Programs

Hispanic Community Network Initiative is a $20 million software donation program designed to support and enhance the efforts of nonprofit organizations that serve Hispanic populations throughout the country.

Share the Technology maintains an online, searchable computer donation database listing requests and offers throughout the world. Listings are free for donors and requesting nonprofits, schools and people with disabilities. "To bridge the digital divide, you must first provide basic computer hardware to provide the foundation upon which other efforts may be built. Some of the millions of machines discarded each year should be recycled for reuse by organizations in need."

SkillsNet is a website connecting employers, educators and job seekers in the animation, digital effects, web and multimedia fields.

Organizations

Alliance for Community Media  is a nonprofit, national membership organization founded in 1976, which represents the interests of over 1,000 public, educational and governmental ("PEG") access organizations (generally known as “public access”) and public access internet centers throughout the country. It also represents the interests of an estimated 1.5 million individuals, through their local religious, community, charitable and other groups, who utilize PEG access television centers and Internet providers to speak to their memberships and their larger communities.

Alliance for Community Technology  was launched in 1997 as a strategic partnership between the W. K. Kellogg Foundation and the University of Michigan through its new School of Information. The partnership was motivated by the perspective that information technology has emerged to the point that it could have an increasingly vital role in the Foundation's fundamental mission to help people help themselves through the practical application of knowledge and resources to improve their quality of life and that of future generations.

Alliance for Global Learning  is a strategic partnership between Schools Online, World Links for Development (WorLD), and the International Education and Resource Network (I*EARN). An unprecedented consortium, the Alliance for Global Learning was created to provide education opportunities for students around the world.  The vision of the Alliance for Global Learning is to link students and teachers around the world using new technologies to improve education, provide collaboration opportunities and build global awareness.

Benton Foundation  seeks to shape the emerging communications environment and to demonstrate the value of communications for solving social problems. Through demonstration projects, media production and publishing, research, conferences, and grantmaking, Benton takes on the critical questions for democracy in the information age.  The Benton and AOL foundations partnered in July 1999 to create an online clearinghouse research, initiatives, and resources that address issues related to the "Digital Divide" in America and to provide guideposts on the road to a more connected and inclusive society.

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation One way the Gates Foundation is attempting to close the digital divide is by partnering with public libraries to bring access to low-income communities in the U.S. and Canada.

The Black Family Network "The Internet's center for technology resources and services that make a positive contribution to the lives of black families around the world."

Break Away Technologies  was established subsequent to the Los Angeles riots to promote and improve the quality of life of urban children, youth, and families through values-based, character-building education, focusing on increasing the level of computer literacy and availability in targeted areas. Through an integrity-grounded education, the organization helps urban children, youth, and families "break away" from unproductive behavior and then connect to that which holds the promise of a bright future.

Center for Virtual Research  within UC Riverside, explores ways in which emerging technologies can be incorporated within teaching, research and the development of local on-line communities.

Community Connect uses a fleet of mobile Community Technology Centers called eBuses to overcome barriers in location, income and even language to provide access to technology and technology training in neighborhoods throughout California.

Computers4Kids Technology-needy schools and their students’ families may apply for computers through this program.

Computers for Learning  Federal Government Site for program which donates surplus Federal computer equipment to schools and educational nonprofit organizations.

Computers in Our Future  is a $6 million, five-year initiative established by the California Wellness Foundation to develop eleven community computer training centers in low-income neighborhoods across California. The project seeks to improve educational and employment opportunities for young people in low-income communities by increasing access to training, technology and jobs.

Connect for Kids  provides information for adults who want to make their communities better places for kids.  Their award-winning Web site, e-mail newsletters, radio, print and TV ads help people become more active citizens—from volunteering to voting.

Cyber High  Fresno County, California, Office of Education is in the process of developing a prototype to bring high school curriculum to any student who wishes to earn credit toward graduation. It will no longer be necessary to learn from a textbook alone or to follow a set schedule of class time dominated by the clock.  The classroom walls will be taken down and learning will be possible anytime the student has access to a computer and the Internet.

The Detwiler Foundation is a non-profit organization founded in September 1991 by John, Carolyn and Diana Detwiler. Now in its seventh year, the Computers for Schools Program has program activity nationwide and is the largest source of computer equipment for K-12 schools in California.

The Digital Coast Roundtable,  chaired by Los Angeles' Mayor Richard Riordan, is a consortium of local new media business leaders, under the auspices of the non-profit organization, Digital Coast, Inc.  It was formed to define, improve and upgrade the infrastructure and connectivity of the new media industry in the Los Angeles area.

Digital Divide Network  is produced and managed by the Benton Foundation, in association with the National Urban League, to tackle the growing gap between those who have access to technology and information skills and those who do not through a powerful knowledge network. The purpose of the DDN is to enable and facilitate the sharing of ideas, information and creative solutions among industry partners, private foundations, nonprofit organizations and governments.

