What do we do at the Community Technology Empowerment Project?

CTEP Mission
CTEP’s mission is to support Americorps members who promote technology literacy for social, civic, and economic empowerment.

The program provides support for AmeriCorps members to serve in existing public access media organizations, community technology centers.

Project History
In July of 2004, four partner organizations interested in providing better technology access for metro area low-income residents were awarded a three-year AmeriCorps grant for a new program-- The Community Technology Empowerment Project, (CTEP). Project partners in this collaborative included: The St. Paul Neighborhood Network (fiscal sponsor), The Community Computer Access Network (C-CAN), the City of Minneapolis, and The MN State Department of Human Rights.

Partners in this initiative shared the belief that equitable access to basic information technology tools and resources (such as computers and the Internet) are necessary to insure full social, economic and civic participation for ALL community members. The CTEP project will meet this critical need using a grassroots, neighborhood-based “technology empowerment” strategy. In this way, the project addresses the well being of children, youth and families by providing new opportunities for economic development and educational achievement in targeted communities.

Since then the CTEP program has evolved to become part of the Saint Paul Neighborhood Network, and currently recruits, trains, and places 35 AmeriCorps members in service to their communities. Our focus has shifted to specifically helping low-income and new immigrant residents (adults and teens) better use technology resources within existing community technology centers (CTCs) and non-profit agencies.