Carver and Terrazas Public Libraries Wired for Youth Program

Website: www.wiredforyouth.com

Description

The Wired for Youth (WFY) program provides public computer access to children ages 8-18. The program is present in 10 Austin public libraries and specifically targets communities in which young people are likely to not have computer access at home. Programs offered at WFY centers vary significantly from site to site, depending on the needs of different communities and student populations and the expertise and abilities of the various WFY librarians. All WFY programs share the goal of providing time for students to work on homework, enroll in computer education classes, and enjoy independent free time on the computers. Other programs include poetry writing, tutoring, cultural and holiday celebrations, and interest group gatherings.

The Wired for Youth program was initiated in 1999 when the City of Austin received funding from Dell Computer Corporation. Dell provided money for computers, programs, printers, scanners, and other hardware for a youth computer program in Austin libraries located in low-income neighborhoods. The City of Austin was responsible for dedicating one staff librarian at each site to work as the Wired for Youth program coordinator. Although the program is centrally organized through the Austin Public Libraries, each staff librarian has the latitude and freedom to run the individual site as he or she wants.

What makes this program distinctive in the group?

While other public access programs in Austin evolved from nonprofit service organizations, Wired for Youth is tied directly to the City government. For this reason, we were interested how effective the Wired for Youth programs were in representing and remaining responsive to the unique needs of their communities. Given the program's presence in public libraries, there is a strong focus on reading and literacy among program participants. Finally, unlike most other programs, Wired for Youth receives the bulk of its funding from only two sources: Dell Computer Corp. and the City of Austin.

Vision and Community Ownership

Because the Wired for Youth program was organized through a central bureaucracy, there was a risk that the program would not be responsive to the community. However, the WFY program has recognized that to succeed, each center must have a large degree of autonomy. For this reason, each site's staff librarian is encouraged to address the program to the needs of the community as much as possible.

In practice, this philosophy has generated innovative approaches at the two libraries considered in this study. At the Carver branch, Wired for Youth librarian Michele Gorman has shaped her program to address the particular needs of the community in the surrounding 11th and 12th St. neighborhood of East Austin, a historically African- and Mexican-American neighborhood. Michele strives to create a "safe environment" for her students for students to come after school. Recognizing that "cookie-cutter" programs will not succeed in engaging her target population, Michele has actively sought the input of her students in the direction that the program has taken.

For example, a Youth Advisory Council made up of program participants meets on the first Friday of every month to decide what programs will be offered. Michele also created a program for girls that meets once a month. This program, named "Sister Soldiers" by the participants, engages young women in art activities, celebration of their identity, and other programs. Michele's efforts have translated into enthusiasm among program participants: of 14 participant survey respondents, 13 come to Carver twice a week or more frequently and the same number are completely satisfied with the program.

The Wired for Youth program at Terrazas library is also successful in generating a sense of program ownership among participants, although this is achieved through different means. Terrazas librarian Joanna Nigrelli recognizes that the East Cesar Chavez neighborhood is disadvantaged in terms of computer access at home. So in addition to homework time for program participants, Joanna gives her students free time to play on the computers, which they cannot do in school. Like Michele, Joanna is attentive to student feedback. Many of Joanna's programming decisions are based on students suggestions.

Comprehensive Programming

Although the primary focus is computers, the Wired for Youth programs at Terrazas and Carver both strive to provide their clients with a holistic learning environment. Literacy and reading are important in the programming decisions of these centers. While they wait for computers to free up at Carver, Michele encourages students to write poetry and read advance copies of soon-to-be published young adult books. Carver students have also participated in online chats with children's book authors. At Terrazas, Joanna also encourages her students to write poetry in both English and Spanish. Many of these poems are then posted on the center's website, giving students the opportunity to showcase their work. Joanna has also been working on an online scavenger hunt for Texas Writers month in which students will surf the internet to find information about novelists.

The two centers also engage students through cultural celebrations. At Terrazas, Joanna encouraged her predominantly Mexican-American students to make animated drawings in celebration of "Dia de los Muertes." In addition to Carver's Sister Soldiers program, Michele organized a day-long program in March in honor of Women's History Month which featured a keynote address by Texas State Representative Dawna Dukes. While both programs emphasize activities based around the computer, creative innovations have contributed to a more comprehensive focus.

Learning Opportunities

The WFY librarians at Terrazas and Carver strike a delicate balance between structured learning opportunities and unstructured free time. Carver offers an average of 3 one-hour classes per week on such topics as animation, graphics, and web design. Michele also allows her students to sign up for one-on-one tutorial sessions to have their more specific questions answered. Terrazas offers programs in desktop publishing, graphic design, and animation. Terrazas also hosts guest teachers from the Austin Children's Museum, the University of Texas Library School, and local high-tech companies to provide specialized instruction on other topics. To hold her young students' attention, Joanna often incorporates her lessons into games that kids are most excited about.

The atmosphere at both libraries is conducive to cooperative learning among students. At Terrazas, 5 of 7 respondents indicated that they help other students who have questions about the computer, although only 2 of 7 said that they ask other students for help. At Carver, 13 of 14 respondents said they help other students on the computer and 12 ask other students for help. The physical layout of the centers encourages this kind of interaction. Computers are placed next to each other on one big table. Two or three students often crowd around one monitor, offering their input and help.

Self-Reliance

The issue of self-reliance is a complicated one for the Wired for Youth programs. The Austin Public Library's Wired for Youth program would not exist if it were not for the initial funding provided by Dell. The several thousand dollars provided by Dell for computers and other resources were vital to the creation of the program. While this grant provided a great opportunity in the libraries, it also poses challenges. As we have witnessed in other CTCs, a lack of diverse funding sources is a potentially devastating problem if that the funder pulls out. While there is no indication that Dell will abandon this program, funding is an issue that the Wired for Youth program needs to pay especially close attention to.

When asked if the WFY program could survive losing its major source of funding from Dell, Joanna has no doubt that it could. The program has been "so successful it's unreal" and "huge for the library's numbers" of users, recruiting a previously missed population and injecting new life into the library system. For these reasons, she feels that the Library and the City are completely committed to Wired for Youth.

Still, the WFY centers have recognized the need to pursue more diverse funding sources. The budgeting process is very slow, and Dell has promised to update computers and software no more than every 3 years. To cope with this problem, Michele at Carver recently secured a grant from an independent organization to purchase a color printer, two CD burners, and a digital camera. Had she not secured funding on her own, it could have been "years" before Carver could have gotten these resources.

Social Capital

It is clear that the Carver and Terrazas programs have been successful in generating social capital among program participants. At Carver library, almost all survey respondents indicated that they participate in community events at a much higher rate than they did before coming to the center, with many also helping to organize such events. After starting at the center, an equally high rate of Carver students communicate with friends and family through the Internet and teach other people how to do things on the computer.

The library programs also share strengths among Wired for Youth staff members at different centers. At Terrazas, Joanna plans to do more programming across centers to engage students in different communities with one another. Programs like this in the past have included competitions and the Women's History Month event in which other WFY centers visited Carver. Joanna and Michele seem to recognize the importance of creating alliances and networks among other Wired for Youth centers, as well as other CBOs in their neighborhoods.

Final Thoughts

More info

Working Hypotheses

this page last updated
May 13, 2002