Statement of Purpose
Christina Cultural Arts Center’s goal is to address the problem of the digital divide by providing a unique opportunity for marginalized youth to gain access to technology. Our purpose is to make clear the connections that exist between technology and others areas of interest held by today’s urban youth. This moves towards the end of expanding the skill base; and by extension, the academic and career choices of the targeted population.
Rationale
There are three factors that are clear indicators of accessibility and use of technology: race/ethnicity, level of education, and socio-economic status. According to research performed by Hub Heaven, whites are more likely to have access in their homes than blacks or hispanics have from any location. Additionally, college graduates are nearly 16 times more likely to have home internet access than those who do not graduate from high school. Sadly, in 1998 that statistic applied to more than half of Wilmington’s high school seniors. In 1998, 61.5% of all Wilmington students who started high school in 1994 failed to graduate. The high school dropout rate in the City of Wilmington in 1998 was 8.8%. Finally, households with an annual income of more than $75,000 are over 20 times more likely to have access to the internet than those at the lowest income levels, and more than 9 times more likely to have a computer at home. In the City of Wilmington, the per capita income for blacks is $9,016 and for white it is $21,615. Clearly, the digital divide affects Wilmington residents, regardless of race, however blacks are more severely impacted.
It is important that we take steps to educate citizens in marginalized communities about the importance and the relevance of technology. Informational tools such as computers and the internet are becoming increasingly important to an individual’s economic success and personal advancement. As technology continues to advance, to flourish professionally and to accomplish basic day-to-day tasks, experience with computer technology will likely become a pre-requisite. Youth and adults must be shown the applicability of technology in a meaningful way that will lead to the building of interests, skills, and further opportunities.
Vision Summary
We propose the creation of a Cyber Café for youth and young adults that focuses on marketable skill building, academic attainment and social development, all leading to community economic development ventures. We are interested in fostering the connections between business, technology and the arts. The Cyber Café concept expands academic and artistic growth as well as opens the door to many careers that are underrepresented by minorities. It also has far-reaching effects because participants can share newly discovered knowledge with others in their family and household. While it is noble to be broad in scope, it is clearly more prudent, and ultimately of greater impact, to design a specialized and localized model that is both well crafted and replicable.
We plan to place the Cyber Café in a downtown location in the business district. This gives the café geographical accessibility by pedestrian, vehicular and public transportation. Its close proximity to corporate locations is believed to increase the likelihood of obtaining corporate investment and contracts for services. A street level location is preferred for its eye-catching appeal and inherent self-advertising. At present, according to information contained in the Internet Cafes Guide, of the three advertised cyber cafés in Delaware, none are located in Wilmington. We propose to have the Cyber Café open from 2:30 – 8:30 pm Sunday through Thursday, and 2:30 –11:00 pm Friday & Saturday. These are prime after-school hours during which youth need to be engaged in structured activity. This provides a viable alternative to delinquent activities, which largely occur during these hours.
The Cyber Café will have the following components:
Strategy
While we concur that issues of accessibility and the fear myths surrounding technology are mitigating factors in the digital divide, we contend that the lack of a perceived need or benefit from technology is a significant hindrance. By developing connections between current interests and technology, we believe that a fertile environment for transference of skills will be created. We propose a process that will build interest, then build skills, and will eventually build opportunities through technology.
Target Population
Our target population is youth and young adults between the ages of 14 and 25 who reside in the Enterprise Zone.
Partnerships
We propose to partner with the Kuumba Academy Charter School as site for the cyber café. This will provide a safe, supportive environment for youth to learn and also provide a link into the community. A working partnership with Bethel Temple Community Development Corporation is currently being explored. We also propose to partner with organizations such as Delaware College of Art and Design, Delaware State University - Wilmington Campus, and Delaware Technical and Community College, thereby providing exposure to institutions of higher learning and fostering a natural progression into potentially productive academic and career choices. Collaboration will also be sought with Howard High School since they have an extensive technology program. In addition, collaboration with local nonprofits will be sought to become their provider of computer-based training services.