New initiative gives youth better opportunities for future success
A new initiative designed to give underserved children access and guidance to technology will bring together more than a dozen nonprofit groups, corporations and federal agencies.
PowerUP is a new nonprofit organization that will be based in schools and community centers nationwide. It will give young people access to the Internet and help them learn technology skills that can build successful careers.
PowerUP is getting money, computers, Internet access time and technical support from names like America Online and the AOL Foundation, the Case Foundation, the Waitt Family Foundation, YMCA of the USA and the Corporation for National Services. The program's national benefactors include:
The Case Foundation is providing a $10 million grant to establish PowerUP, which includes $5 million to pay staff and administrative costs and another $5 million for local grants to benefit up to 5,000 community centers and school-based sites;
The Waitt Family Foundation will provide 50,000 Gateway computers and Internet appliances to PowerUP during the next three years;
AOL Inc. and the AOL Foundation is donating resources and staff to PowerUP Online, an interactive programming guide. Additionally, 100,000 AOL accounts are being provided for centers that need them;
The Corporation for National Service, which houses AmeriCorps*VISTA, is training more than 400 of its members to provide full time mentoring and other assistance to schools and community centers;
The YMCA of the USA is providing learning and developing opportunities for youth at the PowerUP sites.
In addition, founding national partners will provide PowerUP with community-based centers, training and contributions. Founding local sponsors have established pilot sites for the program in several communities.
Full text of the article is currently found at:
http://www.powerup.org/pressroom.html
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