1. IMHOTEP Science and Technology Training Academy Tijuan Muhammad Executive Director Tijuan Muhammad Executive Director

2. IMHOTEP Who Was He? Humankind has its beginnings in Africa and the man many consider to be the first scientist was Imhotep (3000 BC). He was an Egyptian of the African continent. He was the worlds first multi-genius in the disciplines of Arts, Sciences, Technology, and Civilization. While the contributions of black people to science and invention throughout history are many, their stories are often little known. So we pay our respects to one of our ancestors in naming the academy after him.

3. The Problem THE DIGITAL DIVIDE: What It Is and Why It Matters What It Is Digital Divide refers to the gap between those able to benefit from digital technology and those who are not. See (www.itu.int/ITU-D/digitaldivide). Though not all digital- divide experts agree to that precise wording, they do all agree with the notion that it refers, not merely to the matter of who has direct access to technology, but who is actually helped by technology. It took digital-divide researchers a whole decade to figure this out. Hundreds of studies drew the conclusion that the key factor in closing the Divide is not access. As the years passed, their attention moved away from who is connected to the question of who is served. Heres the upshot: upper-to-middle classes are given high- quality access to technology because technologists are hard at work creating solutions designed just for them. Solutions for the poor get ignored. The result: the poor are given low-quality access which could actually hurt them and, in some sense, widen the divide. For a supporting white paper on this issue please go to: (http://www.jeffreyrobinsonphd.com/icic2000-2.pdf)www.itu.int/ITU-D/digitaldivide

4. The Problem THE DIGITAL DIVIDE: What It Is and Why It Matters Consider, for example, the matter of cyber cafes. Years ago, many pointed to the spreading of cyber cafes as an example that the Divide was shrinking. But when a child ignores his school work by spending his evenings playing violent video games at a local cyber café, he does not really benefit from digital technology. Thus, many argue that giving the poor technology solutions designed for the rich may actually deepen the cause of poverty and accelerate the exodus of the rural poor into cities that are already bursting at the seams. In other words, the new view is that closing the Digital Divide implies shifting the context of poverty. How to do that? The key point is that governments and businesses must work together to change the incentives that now shape digital markets. At the same time, they must team up on egovernment initiatives that use technology to extend rural health care and quality education to the poor. In that way, the poor could reap the same benefits from technology that are now received by the wealthy.

5. The Problem THE DIGITAL DIVIDE: What It Is and Why It Matters Why It Matters 1) IT IS THE PRECONDITION FOR REDUCING POVERTY: Many antipoverty experts think that closing the Digital Divide isnt top priority. They argue that the poor need clean water and jobs before they need computers. But any plausible and affordable effort to improve water supply, improve rural health and education, generate jobs or address any of the other inter-related problems of poverty all require access to digital networks. It is not the silver bullet for reducing poverty but no efforts to reduce poverty can have a large scale and sustainable effect without closing the Divide.

6. The Problem THE DIGITAL DIVIDE: What It Is and Why It Matters Why It Matters 2) IT IS THE PRECONDITION FOR ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE WORLD MARKETS. After the dot-com bust in the late 90s, many thought digital information industries had lost their central role in the world economy. They were wrong. They were just reflecting the fact that technology purchases were slowing in advanced economies. Today, Europe and North America no longer call the shots. The emerging market countries of Asia are now the drivers of the digital economy and, in that vast region, the spreading of wireless networks is stimulating all other dimensions of economic growth. In fact the biggest tech growth is occurring outside big cities in these countries. As broadband networks spread into the countryside, costs in all parts of the supply chain will drop. By adjusting their policies to close the Digital Divide, the major IT and telecom companies will be forced to achieve innovations that will spur growth in the advanced countries as well.

