LINCT/Time Dollar - Long Island, New York

LINCT graduation Homestead Village September 2003

LINCT Learn and Earn TM Computer Program is thriving on Long Island. We have formed partnerships with the Department of Education through Patchogue Medford's Adult Literacy Program funded by the New York State Education Department, the Department of Labor, the Long Island Community Foundation, the Riverhead School District, the Community Action for Southold Town, Catholic Charities, and the Town of Southampton all of which provide funding for our classes. In addition, various local churches and businesses contribute space and/or connections to the Internet. Hamptons Online, a local Internet Service Provider, has donated Internet accounts for our students. Our classes run throughout the year and our graduates have enriched their lives by becoming computer literate. Presently we have a long waiting list of people who are anxious to learn basic computer skills and/or basic computer refurbishing, and to earn a home computer.

By volunteering at our office and throughout their communities, graduates of our LINCT Learn and Earn TM Program earn Time Dollars that they use to upgrade their computers to Pentiums and add memory to speed up their computers. Many of the students have earned printers and other computer accessories by participating in our Time Dollar Program. This is a major part of our goal to bring communities together, a fine example of people helping people.

Greenport - This was our first LINCT Community started in 1994 by forming a partnership with Community Action for Southold Town (CAST), a community action agency focused on family and community development. Many students have graduated from our classes at this site.

Freeport - LINCT receives an annual grant from the Long Island Community Foundation designed to support women's literacy using the Learn and Earn program model. We are currently working on providing faster broadband Internet access for our classes.

Roosevelt - Another annual grant from the Long Island Community Foundation has allowed us to open a site utilizing the Learn and Earn Program in Roosevelt. Trainers for the Freeport and Roosevelt sites are provided by the Even Start.

Bellport - A coastal community with a very affluent section close to the water that has a much poorer section to the north, which hosts a LINCT site at St. Joseph the Worker R.C. Church. St. Joseph’s has generously donated space in their building, as well as a phone line for Internet access. They now have agreed to provide the installation of cable for faster service for our students. Both morning and afternoon classes have proven to be successful here. The trainers are paid by the Patchogue/Medford Adult Literacy Consortium (part of the Patchogue/Medford School District). We have also worked with the Boys and Girls Club in this area.

Hamptonbays – Funding by Catholic Charities made possible a LINCT class especially designed for students with disabilities and for senior citizens. Bishop Ryan Village donated a room and a phone line for Internet access. In addition, we have held Computer Refurbishing Classes at Hampton Bays High School.

Bridgehampton – Over the years we have worked with the Bridgehampton Child Care Center. We held classes in space donated by them to meet the needs of the community. We provided computer training for no English speaking adults and the communities’ low-income citizens.

Upton - – We have hand a longstanding relationship with Brookhaven National Laboratory. They have generously donated space, as well as its employee's time to serve as facilitators for a LINCT program.

Coram Currently we are holding evening classes in Coram at Homestead Village, a low-income housing community. These classes are for residents of Homestead Village and are held in the apartment complex itself in space donated by them. Here again the trainer is paid by Patchogue/Medford Adult Literacy Consortium.

East Moriches - IGHL - Independent Group Home Living - has donated space and a phone line for computer classes held for their disabled clients.

Riverhead – We have had many successful classes in Riverhead. The Salvation Army donated space, and provided a connection to the Internet, in its office building for LINCT to conduct a Learn and Earn Computer Program in this low-income community. In addition to Basic Computer Skills classes, LINCT had three computer refurbishing sites in Riverhead, one held in a storefront donated by Love'm Homeless Shelter, and two at Riverhead High School and Riverhead Middle School where students learned how to refurbish computers used in other LINCT community classes. Presently we have day classes and are expanding to evening classes at the Cornell Cooperative Extension building in Riverhead. They have very generously donated a computer room, the services of an on-site computer technician, and broadband Internet access for our students. The trainers here are LINCT graduates and receive their salary from Patchogue/Medford Adult Literacy Consortium.

Southampton: The town of Southampton approves a grant annually, which allows LINCT computer classes to be held for homeless people residing in shelters in Southampton. Local businesses donate space for these classes. The Department of Social Services helps identify prospective students.

Hampton Bays is the home of LINCT's offices on Long Island. In addition, our technician and volunteers service and refurbish computers for our students and our classes from the main office.

Because of our special partnership with the Patchogue/Medford Adult Literacy Consortium, LINCT now has the opportunity (and the obligation) to help participants improve basic literacy skills as well as learn basic computer skills. It is a challenge because while many of our facilitators are skilled at the computer, they have not been trained in adult basic education. One of the most noteworthy and gratifying developments in LINCT computer learning programs on Long Island is the fact that many of the facilitators of Learn and Earn classes are themselves graduates of the program. (After a two-day orientation and training and a one-cycle (12-week) internship as an assistant Learn and Earn facilitator, to an experienced learning facilitator, they become eligible to facilitate in a class of their own and earn a reasonable hourly wage from the Adult Literacy Program funded by the New York State Education Department. This is an example of how we are achieving the LINCT Coalition goal of empowering people to become employed as a result of their newly attained skills and confidence.)

In fact, many of the facilitators of LINCT Learn and Earn classes are themselves graduates of the program. (After a two-day orientation and training and a one-cycle internship with an experienced facilitator, they become eligible to facilitate in a class of their own and earn a reasonable hourly wage from the Patchogue Medford Schools in keeping with our goal to help people become employed as a result of their technology skills.)