Washington, DC - Congressman Ed Towns (D-Brooklyn) announced today a nearly $700,000 federal grant for predominantly Black colleges to provide at risk Black male youth with the tools to avoid incarceration and lead productive lives.  The funds will go toward establishing innovative pilot programs at select Black colleges to create partnerships between the schools and the community.  The goal of the program is to provide academic and personal development counseling through the use technology.  Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn has been named as a potential recipient of funds.

"The percentage of young black males who end up in jail has hit a crisis level, and we must do everything we can to reverse this trend," said Congressman Towns.  "By using the latest technological resources, hopefully we can help steer more youth toward remaining in school, striving for higher education or applying for jobs."

The programs are expected to employ broadband wireless networks, mentoring via personal computers, video conferencing, a web based database application and video streaming.  Partners will include high schools, alternative schools providing GEDs, the university, church and business partners within a five-mile radius of the college.

"The program really provides a double benefit for the community," said Towns. "It will not only help young black males gain the skills needed to contribute to the community but the programs will also help communities share in the development of some of the latest technologies."    

The award will be administered by the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO), which will provide more than $800,000 in matching funds.   NAFEO's grant application for the Technology Opportunities Program was one of 27 selected from a field of nearly 500 applications.   The federal grant was provided by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration in the Department of Commerce.

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