County-run computer centers, which are designed to help Fairfax County residents with limited computer access bridge the "digital divide," are about to take on a new look this year.
Not only is the number of Computer Clubhouses set to double from three to six, but organizers are expanding the centers' programs to include sports and other programs for children. They are also trying to cater to other groups, such as senior citizens and people with disabilities.
"We're trying to reach out to different segments of the population," said Pam Dudley, president of the Northern Virginia Technology Council Foundation, a key backer of the Computer Clubhouse program.
At the centers, children ages 8 to 18 learn such skills as software design, computer simulations, electronic music, electronic publishing and Web page development. Some student teams have built robots and competed in local robot-design contests. Membership in the club is free, and the centers are open to all county residents.
In November, the county's most recent Computer Clubhouse opened at James Lee Community Center in the Falls Church area, where local senior citizens are encouraged to use the two dozen Dell computers during the day before children arrive for after-school programs.
In addition, the District-based Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind is installing software in the James Lee clubhouse and at two centers in Reston and Fairfax scheduled to open this year to allow blind and visually impaired individuals to use the computer equipment. The software magnifies text on computer screens for those with poor vision and, for the blind, verbalizes their keystrokes and reads aloud what is on their screen.
Kimberly Zimmer, vice president and chief operating officer of Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind, said the organization will initially install the software on one computer in each of the three new clubhouses and then increase the number as demand rises.
"It's our experience that, especially in Fairfax County, there are so many children who could benefit from the service," Zimmer said.
The main impetus for the growth is a $333,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education to the Fairfax County Public Library Foundation in 2003 to fund three new Computer Clubhouses, including James Lee's.
Until then, the county operated clubhouses at the Bailey's Community Center in the Falls Church area, the Gum Springs Community Center in the Alexandria area and the Willston Multicultural Center in the Seven Corners area of Falls Church.
New clubhouses at the James Mott Community Center in Fairfax and at the Reston Teen Center are scheduled to open in February and March.
Along with programs for seniors and the visually disabled, services for children are also expanding, organizers said.
Lee Betton, who coordinates activities for the county at the clubhouses, said he planned to add sports at the six centers this year, such as basketball, soccer and football, in order to encourage the children to become more active.
"If you're working on a computer, it can get kind of sedentary," Betton said.
The Northern Virginia Technology Council Foundation is launching a program in which children can learn to start a business, and it is experimenting with adding Junior Achievement clubs as well, Dudley said. Junior Achievement is a national program that teaches young people about business, economics and free enterprise.
Dudley said organizers hope to expand the number of students who use the facilities from 800 a week to more than 1,200.
For more information, visit www.computerclubhouse.org/locations/gum/clubhouseweppage1.htm or www.computerclubhouse.org.
