J. Michael Schweder, president of AT&T Pennsylvania.
As part of a national effort to bring technology access to underserved, Hispanic communities, J. Michael Schweder, president of AT&T Pennsylvania, joined representatives of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the LULAC National Education Service Center (LNESC) in Philadelphia to highlight a program that will provide Hispanic youth and adults in Kensington with access to enhanced technology programs.
The event, which was held at the LNESC facility in the city's Kensington neighborhood, featured a conversation about the skills necessary for students to excel in today's digital age and how the LULAC Empower Hispanic America with Technology initiative will help achieve that goal. The students who use the LNESC facility also demonstrated some of the skills they are learning through this program.
"AT&T's partnership with LULAC on this initiative will help people master the skills that will enable them to compete for higher-paying, technology-driven jobs," said Schweder. "At AT&T, we are proud to support programs that improve people's lives, and we are committed to extending the benefits of advanced telecommunications technology to everyone."
The LNESC facility in Philadelphia provides access to and instruction on modern computer technology in addition to assistance with résumés, college application preparation, GED preparation, financial aid research, and online citizenship services and job-search programs. Program participants use high-speed Internet access, computer equipment and basic office applications software to develop job skills, research career options, educational opportunities and other resources.
"We are so excited to be able to be partner with AT&T Foundation for this technology center in Philadelphia," said Michelle E. Rodriguez, Interim Director. "This will be a great opportunity for the youth that participate in our programs. They will have a state of the art technology center that will allow them to enter a world that many of them do not have access to. The world of modern technology."
"We are very excited at the opportunity AT&T is providing to the community of Philadelphia at large," said Richard Roybal, LNESC Executive Director. "This technology center will open new doorways to students and give people of all ages access to learning opportunities they otherwise would not have."
In partnership with LULAC, the AT&T Foundation - the corporate philanthropy organization of AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) - is supporting 31 other locations across the United States, including a program in Allentown, Pa., that will house new community technology centers in low-income Hispanic communities. The 32 new technology centers are being supported by a $1.5 million AT&T Foundation grant that builds upon the success of a $1 million grant given to LULAC in 2004.
According to Mr. Roybal, in addition to creating 32 new technology centers, the funds will also enable the organization to maintain 23 current locations established under the previous grant. More than 55,000 Latinos received access and instruction on computer technology through AT&T's support in 2004, and this new grant is expected to more than double the number of people LULAC can help.
The grant to LULAC is a part of AT&T AccessAll, a three-year $100 million philanthropic initiative to provide technology access to underserved communities.
Clients served by the community technology centers are low-income and/or first-generation Hispanic-American youth and adults. While a higher percentage of Hispanics are employed compared with any other ethnic group (64 percent employment rate versus 63 percent for the next highest, Current Population Survey, April 2006), Hispanics are far more likely than the average American to be among the working poor. In addition, according to a new study by Pew Hispanic Center, 53 percent of Hispanics who are not online say this is because they do not have access. Empower Hispanic America with Technology is aimed at combating these inequities by giving Hispanics the necessary skills, and access, to compete in today's technology-driven workplaces.
