Saturday program opens up the world of computers to disadvantaged kids
| Thursday, Dec 17 2009 05:31 PM
Last Updated Thursday, Dec 17 2009 05:57 PM
Bakersfield is a generous community, particularly during the holidays. To help readers find new ways to give back to neighbors and friends, The Californian is featuring a wide array of non-profit organizations this season.
Top needs at Love INC of Kern County throughout the year:
Personal items (shampoo, toothpaste, tooth brush, deodorant, laundry soap, diapers, wet wipes, toilet paper, etc.)
Bus passes (day, week, month)
Gently used furniture (couches, tables, mattresses. Must be in good to excellent condition.)
Money donations (buys groceries, I.D. cards, birth certificates, notary services)
Volunteers (office phone, furniture volunteer, administration volunteer)
Love In the Name of Christ
Mailing address: P.O. Box 10082, Bakersfield, CA 93389 Physical address: 1030 Stockton St., Bakersfield, CA 93305
Administration: (661) 325-6838
Clearinghouse/Client: (661) 325-8838
E-mail: Carmel@loveincbakersfield.org
Website: www.loveincbakersfield.org
Images
Cal State Bakersfield student, Garrett Akin, standing, helps Compton Junior High eighth graders and Computers For Knowledge students, Ana Valencia, right, and Jose Arana, center, Wednesday at Compton.
Retired Cal State Bakersfield professor, Jim Ross, left, works with Compton Junior High eighth grader and Computers For Knowledge student, Daniel Rivera, Wednesday at Compton.
Compton Junior High seventh grader and Computers For Knowledge student, Jose Arana, right, watches Nick Rowland, a Cal State Bakersfield student, during a computer training Wednesday at Compton.
Compton Junior High and Computers For Knowledge student Norma Milburn, works on her computer Wednesday at Compton.
Norma Milburn knows that to be successful professionally, she needs computer skills.
"Computers are important for me to go to college and my career," said Milburn, an eighth-grader who wants to be a lawyer.
It's tough to get those skills in her class at Compton Junior High, where roughly 40 students share 14 computers.
Enter Cal State Bakersfield, university computer techs, teachers, local groups and a college lab full of computers.
In a sort of grassroots effort, these volunteers are trying to give low-income, at-risk students -- some of which had never sent an e-mail -- a chance at a better future through the Computers For Knowledge program, C4K for short.
"Most of these kids don't have computers at home," said Frank Jollivette, director of CSUB Information Technology Services and Support, and a key organizer. "We're interested in addressing the digital divide, and getting into the minds of at-risk youth. Letting them know that college is something they can and should pursue."
For five Saturdays now, Bakersfield City School District teachers, administrators and other volunteers have driven about 30 area middle-schoolers to CSUB's library computer lab.
There students learn how to edit Web pages, create PowerPoint presentations, research careers, use audio software and blog, among other things. They're taught by people who give up six hours of their weekend -- IT staff, CSUB students and junior high school teachers. Some are in CSUB's counseling and credential program.
The program kicked off in April with its first six-week session. It was put together by officials in the Kern County Black Chamber of Commerce, CSUB and Bakersfield City schools. It runs on volunteer help and donations, like those given by the Kern Firefighters Activities League.
Daniel Rivera, an eighth-grader at Compton, said he's learned computer tasks like sending pictures and to blog. He also learned to research careers online and find credible sources.
He wants to be a police officer.
"You get to patrol around, and protect the public," Rivera said. "Pretty much keep an eye out and make sure everything is in order."
One of Rivera's teachers at Compton, Jennifer Scott, said she gets an extra day outside of school to teach 11 of her students who are in the program. The students have fun learning valuable skills, she said, but "when they get to C4K class, they get really serious." The students, she said, are learning a lot.
"They come to school now knowing they can go to college," she said.
It helps that the program has one computer per student, and sometimes two teachers per student. Among middle schoolers, the ratio between students to computers is about 4:1, about the same as the state average, according to the California Department of Education. It's about 3:1 for the city school district.
It also helps, Scott said, that most of the staff can relate to the students, most of whom will be first generation college students.
Take Jollivette. He grew up in the city of Compton and was an at-risk student. If it wasn't for mentors, computers and strong community support, he wouldn't have transcended gang life, he said.
"I know the importance of having access to technology and learning those skills," Jollivette said. "There's a big difference between those folks who have it and those who don't. It builds a lot of bridges for these kids."
The program does a good job of increasing students' self-esteem and make them feel part of the college campus, said Lewis Neal, a program recruit and BCSD youth services supervisor. Students must need academic support and meet low-income guidelines.
"Some kids don't see college as attainable," Neal said. "We're letting them know the university is here, and it's your university."
Organizers hope to expand the program. Already, officials are adding "satellite campuses," including one at Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, where students can use recycled computers after school.
They hope to get more credentialed teachers from other school sites helping at CSUB, and also more donations and volunteers. The program will start back up in the spring.
Mostly, organizers hope to fill up the computer lab, which has more than 200 open computers, with needy students.
"My vision will be to have a young person in front of these computers every Saturday," Jollivette said. "We can change Bakersfield."
