@15™ gives teens a voice

At Best Buy, we believe in the power of teens. That's why we created @15, a style of philanthropy that focuses, not on issues or trends, but on people important to our business and our society. We listen to what teens have to say about the world, give voice to their perspectives, and invest Best Buy's resources, at their direction, to support teen efforts to lead social change. Watch the @15 Video to learn more.

Best Buy's @15 mission is an exciting evolution of our established Foundation and corporate giving programs, which have provided more than $200 million over the past decade. This commitment to our customers, our communities, and our business helps ensure that we can provide even greater opportunities for teens. We've worked closely with our employees, as well as non-profits, teachers, parents, and teens across the country to develop this focus for Best Buy corporate philanthropy.

Indeed, many of Best Buy's Community Relations programs now have an @15 focus, such as the @15 Scholarship™, the @15™ Exchange, and the Teach @15 Awards.

Visit at15.com to learn more.

When teens speak, we listen

Teens. If the future is theirs, let's hear what they have to say about it.

Best Buy is committed to supporting teens. Our future depends on them — as a company, yes, but more importantly as a country, a society, a world. Yet research reveals that teens (those wonderful, outspoken, smart, creative, energetic people in grades 7-12) receive the least financial support. In general, government philanthropic, and non-profit spending directed at teens is far below what is invested in children (kids in early childhood through grade 6) and young adults (in post-secondary school).

Best Buy is out to change this. We want to empower teens at the most critical time of their lives; early adolescence. Everyone is aware of how much teens need support and opportunities to learn, contribute, lead, develop life skills and relate to others. Too often we hear bad news about the challenges teens face and the problems they create. Teens have the power to make the world better. Our mission is to recognize and understand that power. Not direct it, but fuel it.

Best Buy believes in teens. As technology and entertainment enthusiasts, they're some of our best customers, toughest critics, and most helpful employees. So when teens speak, we listen. We learn a lot and we believe our communities can too.

@15 Teens as philanthropists

We said we were giving teens a voice. Here's an example of how. On at15.com, teens are in charge of $1,000,000 of Best Buy giving. Teens alone decide how this money will be allocated. Not their parents or their teachers or Best Buy board members. Teens have the power, but they have to earn it.

Teen members of at15.com earn points by participating in easy, fun activities, all aimed at developing their own points of view on topics and issues of interest to them, sharing those views and listening to others. The more points teens earn, the more power they have in directing donations.

Every three months, @15 members allocate their points to the featured non-profit(s) of their choice. Best Buy tallies all the points and makes grants to those non-profits according to the direction of the teen members.