iGotIToo Receives $250,000 Grant from Google, Inc.

iGotITtoo, New York City technology non-profit awarded $250,000 by Google Inc. to expand successful program across the City.

BROOKLYN, NY (November 30, 2010) – iGotITtoo, a non-profit organization working to empower underserved communities by providing training in fundamental computer skills and education regarding social services, announces today that the Google, Inc. Charitable Giving Fund of the Tides Foundation has generously awarded them a gift of $250,000 to expand their work across New York City. iGotITtoo (short for “I’ve Got Information Technology too”) uses a unique approach of delivering customized IT instruction through trained volunteers, paired with community outreach conducted by social workers, has enabled the organization to successfully reach 200 residents in Brooklyn during the pilot phase.

The vision for iGotITtoo was birthed in 2007 when Santana Kenner, iGotITtoo’s Chief Executive Officer, and Clare Chiesa, iGotITtoo’s Chief Operating Officer, piloted a computer class in the community center of the Lafayette Gardens Houses in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, in response to requests from community members to help bridge the technological divide between the “haves”--those comfortable with using IT and the “have-nots”- those without fundamental IT skills. The trial class was met with such demand that in one year the organization has grown to three Brooklyn locations with a force of 30 plus dedicated volunteers.

The Google gift will be instrumental in expanding iGotITtoo’s successful programming to multiple sites across the city.  "We are looking forward, with great optimism, to being able to advance your great work and ours through this grant recommendation.”, said David Goodman (Senior Analyst, Google Market Intelligence), Jay Boren (Philanthropic Affairs, Google.org) and Aya Okuma (Philanthropic Affairs, Google.org) on behalf of Google's Corporate Giving Council.

Chiesa expressed, “We are grateful and honored by this partnership. This gift will provide life-changing experiences for the communities served by iGotITtoo. We see this as an opportunity to reach individuals who desire technology learning and support – regardless of their socio-economic status.”

Kenner, offered: "It is our mission to end digital inequality by building communities’ capacities to leverage technology to improve educational and economic opportunities - a pattern which affects social capital in both the physical and digital domains." The organization is undergoing a strategic planning process and is looking forward to launching citywide in 2011. 

Press Inquiries
Clare Chiesa or Santana Kenner
iGotITtoo.org
(347) 369-4407

info@iGotITtoo.org

For more information, visit http://iGotITtoo.org

Ladies and Gentlemen: Welcome to the igotITtoo Blog!

An important and great event has taken place with the setting forth of the igotITtoo blog into the blogosphere. For those of you who thought this momentous moment would never happen we present to you…

The igotITtoo blog will be a guide to the happenings of the non-profit organization igotITtoo. So gentlemen and gentlewomen please, sit back, relax, enjoy and be inspired by what the igotITtoo organization is all about.

History, Vision, Mission and Accomplishments of igotITtoo.

“Through our scientific genius, we have made this world a neighborhood; now through our moral and spiritual development, we must make of it a brotherhood.” –The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

 The reality in most low income and underserved communities in Brooklyn, and across the country, is that there is a lack of equity when it comes to knowledge surrounding the world of information technology. Access to information technology is often not the issue. The issue is the knowledge of how to utilize this technology in a manner that is beneficial to improving one's life. igotITtoo is a volunteer non-profit organization, that has worked alongside the Lafayette Gardens, Atlantic Terminal and Saratoga Village Tenant's Associations in Brooklyn to come up with a strategy for crossing the “digital divide” by offering information and communication technology (ICT) courses in order to provide a greater understanding of the benefits of ICT for residents of these communities.

Since 2009 the hardworking, visionary and talented igotITtoo volunteers have introduced the young and the old alike (ages range from teenagers to octogenarians) to the computer, Internet, and the human impact of information technology. However, igotITtoo aims at more than just imparting information about computers; by providing a knowledge base for ICT resources, igotITtoo imagines the residents of Lafayette Garden's creatively transforming their world. Beyond access, the residents of Lafayette Gardens will begin to discover their already existing strengths and empower themselves through education, increased participation in community life, and sustained community networks. igotITtoo recognizes that access to, and knowledge of information and communication technology is essential to communities competing in the current economy that is controlled by digital information.

As we make our way in the 21^st century information technology is rapidly and radically changing the social and economic tableau—the founders and volunteers of igotITtoo recognize that when the potent forces of electronic entertainment, computers and telecommunications join together in myriad ways, change is inevitable and constant. The challenge is to make these new technologies as democratic as possible. That is why we volunteer to help advance practical and hopefully, lasting information technology knowledge to motivated students in these communities that have been chronically underserved; and however modestly, in the IT epoch we hope to help these communities survive and thrive.

iGotITtoo has completed two semesters and in 2010 was awarded a plaque as a sign of appreciation from Lafayette Gardens "in honor of our dedicated and esteemed service" during the awards ceremony at Lafayette Gardens day.