Digital Sojourn  The need for universal access to information technology created Digital Sojourn. Anticipating the consequences of current access disparities, they are focused on increasing the participation of people of African descent in computer mediated communication and in using the technology as a tool in closing distances among all people promoting economic and social justice.

GetNetWise  is a public service by Internet industry corporations and public interest organizations to help ensure that families have safe, constructive, and educational or entertaining online experiences. The GetNetWise coalition wants Internet users to be just "one click away" from the resources they need to make informed decisions about their family's use of the Internet.

Heaven  is a non-profit organization dedicated to using technology and the Internet to benefit society and bridge the divide between technology haves and have-nots.

IBM Charitable Contributions Site  IBM’s Reinventing Education program helps grant recipients by contributing funds, researchers and technology.

Internet Education Foundation  is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public and policymakers about the potential of a decentralized global Internet to promote democracy, communications, and commerce.

Kids Computer Workshop has a mission to bring technology and mentoring to Washington, DC's at-risk children. The program teaches computer skills with a focus on activities that develop literacy and critical thinking. They provide kids with a safe, supportive place during out-of-school hours where they are exposed to positive role-models and build confidence and self-esteem.

Latino Issues Forum  is a nonprofit public policy and advocacy institute dedicated to advancing new and innovative public policy solutions for a better, more equitable and prosperous society.  Established in 1987, LIF's primary focus is on the broader issues of access to higher education, economic development, health care, citizenship, regional development, telecommunications issues, and regulatory issues.

National Telecommunications and Information Administration  is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the Executive Branch's principal voice on domestic and international telecommunications and information technology issues.  NTIA works to spur innovation, encourage competition, help create jobs and provide consumers with more choices and better quality  telecommunications products and services at lower prices.

National Urban League  is a nonprofit, community-based organization headquartered in New York City, which has been operating technology-based programming since 1968. The organization has 114 affiliates in 34 states and the District of Columbia.

National Urban Technology Center  is a nonprofit corporation dedicated to preparing inner-city communities across the country for full participation in the information age. It helps communities create a technology and telecommunications infrastructure.

Neighborhood Networks is a community-based initiative of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that encourages the development of resource and computer learning centers in privately owned HUD-assisted and/or -insured housing. These centers work to build self-reliant neighborhoods that meet the needs of lower-income families and seniors where they live.

NetDay Digital Divide Initiative – Connecting Communities through Technology. The NetDay Digital Divide Initiative (NDDI) has a clear purpose: to bridge the digital divide by re-establishing schools as community centers in low-income communities where students, educators, and parents have access to technology, and to use these new high-tech schools as models to replicate the program in communities across the United States. NDDI is a program that works with school and community leaders in Empowerment Zones to improve educational outcomes through technology and to develop a high-tech school model that could be replicated in other schools. The program was launched in spring 1999 with a startup grant from the Department of Education. NetDay Digital Divide Initiative programs are currently in place in 37 K-12 schools in 7 Empowerment Zone communities – Detroit, Los Angeles, New York City, the Mississippi River Delta, the Rio Grande Valley, Oakland, and Washington, DC. Over the past year, NDDI project directors have been working to complete infrastructure development; establish community advisory boards; assess of education and technology needs and goals; and, create professional development programs.

The Once and Future Action Network, a global coalition promoting social change.

Parents, Educators and Publishers  has a national directory of computer recycling programs.

PowerUp: Bridging the Digital Divide is comprised of more than a dozen nonprofit organizations, major corporations and federal agencies that have joined together to launch a major new multimillion dollar initiative to help ensure that America's underserved young people acquire the skills, experiences and resources they need to succeed in the digital age.

Schools and Libraries  provides affordable access to telecommunications services for all eligible schools and libraries in the United States. Funded at up to $2.25 billion annually, the program provides discounts on telecommunications services, Internet access and internal connections.

SeniorNet  is a nonprofit organization that provides adults 50+ access to and education about computer technology and the Internet to enhance their lives and enable them to share their knowledge and wisdom.

Street Tech  is a nonprofit organization offering free computer training, certification and job placement for selected 18 to 25 year-old students from disadvantaged communities in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Street Tech's goal is to establish a statewide and national network of technology academies in underserved communities to train and place qualified technicians.  Street Tech also helped establish the East Bay Neighborhood Links (EBNL) which currently has five community technology sites providing general access, after-school programs for kids and job training programs in underserved areas of Alameda and Contra Costa Counties.

Technology Access Foundation teaches computer skills to communities of color.

3Com Urban Challenge  3Com Corporation, in partnership with the US Conference of Mayors, will grant a total of $1 million in equipment, training and consulting to ten US cities in which the Mayor is committed to using networking technology toward education or government services.  The program is designed to help cities utilize technology to enhance education curriculum and public sector communications systems.

Tomas Rivera Policy Institute  is a freestanding, nonprofit, policy research organization which has attained a reputation as the nation's "premier Latino think tank." Through its strong capacity to conduct primary and secondary data analysis, TRPI is uniquely positioned to fill the void in information that exists among policymakers and political leaders regarding the complexities that characterize the U.S. Latino population--e.g. its heterogeneous composition, its bilingualism, and its diverse nativity.

