These benefits were not the result of the technology itself, but rather the wiser application of technology by individuals focused on business outcomes driven by market forces that produced the change. Just as entrepreneurs are inventing the commercial applications of the Internet, so too are social entrepreneurs of every stripe inventing specific ways interactive technology can be used to solve real problems of real people in real communities. In fact, I see evidence of a growing grassroots movement that is looking at how technology serves the interests of young people, families and communities. While children are able to access technology at LEAP program sites and use it to strengthen their communication and leadership development skills, the real story of LEAP is not just the technology. The essential ingredient is the people these youngsters get to be with.
LEAP recruits students from nearby high schools and colleges to serve as instructors and mentors.
They play a pivotal role in the children s lives. We are now at a critical juncture in the development of the Internet as a social change vehicle. But in order for community leaders to ensure that the public interest applications of online technology continue to thrive and more experiments are encouraged, they should embrace and act upon several building blocks. We need to focus on the benefits to people, not on the equipment. Make sure success in using technology is defined in terms of human, family and community outcomes in the context of broader values like entrepreneurship, problem-solving, etc.