Columbia Opportunity Center Activities

Our Opportunity Center changed radically last January, when IAIA supporter Don Wirtshafter facilitated the setup of an internet satellite dish on our roof. Almost overnight, we morphed from a laid-back lab, primarily used for homework and educational games, to a full-fledged internet café.

The first week was chaotic for me. As soon as the system was up and running, I announced free internet usage for one month. Yikes!

Ever since first contemplating the idea of providing internet access in our fast-growing and fast-changing village, I wondered how it might be used (or abused). Pornography was my greatest concern. I knew I didn't have the luxury of a choice on censorship. Already, many of the more "modern" youth clash daily with their more "traditional" parents here. I didn't want to be caught up in any of those frays. Once the system was up and I began monitoring its use, I realized the urgency to censor quickly.

Sometime during the first week, I stayed up all night at the lab, found a good, free pornography blocker, downloaded it and tested it on all nine computers. It has worked well. Whew!
Next, I learned more than I ever wanted to know about online chatting. Having never chatted myself, I looked at the concept naively and thought, "Oh, how nice. They'll make friends all over the world, practice their English, and practice their typing." All this has proven to be true. However, I didn't count on the added excitement of hot and spicy chatting, which appears to be prevalent. I tried dealing with it by monitoring chats, giving warnings, and suspending a couple young men, but the temptations were too great. Chatting is now available only through manager screening and intervention, and my life has settled down again.

After eight months online, I am convinced that internet access is a good thing for Columbia, and an important step in its continued development. We're a business now, open 1-8 p.m. daily, with two part-time managers. Our fees are affordable. Fifty cents (US$.25) pays for an hour of regular use or fifteen minutes of internet access. Children are still welcome to fill empty seats whenever the lab isn't filled with paying customers.

The other day, I spoke with one of our managers for quite a long time while my husband sat on a bench against the wall of the lab and waited for me. As we headed home, I apologized for taking so long. Jerry replied, "That's all right. I like sitting there, just watching it all happen. It's an amazing thing." Once in awhile, when I can step out of my busy world of scheduling, teaching and continually working on computers, I realize, wholeheartedly, that Jerry is right. It is amazing.

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