First Time Computers
| WISH LIST
$100: entry-level
apprenticeship program for 1 unemployed
teen;
$500: a month’s worth of surge
protectors and mouse pads;
$1000: 1 year
of internet service for 3 deserving families
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Here is the concept: take unwanted, donated computers, and put them together
into high quality, fully equipped systems for students who can’t afford them.
Employ unemployed teenagers and teach them the trade (while encouraging
them to complete school). Make each computer internet ready, accompanied by
a 6-page guide – not too long, not too short – and equipped to be a fully
functional educational machine. Include in-home orientation as part of the package. The mission of First Time
Computers is to enhance the educational prospects of low-income children and youth by widening their access
to the world of technology. Short-term, the goal is to double the number of computers delivered annually – 1,600
this year – and long-term it is to see computers in all low-income households in the DC area and in groups serving
children and youth. There is a certain magic at play here, reflected in bright smiles and looks of sheer joy and
excitement, so those receiving FTC computers become part of its larger family. Catalogue donors: join the clan.
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