The Digital Inclusion Forum

TeamChildren's new goal is to insure that every child has access to the use of a computer in the comfort and safety or their home, that every school have adequate computers in the classroom, and that no social service organization be with out the technological tools to accomplish their mission. Whether its a day care center or an organization like The Campaign for Working Families which we recently helped with your help we will make the difference. Help them expand their efforts so that our region will be the first in the nation to insure that every family has a computer at home.

Computers are quickly becoming the essential tool of education and communication in our rapidly changing world. "Computer literacy" is the norm in school, business, and society as a whole. Those without regular access to a computer are in danger of being cut off from opportunity and advancement. If this trend continues our region will be in danger.

It doesn't have to happen. Computer technology is changing rapidly. Every day a glut of older, slower computers are discarded. Not because they don't work. Because they're not fancy enough, or equipped with all the required bells and whistles. And that's where Teamchildren comes in.

C-CAN provides support and networking opportunities for those working to help bridge the Digital Divide in the Twin Cities, and received an AmeriCorps grant in 2004 and again in 2007 to support 25 full time AmeriCorps members working to help residents learn to use technology at local non-profit agencies.

Digital Watershed is a non-profit Community Technology Center offering wireless collaborative community services. Our offering goes beyond standard municipal infrastructure and e-government services to include social networks, performance arts, neighborhood projects, and more. Digital Watershed's mission is to build strong communities through leveraging new wireless technologies to explore meaningful content. Our organization has a dual program focus. Our first focus is to educate and to assist people and communities by helping them embrace wireless technology and participate meaningfully in our society and world. We have engaged the community in a dialogue on the use of wireless technologies such as Wi-Fi. In 2005, we hosted the first wireless Cities Community Context conference with the University of Minnesota's Digital Technology Center. We will again offer this conference in the Spring of 2007. Our second focus is centered upon designing, developing and providing Content Templates that will help redefine and evolve educational and learning opportunities. In today's Digital World access to technology is not the complete solution. Assisting people and helping them to explore and engage in wirelessly connected communities is pivotal to improving social interaction and promoting essential knowledge and life skills. The development of content templates will provide groups and organizations with collaborative artistic, community and educational learning tools that engage people, ideas and knowledge.

• NTDI partners with local governments, educational, business, and philanthropic organizations to identify opportunities to help resolve local African-American and Latino/Hispanic digital divide issues.
• NTDI develops strategic roadmaps that pull together the required human and capital resources to address systematic technology and Internet access challenges.
• NTDI focuses to improve graduation rates, broaden Internet access to Disabled Americans, and facilitate services to seniors.
• In developing lifelong learning opportunities through access and the use of public domain technologies, we help to strengthen families and individuals through tailored programs that measure results.
• It is our goal to remove technology and political barriers to help support US competitiveness and promote economic development in the communities that we serve.