U.S. Commerce Department's "Closing the Digital Divide"   The Commerce Department's Digital Divide Website, a comprehensive clearinghouse for information about the Clinton Administration's efforts to provide all Americans with access to the Internet and other information technologies that are crucial to their economic growth and personal advancement.

(Back to top)

A Sampling of Community Based Resources to Bridge the Digital-Divide  by Gus Koehler, Ph.D., California Research Bureau

PBS Series on the Digital Divide  PBS viewers can preview this upcoming two-part series through the accompanying website of the same name. The Digital Divide examines the digital revolution and how the spread of computer technology is affecting young people in the United States. The website is arranged into four main sections: Classrooms, Gender, Race, and At Work. In each section, there is an interactive lesson on the issue (Interact), interviews with experts (Voices), and list of annotated Internet resources on the issue (Links). The first part of the Digital Divide will air nationally on PBS stations on January 28, 2000.

National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)  FY 2001 Budget Requests - Digital Divide Initiatives

Closing the Digital Divide (digitaldivide.gov)  U.S. Department of Commerce Digital Divide website.

Grappling with the Net: The Need for Universal Access

Bridging the Digital Divide: The Impact of Race on Computer Access and Internet Use  by Novak and Hoffman

Falling Through the Net I  July 1995

Falling Through the Net II  July 1998

Falling Through the Net: Defining the Digital Divide III  July 1999

A Public-Interest Vision of the National Information Infrastructure  by Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility

The Digital Divide  by the Benton Foundation, Digital Beat, July 1999

The Digital Divide and the U.S. Hispanic Population  by the Benton Foundation, Digital Beat, August 1999

Technology Professional Development for Teachers: Overcoming a Pedagogical Digital Divide  by the Benton Foundation, Digital Beat, September 1999

Computer Access in the Inland Empire Divided Along Color Lines  by Max Neiman and Richard Chabran, UC Riverside, 6/99

Native Americans and the Digital Divide  by the Benton Foundation, Digital Beat, October 1999

Closing the Gap: Joint Venture Seeks to Include Poor in Valley's Boom.  Joint Venture President and CEO Ruben Barrales and State Sen. John Vasconcellos, D-San Jose, an adviser to the project, talked about how they intend to close this digital divide.  San Jose Mercury News, February 19, 2000

Clinton Condemns "Digital Divide" in America  President Bill Clinton delivered an address at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on June 8, 1998 in which he condemned the racial "digital divide" in America, and re-affirmed his support for the "e-rate" subsidy for school and library computer networking, Internet access, and phone service.

The Digital Divide  Time Magazine, March 22, 1999

The Rise of the Net Generation: Growing Up Digital  Dedicated to the latest publication by Don Tapscott, this site deals with the influence of technology on society, youth, and the forces of transformation which are poised to emerge out of this trend.

A Bridge Over the Digital Divide and Poverty Gap  by Herb Boyd, published in The Black World Today, September 21, 1999

The Digital Divide  ABC News, March 1, 1999. Half of American households don't have a computer.

"Digital Divide" Imperils U.S. Economy? Wired Magazine, April 16, 1998.

Digital Divide: High Tech as a New Civil Rights Battleground by Donna Ladd, published in The Village Voice, July 21-27, 1999.

Rev. Jesse Jackson Slams Silicon Valley  ZDTV, March 1, 1999

State Study Finds Ethnic Gap in Computer Use/ Worry that Latinos are falling behind  San Francisco Chronicle, September 13, 1999

The Kids are Not Alright: Why Johnny Can't Compute by Hal Plotkin, special to SF Gate, September 15, 1999

Rare Breed: High-tech mentor for Blacks  San Francisco Chronicle, May 4, 1998

Roadblocks for Latino venture capitalists  San Francisco Chronicle, May 4, 1998

Closing the digital divide early  San Francisco Chronicle, May 4, 1988

About Race: A Special Report Exploring Bay Area Race Relations  ongoing series in San Francisco Chronicle

Mexicans Divided By Digital Revolution: Large sectors of society lack access to Internet  San Francisco Chronicle, September 27, 1999

Internet-Savvy Hispanic Kids Still Need a Boost in the Basics   San Francisco Chronicle, October 17, 1999

(List of Organizations and Articles is from the following web site:www.sen.ca.gov/CLIC/)

(Back to top)

To list additional events or resources, or for more information, please e-mail SV-CAN@JointVenture.org or call 408/938-1509. This website developed and maintained by the Silicon Valley Civic Action Network (SV-CAN), Joint Venture's newest initiative to engage thousands of residents and workers in achieving the vision and 17 specific goals of Silicon Valley 2010. Funded by the Packard Foundation, this site will grow into a "Network of Networks" for all of the organizations and individuals working as regional stewards of Silicon Valley's future.