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Building Character by Tapping into Technology
By Darice Tillery Tommy, a recovering addict and alcoholic, had used drugs approximately 30 years, been to prison approximately 15 times, and been on parole 18 years. He didn't have attending college in mind while growing up in an impoverished neighborhood. He also didn't envision a future in which part of his life would be lived in a substance abuse treatment program. Tommy began using the Technology Access Point at Free at Last to access a dream. Soon, Tommy was enrolling in college. He had never even touched a computer before the Technology Access Point opened at Free at Last. “I had been thinking about that over the years,” according to Tommy. “I made the decision, that's what I wanted to do, given the opportunity. My counselor and director told me that I could go to school so me and Bob hooked up when I phased up to Phase Two in the program and we filled out an application online for financial aid. I never touched a computer in my life, didn't know anything about it, he [Bob] took the time to help me, show me what it is I needed to do, so I did that. I went to Foothill, talked to the counselor and she suggested the classes I needed to take so I'm taking twelve units at Foothill.” Tommy continues, “Life is really good, I'm doing all of the things I need to do and my plate is full.” Free at Last Community Recovery & Rehabilitation has been at the forefront of providing community-based substance abuse treatment services in East Palo Alto and its surrounding areas in innovative ways since 1994. Now Free at Last has begun to serve the community in another innovative way. Last January, the nonprofit organization was one of three local nonprofits selected to become a Technology Access Point (TAP) as part of the East Palo Alto Digital Village project. The Digital Village sprang forth from a visit by former President Bill Clinton to East Palo Alto in the summer of 2000. During President Clinton's visit, Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina announced a $5 million campaign to bring technology access to the city of East Palo Alto.
Technology Access Points (TAPs) are one of
several projects created as a result of The
Digital Village.
Guest speakers included Nadine Watson, TAP Manager, Magda Escobar, Executive Director of Plugged In and East Palo Alto Councilmember and former Mayor, Sharifa Wilson. Other speakers were Free at Last President and Co-founder David Lewis, Resource Navigators (TAP assistants) and a testimony from Tommy. Our TAP is predominately led by Bob Hoover, Education & Employment Coordinator at Free at Last. It's a role that's well suited for him, since Bob has served as a community activist for decades in East Palo Alto. In years of local and state activism, Bob has become known for his knowledge and commitment to the community that allows him to “tap” into the lives of a rich and progressive community. According to Hoover, “We [Tommy and Bob] only had a short window of opportunity to get him registered, get the financial aid application done and get him signed up for classes and also for him to take the placement test. I think it was about a week and a half. We never could have gotten all of that done if we weren't able to do it online. Having the computers available and him being able to go online, do his financial aid application, apply, do the application for admission to Foothill and then find out when the placement test was going to be given, go take that and then actually register online made it possible for him to do all of that because he would not have been able to do it if we had not had the computers…
“The computer is interactive,” Hoover
said, adding, “you get feedback from the
computer when you do something…they [the
users] are teaching each other and of course as
you teach somebody you’re own confidence
grows, you feel like you are contributing
something to another person, it helps your ego,
your self-esteem. Even in an economic downturn, a growing need for positive change is catering to real people with real needs in the Silicon Valley to help to narrow the digital divide. The new, emerging East Palo Alto and its substantial decrease in drug addiction and the problems associated with it are due, in large part, to the efforts and successes of Free at Last. The network of providing substance abuse treatment and using technology as a channel are critical to the area's quality of life.
Our thanks to the many partners who made this
possible: Free at Last is one of the first three TAPs, but the Digital Village ultimately plans to have a total of ten TAPs at publicly accessible site throughout East Palo Alto. For more information or to volunteer, please contact: |
Free at Last
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