dot-ORG & Intel Collaborate for Sustainable Computer Clubhouses: dot-ORG
Intel Corporation and dot-ORG initiate a collaborative Pilot Project
 The dot-ORG project is investing some of its pilot project funds to collaborate with Intel Computer Clubhouses in Brazil and South Africa to design and test strategies and business plans that may enable these Clubhouse and other types of public access centers become sustainable enterprises. To facilitate this collaborative pilot project, Intel and the Academy for Educational Development (AED) signed a memorandum of understanding in October 2002.
Creative Leaning Environments for Underserved Youth
Intel Corporation has initiated an effort to establish three Computer Clubhouse in both Brasil and South Africa. Through partner NGOs in both countries, the Clubhouse will provide creative and safe after-school learning environment where young people from under-served communities work with adult mentors to explore their own ideas, develop skills, and build confidence through the use of technology.
At the Computer Clubhouse, youth develop projects based on their own interests, creating computer-generated art, music, and animations; designing their own science simulations; writing and illustrating interactive poetry and stories; building kinetic sculptures and robotic constructions; and designing their own web pages. In the process, youth become excited about learning and fluent with new technologies, developing skills and experiences that will help them succeed in their careers, contribute to their communities, and lead outstanding lives.
Collaborating for Sustainability
Intel's and their partners' investments in these Clubhouses are spread out over four years during which the NGOs hosting these centers are expected to establish mechanisms to sustain Clubhouse activities and to expand the approach to learning to other educational programs. Achieving sustainablity is a challenge for all public access computer and Internet faculties around the world, especially for those in underserved communities. Intel Corporation, dot-ORG and USAID are especially concerned about enabling sustainability of these facilities so that investments to promote digital inclusion continue beyond the support provided by donors.
In response to this need and concern, dot-ORG staff will work in partnerships with staff from the NGOs hosting Clubhouses in South Africa and Brazil to develop and test different strategies and business plans that will seek to enable the Clubhouses to continue and expand their operations after funding from Intel is completed. Once these strategies and business plans are developed, they will be shared via the DOT-COM web site with the development community so that the pilot can benefit from experiences of other initiatives and so that lessons from the pilot can contribute to a global effort to increase and sustain access by underserved people to information and communication technologies.
AED signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Intel Corporation on October 16th, 2002 to guide this collaborative project with Intel.
For more information
CONTACT
Eric Rusten, Deputy Director, dot-ORG
Email:
Tel: +1 202 884 8714
RELATED LINKS
Intel Computer Clubhouses http://www.intel.com/education/icc/index.htm |
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