Computer skills equal economic opportunity for the next generation. Yet millions of young people - especially low-income, Hispanic and African American youth - will be left behind unless they get connected to technology. To help bridge this digital divide, the Kaiser Family Foundation has teamed up with the AOL Time Warner Foundation, American Library Association, Benton Foundation, Digital Divide Network, GetNetWise, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights/Leadership Conference Education Fund, PowerUP and Univision to launch ConnectNet/Conectado. The ConnectNet/Conectado campaign, launched in March 2001, is the most comprehensive national campaign on the digital divide.

Background
While the digital divide is narrowing, a recent report by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation found that only 22% of children in families with annual incomes of less than $20,000 had access to a home computer, compared with 91% of children in families with incomes of more than $75,000. Access to technology in a neighborhood location is critical to filling the gap. This multi-faceted public education campaign is designed to help minority and low-income youth gain free or low-cost access to computers and the Internet in their own neighborhoods.

Partnership Components
The ConnectNet/Conectado campaign has helped thousands of young people get connected to technology through a range of outreach components:

• The largest Internet directory ever created that guides young people to locations where public Internet access is available, including more than 20,000 technology centers and libraries across the nation. It was created by the AOL Time Warner Foundation and the Digital Divide Network, facilitated by the Benton Foundation.
• A toll-free phone number (1-866-583-1234) and websites (www.ConnectNet.org, www.conectado.org). Teens calling the toll-free number receive help from an English- or Spanish-speaking operator who will identify computer centers near their homes. Website visitors, by simply entering their zip codes, can get a list of computer centers in the neighborhood.
• Public Service Announcements (PSAs) in Spanish and in English, to encourage minority teens to become computer-literate. The Kaiser Family Foundation PSAs publicize the toll-free number and websites through which teenagers can find computer resources in their neighborhoods. The Spanish language PSA is airing exclusively on Univision. The English language PSA has run on NBC, the WB, CNN Headline News, TBS, Comedy Central, TNN, Country Music Channel, and Odyssey, as well as many major affiliate stations of other networks.
• A teen-friendly brochure on the ConnectNet/Conectado campaign and the importance of being computer-savvy.

Campaign-Related Materials:

• News Release: Bridging the Digital Divide: New ConnectNet/Conectado Campaign Uses Fun, Engaging Tools to Connect Teens with Computers and Internet
• Fact Sheet: The Digital Divide