Goal:

To increase access to technology and training among low-income youth and young adults, thereby improving their health by increasing educational and employment opportunities.

Objectives: 

• Build and staff community technology centers that teach computer literacy to low-income residents and maintain a schedule that allows for easy neighborhood access.
• Integrate computer literacy with a focus on employment training opportunities of youth ages 14 to 23.
• Create a technology resource for the local community.
• Develop a community voice for public policies that support technology and training in low-income communities.

Accomplishments: 

• Successful creation of a cohort of community technology centers in 11 low-income communities throughout California. The Computers In Our Future program was composed of 11 grants in communities representing California’s geographic, racial and ethnic diversity. All sites operated community technology centers and offered open-access hours as well as training. Most sites operated centers during day, evening and weekend hours to accommodate working people and students. All centers exhibited creative approaches to reach their direct service targets. 
• The provision of open access and technology training services to over 25,000 people. Evaluation evidence shows that over 25,036 people were served in either open access or training. Eighty percent of CIOF users were people of color, and 37 percent were between 14 and 23 years of age. The average user visited the lab 10 times, using the computer approximately one and a half hours per visit. Fifty-five percent of adult users at CIOF sites were seeking employment. Interestingly, most users had some access to computers at other locations such as school, work or home. Anecdotal information indicates that time or technology limitations exist at other access points, making CIOF centers an improved source of technology access.
• The creation of technology training opportunities for unanticipated populations and groups. CIOF sites were among the first nonprofit providers of technology training and community service placement opportunities for welfare-to-work and TANF recipients. CIOF centers trained small business owners, the elderly, disabled youth and adults, teachers and their students, people in recovery programs, formerly incarcerated youth and Americorps volunteers. Many centers provided free technical assistance and training for staff and volunteers of other startup efforts in their communities. Center staff often assisted residents and local community organizations with hardware and software purchases. Several rural and urban sites created additional sites or helped other local organizations start centers in nearby areas. 
• The creation of policy advocacy capacity. CIOF center leaders, through their CIOF Policy Workgroup, became the voice in Sacramento for community technology. With TCWF funding, they testified at numerous legislative briefings, provided input into language for proposed legislative policies, spoke at numerous conferences involving the private sector, and participated in a training for nonprofit organizations on appropriate forms of lobbying. Success is due in part to the window of opportunity for action on digital-divide issues and a vacuum of voices to fill it. In addition, The Children’s Partnership was a key partner for the CIOF Policy Workgroup, lending its expertise and hands-on technical support.
• Sustainability and cultivation of new resources. The CIOF model incorporated sustainability as a goal at the beginning of the grant period. This forced sites to pay attention to this need early on in the Initiative. Sustainability approaches varied and included a strong support role by a Program Coordination Team – three organizations that received funding to provide technical assistance to the centers. Activities included: corporate sponsorship development, a communications strategy and media skills training, policy advocacy and long-term program planning. Corporate sponsorship totaled $1.6 million, mostly in the form of software and licenses. Policy advocacy efforts over the last two years of the Initiative focused on broadening the state government’s perspective about the role of nonprofit organizations in addressing the digital divide. Their efforts resulted in several unsuccessful bills, with community technology centers specifically mentioned. CIOF centers made several attempts to jointly fundraise, the most successful being a $700,000 grant from the Governor’s Workforce Investment Act Discretionary Fund. In addition, seven CIOF centers received substantial funding from the new Community Technology Foundation of California. It is estimated that at least 9 of the 11 centers will sustain operations beyond their CIOF grant period.
• Establishment of statewide network. Over the last four years of the Initiative, the CIOF centers came to identify themselves as a cohort. They used statewide conferences to learn from each other, build relationships at different staff levels and identify common interests. The sites identified value in formalizing their network, committing organizational resources to the creation of a statewide network that continues to promote community technology centers and policies, creates a space for the development of best practices and advances policies that address the digital divide.
• Development of corporate sponsorships. The Program Coordination Team spearheaded the corporate sponsorship component of the CIOF program, yielding $1.6 million in hardware and software donations. In addition, the PCT’s efforts allowed sites to build some capacity to work with corporate sponsors. Having a statewide program of 11 centers that received technical assistance and operating support was a major plus for the bigger partners—Microsoft, Adobe, AT&T and Mattel. Maintaining communications with corporate staff and creating opportunities to visit sites as a way to keep them on board was very effective.