Bridging the gap-New computer labs serve kids in public housing, UM family complex

Missoula nonprofit agencies are helping to close the digital divide thanks to a technology grant that brings computers to children who live in low-income public housing and at University of Montana family residences.

By BETSY COHEN of the Missoulian

The Council Groves Apartments and UM’s family housing are receiving computers, educational and recreational programs, printers and scanners – about $20,000 worth of equipment each – through funding from the Bureau of Justice Assistance and Microsoft Corp.

The gift was made possible by the grant writing efforts of the Boys and Girls Club of Missoula.

"We have had after-school programs at UM and at Council Groves for years, but we always felt like we could serve middle school students better," said Mary Place Allyn, director of the Boys and Girls Club.

"What we are hoping for is that these laboratories will not be just an educational opportunity, but also become a hangout for this group of kids," she said. "So far, we haven’t been real successful in meeting the needs of kids from this population – they’re too young for our teen center and the they’re too old for our children’s programs."

Nationwide, Boys and Girls Clubs have been working with the Bureau of Justice Assistance to give at-risk and low-income children access to computers and training in after-school and weekend programs, Allyn said.

The program is officially called Operation Connect, and its mission is to promote computer literacy among children and their families.

AmeriCorps volunteers will dedicate 1,700 hours at the labs to help keep them up and running and offer instruction to kids who use them, said Laura Fellin, program director for the Montana Technology Corps, a branch of AmeriCorps.

"Our volunteers will be teaching basic computer skills, Internet navigation, how to use Windows software and e-mail," Fellin said. "Our hope is to get the kids engaged in technology and develop a passion for it."

The computer lab at Council Groves is already in use, and the community it serves – which is roughly two-thirds American Indian and Hmong – has delved into the wonders of the electronic world.

"These computers are awesomely cool," said 7-year-old River Ogemahgeshig. "I can’t wait to learn new games on them."

So far, more than 20 kids ranging in age from 6 to 12 have signed up for classes at the center, which is housed in the complex’s office building.

At UM’s family housing, work stations are being put together in an old washroom in Toole Village on South Avenue. When it opens in the next two weeks or so, it will serve 400 to 500 children, of which more than 150 are middle school-aged, said Kelly Magnuson, community affairs coordinator for UM’s community center.

"We think this is pretty neat because it truly is a collaborative partnership with other community agencies," Allyn said. "And this project serves the whole family – this way when the children learn their way around the computers, they can teach their parents – and that’s a really neat thing."

Reporter Betsy Cohen can be reached at 523-5253 or at [email protected].

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