About Our Project:
The Lowell Internet, Networking and Knowledge project proposes to increase the adoption of broadband services by working with a diverse set of partners and using an inter-generational approach to bridging the digital divide. This initiative is designed to reach low-income and at-risk youth, the unemployed, residents without college degrees, and seniors. The project intends to build out 11 public computer centers to serve 6,650 new broadband users and add 7,500 additional broadband subscribers in the Lowell and Merrimack Valley, an area designated a “Renewal Community” by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The technology training includes working with University of Massachusetts–Lowell students in computer centers to provide broadband-related training to vulnerable populations, including the nation’s second largest Cambodian community. The University’s Center for Family, Work and Community plans to measure the project’s impact by developing a survey tool for use at each outreach event, allowing comparisons of broadband awareness at the beginning and end of the project. Also, the University intends to work with Lowell’s broadband providers to obtain data on new subscribers.
This project is funded through a two-year grant of $783,094 from the U.S Department of Commerce’s Broadband Technology Opportunities Program.
Our Mission:
The Lowell Internet, Networking and Knowledge project also proposes to:
- Develop training in multiple languages, including English, Khmer, and Spanish.
- Allow opportunities for at-risk youth to develop content for the training modules and for broadcast on public cable channels.
- Create a multi-faceted awareness campaign to educate an estimated 240,000 people about the program.
- Utilize local radio, public access television, and Lowell Sun newspaper articles to raise awareness about the value of broadband and available access points.
- Provide skills and job-related training for at-risk, low-income youth, including opportunities to develop content for broadcast, to promote broadband awareness, and to maintain computer equipment.
Project Partners:
- Community Teamwork, Inc.
- Elder Services Merrimack Valley
- Lowell Boys and Girls Club
- Lowell Housing Authority
- United Teen Equality Center
Contact:
Carol McDonough
University of Massachusetts Lowell
600 Suffolk Street, 2nd Floor
Lowell, MA 01854
978-934-2784
carol_mcdonough@uml.edu
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