including the Sundance Film Festival and the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival, addressing topics such as domestic violence, drug abuse and migrant labor. AYV participants from the Bay Area will appear on stage tonight with the Black Eyed Peas; their work will be shown in and around the concert venue.

The Adobe Foundation's commitment includes a $1 million cash donation along with other in-kind support, including a comprehensive training program designed for youth and educators, and volunteer support from Adobe employees. The Peapod Foundation will contribute an on-site fully-equipped recording studio at each site, along with expertise and mentoring.