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Inner-City Youth Get Hooked on Technology While Experiencing the Joy of Summer Camp Through “WiredWoods”

DUXBURY, Mass., July 13, 2001 Swimming lessons, campfires, nature hikes and friends are all part of the joy of overnight summer camp. Add digital cameras, computers and software to these, and Greater Boston’s disadvantaged youth are given a unique opportunity to foster a lifelong interest in technology. WiredWoods, a nonprofit startup, seeks to empower low-income middle school-aged children through an innovative, computer-based curriculum that is integrated into traditional camp activities. The program launches this summer at Crossroads for Kids in Duxbury, MA an overnight camp in a bucolic setting that has served inner-city youth for 65 years.

WiredWoods is the brainchild of Greater Boston native Paul Deninger, the chairman and CEO of Broadview Holdings, a leading global M&A advisor and private equity investor focused on the technology industry. Believing strongly that all children should be given equal opportunity to advance in life, Paul and his wife Lori established the Paul F. and Lori A. Deninger Foundation and founded WiredWoods. The program will provide children with the opportunity to transcend the limits of their environment, expand their understanding of technology and empower them to pursue successful careers in the field of technology - an industry hungry for skilled labor.

“We want to get children excited about technology and encourage them to access computers for the long-term benefits - good paying jobs in the IT field,” said Deninger. “Technology offers at-risk children a powerful tool to create better lives for themselves, and WiredWoods will be the catalyst to encourage them to utilize the computers that are now available in Greater Boston. Harnessing that power creates digital opportunities.”

“To be successful at changing how children view technology, we believe that the interaction needs to take place in a new, fun and non-threatening environment, which summer camp provides,” Deninger added. “WiredWoods will marry the utility of computers with the joy of camp, making a strong and long-lasting impact on the lives of these children.”

WiredWoods has provided Crossroads for Kids with a complete solution, including all necessary hardware, software, teachers, and Internet access. It has commissioned experienced educators to design an inventive curriculum geared toward children at the middle-school level, a critical time in their development. Learning is based on the premise that campers find it fun and exciting to create original content using technology. The children will collaborate to design and produce their own group Web site-in a form such as a camp digital scrapbook, e-zine or art gallery-to document and communicate their adventures. Once the Web site is completed, campers will be able to proudly share it with other campers as well as with friends, family, teachers and others in their community. With increased motivation and computer fluency, WiredWoods campers will be better prepared to utilize Boston’s rich community computer resources, which the program will help link them to once camp has ended.

“Campers, all from low-income communities, will use the computer to design and create meaningful projects rather than just play games or surf the Web,” said Dana White, WiredWoods’ program director. “It’s our goal to engage these at-risk children in becoming active producers of technology rather than just passive consumers.”

“It’s not just about computers; WiredWoods is about helping kids take a new look at their personal potential,” said Timothy Millbern, executive director and CEO of Crossroads for Kids and president of the American Camping Association New England. “Exceeding personal limits is what camping is all about, and WiredWoods will help our campers do more with computers than they ever thought possible. We at Crossroads are excited about the curriculum and how it will encourage campers to strive for a better future.”

WiredWoods, in its inaugural year at Crossroads for Kids, will serve as a platform to bring this experience to other cities. The program has been funded and incubated by the Paul F. and Lori A. Deninger Foundation. However, before the summer is over, Deninger plans to make WiredWoods a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization so that it can seek both private and corporate donations and partnerships to ensure that the program becomes self-sustaining. Also, later this summer, the Web site www.wiredwoods.org will be launched to provide further information and to showcase the campers’ work.

For more information on WiredWoods, call 781-890-5500 extension 1008.