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Universal Business and Media School
The Universal Business and Media School was founded 10 years ago, by a woman named Dr. Georgia Falu. This group devotes itself to teaching computer skills to over 250 minority people who have found themselves left behind as other communities have become technologically affluent. This school is located in El Barrio, which is a Spanish community in New York City.
Students who attend this school are offered classes in business and computer applications. Computer classes include everything from Word Processing to Internet skills, as well as different operating platforms. Additionally, the school offers language training and even a program for getting one's high school degree. As part of its program the school offers Internet access at a very low price to its students. They also offer job placement assistance to people who are ready to use their skills in industry.
Computers and You (Glide Memorial Church)
"Giving poor people access to personal computer technology can give them options: literacy, jobs, skills, confidence and a bigger picture than they might have had." --David Bunnell, New Media Magazine.
The Computers and You program has already served 6,000 adults and children in the San Francisco Area. Computers and You is dedicated to providing both access to computer technology as well as training to both homeless and less privileged people. Their goal is to provide the training that a person needs in order to get a decent job. With these skills they will be able to pursue a life which allows them to escape from poverty permanently.
While this program teaches general subjects to children using computers such as math or science, they also provide technological training for adults, teaching them the skills they need to hold a job that requires computer literacy. Additionally the program provides assistance to people trying to get new jobs, offering classes in resume writing and mock interview sessions for people seeking work. This training is done both individually and on a group basis. The organization notes that it is important to teach people the social skills they need to function in society as well as the technological skills they need to be successful.
BMUG stands for "The Berkeley Macintosh Users Group." Their current project, "The Refurb Project" is dedicated to creating a a computer center inside of a women's shelter/recovery program that is located in Oakland California. Additionally the BMUG program strives to provide information about computers to the community by offering books and other products which enhance a person's computer literacy.
BMUG offers many classes which teach anything from music to math law software on the Macintosh. Their main goal is to collect and distribute computers to "economically disadvantaged and underserved families and individuals."
People Escaping Poverty Project
Located in Minnesota, PEPP is dedicated to giving people technical training , educating people so that they will have the same opportunities as everyone else. Internet and email technology is taught to people who otherwise would not have access to the online world.
Plugged in is located in Palo Alto. It is an organization dedicated to brining computer access into the local community for people of all ages. In addition to just providing Internet Access and computers for use, they have a series of workshops which allow a person to obtain skills on Macs and PCS. These classes are taught in subjects ranging from simple word processing to resume making, to HTML.
One of Plugged In's main goals is to teach people social skills in addition to technical skills. If a person thinks they are going to enter the job market, Plugged In offers interview training in addition to group projects which allow a person to practice interacting with other individuals. Please see the section of our web page dedicated to Plugged In.
ibrowse for Kids Computer Learning Center
The ibrowse Program provides adolescents and young adults in Coweta county access to computers in addition to classes which teach technical skills they can use to secure success in their future. ibrowse is committed to educating young adults by providing state of the art instruction in small groups rather than large ones. By enabling young adults with technical skills, they hope to boost their confidence which will further their success in the community.
The ibrowse technology center includes various computer hardware ranging from scanners to modems. The program as a whole offers software training, which is affordable and useful in the real world. The company also provides web sites for those businesses they believe will benefit from an "Internet presence."
University of Michigan Volunteer Computer Corps
The University of Michigan Volunteer Computer Corps program is run by students dedicated to teaching less privileged people in nearby communities various skills in computers and business. The program offers training on different types of computers which allows people to gain experience. Additionally, they have many industrial contacts with which they can help people find various jobs once they have more contemporary skills. While some programs are physical places where people can go to find computers and internet access, this program brings the the technology to the people.
Located in North Carolina, Explornet is dedicated to teaching computer skills to schools in low income communities. While they take part in computer recycling, they also help schools get Internet access, in addition to training teachers so that they will have the skills necessary to teach computer skills in the classroom.
One of their projects was called NC Net Day, which aimed at connecting all of the schools in the state to the Internet. During Net Day 1996 various computers were hooked up in 11,480 classrooms, with a "high-speed data wire."
The M.U.S.I.C. program is dedicated to "enhance the educational and vocation opportunity awareness of Urban youth and adult offenders who display both an interest and an aptitude for a career in computers." Combining the Internet with other computer resources such as video and music this program hopes to make computers more appealing to individuals who would otherwise be doing illegal activities. The volunteers hope computers will give underprivileged individuals a more creative way to self expression, providing an outlet to build self confidence while gaining important skills that will help them be successful in society.
The reason this program is unique is that they hope to "spark interest" in computers from people who the community has otherwise rejected. They believe that computers can help foster change by offering people opportunities that they would not otherwise encounter.
"Computer technology can empower residents of assisted housing to move from economic dependency to self-sufficiency. Housing today is not just where people eat and sleep, it is increasingly a place where we work, learn, and communicate with others." -- Nicholas Retsinas, program's assistant secretary
The Shelter Hill Online program is very unique. The project provides computers and training to members of a 75 unit community housing complex. Within the complex there is a computer center, which includes different types of software for learning. Here, classes take place which introduce the people of this small community the skills that they need in order to find jobs. Every computer in this center has access to the Internet, and the program hopes to be able to get Internet access into each of the individual houses. Hopefully with this technology, this housing will no longer be subsidized, but just temporary, as people are able to obtain skills that will get them back on their feet, making enough money to function without assistance within society.
The program has many goals. Some examples are: providing computer assistance leading to achieving GED level of skill, introducing computers to students, workshops fostering learning that will allow people to be qualified for various computer jobs.