ZeroDivide Receives Stimulus Funding to Foster New Generation of Youth Technology Adopters

ZeroDivide Receives Stimulus Funding to Foster New Generation of Youth Technology Adopters in Underserved Communities

August 18, 2010, San Francisco, California — ZeroDivide was awarded $1,384,242 by the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to create a new generation of youth technology users within underserved communities in California, Hawaii, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Washington states.

ZeroDivide, a cutting-edge public foundation which supports technology adoption and capacity-building in underserved communities, received the $1,384,242 in NTIA funding through the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program.

The “Generation ZD Digital Literacy Program” targets low-income, minority, disabled, and otherwise underserved youth between the ages of 5-25, who have limited or no access to digital and information technology in the home. These young people will be served through a three-prong approach of a digital literacy skills curriculum; an online content creation and distribution program; and capacity-building and sustainability efforts at community anchor institutions within each participant state.

“Our increasingly complex and technology-driven world exacerbates the social and economic inequalities that affect underserved young people,” said Tessie Guillermo, President and CEO of ZeroDivide. “Access issues like cost and lack of relevant content combine with social issues such as race and cultural incompetence to create huge barriers to broadband adoption. We are proud that the Federal Government has chosen ZeroDivide as a partner in lifting these barriers and opening up opportunity to the young people who are in greatest need.”

Working in partnership with 7 community anchor institutions across 6 western states, ZeroDivide will train new broadband users, build replicable best practices digital media curricula, and provide technical assistance and capacity-building support.

Said Cece Hughley Noel, Interim Executive Director of Portland Community Media, "We are extremely excited to partner with ZeroDivide and bring this program to underserved youth in Multnomah and Washington Counties. We have something tangible to offer African-American and Latino young people who are on the other side of the digital divide."

The youth to be served reside in Humboldt and San Benito Counties, CA; Maui County, HI; City of Santa Fe, NM; Multnomah and Washington Counties, OR; Salt Lake City, UT; and King, Snohomish, Skagit Island, and Pierce Counties, WA.

The Community Anchor Institutions are Access Humboldt, CA; Akaku: Maui Community Television, HI; Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Fe, NM; Community Media Access Partnership (CMAP), CA; Portland Community Media, OR; Reel Grrls, WA; and Spy Hop Productions, UT. They will be supported in disability accessibility work by the Alliance for Technology Access.

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Access Humboldt is an innovative, self-sustaining media resource for community anchor institutions, residents, local governments, educational institutions and in Humboldt County, CA. Access Humboldt will conduct sustainable training, skill-sharing and workforce development programs for the North Coast region of California, including youth from the Native American Table Bluff Wiyot Tribe, Karuk Tribe, and Hoopa Tribe.

Akaku: Maui Community Television is designated by the Hawaii Dept. of Commerce and Consumer Affairs as the sole provider of Public Education Government access services in Maui. Akaku’s key role is to implement digital literacy training to Maui’s rural Native Hawaiian and minority youth through its (Project YBEAM) Youth Broadband Education & Awareness Mentoring), an online peer-to-peer program for and about Maui’s marginalized youth. YBEAM provides computer literacy training and raises awareness of broadband technology through TV, radio, webstreaming, and education. The Akaku Y-Beam Project will recruit interpreters to work with their computer technology/broadband/media literacy trainers to culturally/linguistically competently serve youth constituents who speak Ilocano, Tagalog, Spanish and various Pacific Islander dialects. The project will also acquire adaptive technologies such as Merit ESL, Interchange, and Connect in order to help students master new media skills.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Fe (BGCSF): This Intel Computer Clubhouse will provide low-income youth ages 6 to18 with access to broadband technology, hardware, interactive software, and mentorship and training. Over 50% of BGCSF staff is bilingual, and most BGCSF materials are offered in both English and Spanish, to serve members for whom English is not the first language or the language spoken at home. BGCSF is also culturally sensitive to the different approaches needed to serve Spanish-speaking new immigrant families versus multi-generational Santa Fe resident families of Hispanic origin.

Community Media Access Partnership (CMAP) provides free and low-cost media literacy, multimedia storytelling, technology, and video production trainings to residents, community organizations and educators. Through digital media content creation and internet literacy programs, CMAP provides broadband education, awareness, training, access, equipment, and support to community anchor institutions, job-creating facilities, where vulnerable populations are served. CMAP’s large limited English English proficient population will be served through bilingual (English-Spanish) instruction, including Spanish language video and multi-media production trainings.

Portland Community Media (PCM) is dedicated to increasing technical proficiency and reducing technology disparities among youth, the economically disadvantaged, persons of color, immigrants, veterans and persons with disabilities. PCM will implement a Youth Media curriculum for youth aged 14 to 18 to help participants develop a passion for technology, resulting in improved study habits, critical thinking, problem-solving and team-building skills. Media produced by participants will air on PCM’s cable channels.

Reel Grrls empowers young women from diverse communities to realize their talent, power and influence through media production. Reel Grrls is the first all-girl, year-round media training program in the US. BTOP funds will support an afterschool and weekend digital literacy program, and expand a three-month apprenticeship into a year-round program where teen girls produce videos for non-profits. Reel Grrls participants come from populations most vulnerable to recession effects, including young women on probation, foster care, and/or from low-income neighborhoods.

Spy Hop Productions is a youth media arts center that provides safe after-school mentoring programs in film/video production, radio, music, sound engineering, digital design, and animation. Participating youth (K-12) use media to engage in their communities and to learn critical thinking. BTOP funding will support programs, which provide hands-on and project- based learning experiences to promote positive youth development through individuality, creativity, leadership, and intellectual curiosity.

About the Foundation:

ZeroDivide increases technology adoption among underserved communities by providing financial support, capacity building and technical assistance to nonprofit organizations that benefit low-income, minority, immigrant, non-English speaking, LGBT, seniors, and disability communities.