Louisville Area Students Digitize South Africa
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Local TV stations tape the departure of the Shawnee Gardens Computer
Center students. Eleven kids from Louisville traveled to South Africa to establish a
computer center where personal computer access is minimal. MTTC established the
Shawnee Gardens Computer Learning Center in 1998. |
March
30, 2001; Louisville, Kentucky: Students from the Shawnee Gardens Neighborhood Networks Computerized
Learning Center will soon see the results of their goal to positively impact another
culture. On April 6, eleven members of the center's tutoring program are flying to South
Africa to help bridge the gap of computer literacy. Arriving in Johannesburg, they will
establish a new computer learning center at a local church. The new computer center will
provide free computer access and training for South Africans. While in Johannesburg, the
students are scheduled to visit their e-pals, providing a face-to-face meeting with South
African students they have shared email messages with for two years.
The McConnell Technology &
Training Center (MTTC) established the Computerized Learning Center at Shawnee Gardens in
1998. With support from the University of Louisville and the Gheens Foundation, the MTTC
staff taught classes to residents, established network connections, and provided technical
help in distributing computers to over half of the 73 apartments. The MTTC donated the
three personal computers with Internet capabilities and printers for the mission to South
Africa.
This trip will be the first
international travel for the Shawnee Gardens students. The kids participating have earned
this experience by committing to and achieving academic progress, community service, and
cultural interaction. Sponsorship from Delta Airlines and South African Airways made the
air travel possible.
According to Dr. Brian Daly, from the
MTTC, Shawnee Gardens is a long-term partner and friend of the MTTC. "Their residents
help us try out some of our new courses. Their tutoring program makes a difference in the
lives of community kids and now the world. That is why we are in business - to make a
difference in our community and the world." |
