By Cathy Stevens

East Palo Alto, Calif.

Silicon Valley is the heart of the technology revolution. But in East Palo Alto, one of the region's poorer communities, that revolution may as well have taken place in another country.

For the past seven years, however, a nonprofit group known as Plugged In has worked to make technology available to the community of East Palo Alto.

By providing access to computers and the Web, Plugged In aims to give the community critical tools its residents need to develop skills that are essential in today's increasingly competitive workplace, says Magda Escobar, the group's executive director.

Plugged In was formed about seven years ago by Bart Decrem, who was looking for a way to combine his love of technology with his interest in children. So he started Plugged In -- and then became aware of a larger need to connect communities with technology.

The organization operates a drop-in computer program for neighborhood kids to work on tech projects after school and weekends; a Web-design business run by teenagers; and a community tech center.

Community Kids, the drop-in computer program that in the past has focused on using CD-ROM programs to teach math, reading and writing skills, this fall will shift its emphasis to creating Web content. Youngsters will learn how to design their own Web sites, as well as more advanced software applications.

While the CD-ROMs can be educational, Escobar says, it is more important for the kids to create -- rather than just receive -- information.

"I think it's just a step higher," she says.

Plugged In Enterprises, the Web design business, consists of a 10-week training period each year for 36 teens, followed by a one-month internship on a production team.

The teens then can choose to become full-time members of the production team, getting paid for their services. Teens are in charge of all aspects of the business, from researching the latest technology to designing graphics to running meetings with clients, most of which are East Palo Alto businesses.

The Community Tech Center includes a cyber-library, a Kinko's copy center and a learning studio. Visitors can use the center to write letters, create fliers, do homework, obtain online information and search for jobs.

Nineteen nonprofits in the area have partnered with Plugged In, using the center to design their Web sites and learn more about technology.

Plugged In also has developed an "online information gather," www.epa.net, that acts as an online community bulletin board for East Palo Alto. The site includes opportunities for employment, links to community colleges, a calendar of events, government information and links to other community Web sites.

Escobar says Plugged In has become a model for other groups trying to bring more technology to their neighborhoods. Last year, for example, the organization had 75 visitors, including French librarians and Japanese urban planners.

"People are always trying to answer the question, 'How do we make technology interesting and creative?' says Escobar. The solution at Plugged In, she says, has been to work within a structure that allows flexibility for new technology and new projects.

Plugged In has an annual budget of $415,000 and is funded foundations, corporations and individuals. The community tech center also charges fees of $1 a day or $15 a month.

Donors are willing to support the group, Escobar says, because of the increasing importance of connecting the community to technology.

Cathy Stevens can be reached at
Cathy.Stevens@furman.edu