Executive Summary:
Plugged In in 1999

Over the last five years, Plugged In has done an exceptional job of piloting a diverse range of projects and programs that involve computers, community empowerment, and opportunity growth. These projects have yielded a high impact on East Palo Alto. This last year alone:

• Forty-six teenagers learned to use a wide variety of multimedia tools. Twenty-five of the teenagers have earned money from clients who pay for Internet information products.
• These teenagers have helped over 100 people and community organizations become educated about computers and get connected to the technological revolution.
• The Technology Access Center has received more than 13,000 visits from people in the community.
• Since July, our children’s program, Community Kids, has provided educational technology and arts activities for 189 children.
• Plugged In has received visits from more than 75 individuals and organizations from around the world interested in replicating our work.

Over the next year, we want to build upon this success and continue our work to build a sustainable organization in a community that is experiencing breathtaking physical and political change. Specifically, we will focus on the following goals:

• Strengthen the organization by:
  • focusing on programmatic improvement and
  • building our capacity to support our staff and their work.
• Plan and secure the future of the organization by:
  • launching strategic planning and
  • relocating the organization to east of Highway 101.

We look forward to launching this plan and thank all our stakeholders in advance for all the past and future support. Together, we can continue our work to bridge the technological gap between East Palo Alto and Silicon Valley.