Summer-Fall 2001

"I like the computer room a lot because when I first started to come here I did not know anything about the computers. All the time Karen, Randy and I always joke around that is what I like about the computer room it is interesting and fun and I know a lot more about computers now than when I first came here and that was two years ago." —Club member, age 11

Our computer room must have looked a lot different two years ago. At that time the room enjoyed celebrated community status as a bingo hall at the Boys & Girls Club of Taunton. Located thirty miles south of Boston and twenty miles east of Providence, Taunton has a population of roughly 55,000. A large number of senior citizens, Latinos and Portuguese are at home here in our diverse community. The mission of our Boys & Girls Club is to inspire and enable all young people, especially those from disadvantaged circumstances, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens. In 1999-2000, we served nearly 1,300 children aged 6-18. Approximately 65% of our daily participants come from low and moderate-income households and are eligible for federally subsidized programs. Accordingly, our yearly Club membership fee is $10.

With generous funding and software donations from both Microsoft and Shaquille O'Neal our Club was chosen as a pilot site for the Boys & Girls Club Operation Connect technology program. PowerUP, new computers, and AmeriCorps *VISTA helped make our computer center fully operational in September 2000. An estimated 200 youth and community members utilize our walk-in computer center each week. Our lab has over 70 computers divided into three sections for ages 6-9, 10-12, and 13-18 to make supervision easier and encourage peer communication.

Our center structures activities that complement, not duplicate, school activities. PowerUP Online has been helpful in allowing easy access to such activities. Computer center staff, technology mentors, and community volunteers provide general homework help and technical assistance. Past projects include participation in the Anti-Drug campaign and celebration and consciousness-raising of Hispanic Heritage Month, Black History Month, Women's History Month, Election Day, and Earth Day. For Martin Luther King, Jr. Day computer center staff took four children to a breakfast celebration at a local college. Children are taught to use a variety of software programs for word processing, homepage building, digital photography, graphic design, playing games, creating greeting cards, research projects, email, and GIF animation. We have a game of the week contest that doubles as entertainment and a general vehicle to get children interested in computers. Our bulletin board showcased a gallery of stories and homework assignments contributed by our members. In May our activities are focused on digital arts and culture. In addition, our computer center is creating and piloting an ePal program between other PowerUP labs across the country. Our goal for the ePal program is to engage children in learning about other areas of the country, practicing technology skills by undertaking structured and safe ePal correspondence with children in other computer centers. We are very busy!

I was recently asked about leadership in our computer center and I would like to share what I have gleaned from my service as an AmeriCorps *VISTA and PowerUp Technology Project Coordinator. Know your community and let that knowledge guide your activities. I landed in Taunton, and in Massachusetts in general for that matter, one week before my VISTA service began. I placed a high priority on learning about Taunton and its citizens. I attended local community meetings and networked with others working on community technology issues. I read our local United Way needs assessment online. Talk to people; technology will not replace a human connection. Get vocal. Enthusiasm is contagious—pass it on. Set rules for the children and stick to them, using a guiding phrase such as "You can do whatever you want in here except break the rules." Think about what will appeal to your members. What web sites are they exploring? What are their interests? What do they want to learn about? Why do they come to your center, what are they hoping to gain? How can you better provide it? Ask them. Your members will be your best guide to running your computer center successfully. That is basically what we did!

Most importantly, children are like sponges, absorbing information and knowledge so quickly it boggles the mind. I have seen children learn and master the complex Microsoft Front Page and Microsoft Publisher in one sitting. Children have a natural inclination to learn, and technology offers a unique conduit to make learning fun and exciting. From time to time our members benefit greatly from enjoying the luxury of recreation in our lab. The technology and activities stimulate initial interest in the computer lab; having caring, knowledgeable adults, volunteers, and mentors in the lab will keep folks coming back for more. All the technology in the world cannot replace the joy children feel when we take an active interest in their lives. It is our responsibility to provide and maintain that positive human experience as best we can, working like hell to get things done, with technology as our backdrop.