7. Who We Are and How Can We Help The IMHOTEP Science and Technology Training Academy Our Mission Statement Having access to a personal computer and the Internet a few hours per week is of value, but having access at home 8,760 hours per year can provide the impetus for a major quality of life transition. To fully utilize the power of the personal computer and the Internet takes training and the development of confidence and skills that require far more time then a few isolated hours on a weekly basis at school. To these ends it is the mission of the IMHOTEP Science and Technology Training Academy to provide the awareness of current and future technologies and to bridge the "Digital Divide". We have to get the inner-city communities to understand that to be on the less fortunate side of this divide means there is less opportunities to take part in this information-based economy in which many more jobs will be related to computers. It also means that there is less opportunity to take part in the vast opportunities available online in education, shopping, entertainment, information and communication.

8. Who We Are and How Can We Help The IMHOTEP Science and Technology Training Academy Our Vision *To see all inner-city families have access to personal computers and the Internet in their homes with the training to take full advantage of these tools in many key aspects of their lives. *To see inner-city families use these tools to enhance their education, health, nutrition, job opportunities, communications, entertainment, and quality of life. *To see inner-city families connect electronically with mentors who will provide support and encouragement and use the examples set by a broad set of electronic role models as motivation for their future and how they can better manage their time on a day-to-day basis.

9. Who We Are and How Can We Help The IMHOTEP Science and Technology Training Academy Our Objectives/Goals: *To provide technology awareness to inner-city families. *To provide hands-on technology demonstrations and displays. *To get inner-city families connected to the Internet. *To stimulate interest in inner-city family technology awareness by explaining why our program could be very important to them. *To ensure the participants that the IMHOTEP Science and Technology Training Academy will work with and help them to bridge the digital divide if they are willing to make the needed commitments of time, energy, and money.

10. Who We Are and How Can We Help The IMHOTEP Science and Technology Training Academy Our Plan Until this Digital Divide no longer exists, the IMHOTEP Science and Technology Training Academy is committed to ensuring that: *Inner-city families currently unable to take full advantage of the power of the personal computer and the Internet clearly understand the importance of these tools and the reasons why they must make a family commitment as soon as possible to acquire: *A personal computer for use in their home. * Access to the Internet and

11. Who We Are and How Can We Help The IMHOTEP Science and Technology Training Academy Our Plan *The training for all family members to fully utilize and exploit these technologies. From this point forward, the IMHOTEP Science and Technology Training Academy intends to do the following to support these most important goals: *Significantly increase the awareness and participation of K-12 schools, community based organizations, corporations, government, foundations, national inner-city family support organizations, the urban and mainstream media, and other interested organizations. *Provide the presentations and supporting information to participating organizations that will lighten the preparation needed to get inner-city families excited about:

12. Who We Are and How Can We Help The IMHOTEP Science and Technology Training Academy Our Plan *The many uses they can make of the computer and an Internet connection. *The advisement on the purchase of their own computer and access to the Internet. *The affordability, the continuing decrease in prices, and the many options for acquiring a computer and access to the Internet. *The opportunity to get training and help to install their system, if needed, from participating individuals and organizations. As well as training on some of the most popular software that is being utilized for production.

13. Future Goals and Objectives The IMHOTEP Science and Technology Training Academy * A Partnership with Urban Tech. Urban Tech's SEEDTECH program makes it easy for community-based organizations to establish a state-of-the-art Computer Training Center (CTC) and to begin teaching sought-after job skills. Urban Tech provides you with a completely packaged, ready-to-use facility, backed by their proven training, source materials and support. Since 1995 Urban Tech has installed more than 100 CTCs nationwide. Each center has provided jobs for local community residents, whom they train and certify as instructors in their user-friendly, nationally-acclaimed curriculum. They also provide computer job training for other residents, helping to prepare their communities for full employment in the 21st century.{Please see Supporting Documentation of this program}

14. Future Goals and Objectives The IMHOTEP Science and Technology Training Academy * The implementation of the Imhotep Youth Initiative. This program trains youth in computer science and technology. There are three tracks to this program. The first is the Software Track: The student learns the use of basic software skills including MS Office, PowerPoint, Email, basic internet skills and resume creation. The second track is the Hardware Track: The student learns basic computer repair and how computers work. And the third and most important is the Technology Career Exploration Track, where the student participates in field trips, workshops and have the opportunity to network with industry professionals and participate in job shadowing opportunities.{Please see attached document}