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University Receives Grant To Develop Technology Skills For Youths

Lucent Technologies has awarded NJIT a $125,000 grant to establish a computing and composition program to develop technology skills designed to better prepare children from grades pre- to K-12 to meet the challenges of a global society.

The grant is part of more than $1.6 million that will be awarded to 18 Newark-based agencies, including NJIT, to support two programs.

• Academics Plus – an initiative that supports school- and community-based partnerships that encourage high academic achievement in the areas of science and math studies, as well as college preparedness.

• Preparing Newark’s Youth for Global Skills – an initiative that supports development of work-based learning programs aimed at building job skills for the 21st century workplace. This program primarily supports programs that provide internships, computer-based training and leadership development.

The grants are part of the Lucent Foundation’s overall efforts to improve academic performance and provide employment and career opportunities for Newark’s young people. For example, Lucent has invested more than $1 million to provide employment opportunities for high school and college students during the summer months and after school in collaboration with six community service organizations.

"Newark is demonstrating that it is ripe for change and the focus of Lucent’s commitment to the city’s long-term growth rests squarely with improving the opportunities for young people," said David Ford, president of the Lucent Technologies Foundation. "We are confident that Newark’s future will become infinitely brighter as these young people develop and grow."

There were 90 proposals submitted for consideration from a wide variety of organizations, including local arts agencies, churches, cultural groups, universities, and both public and private schools. The majority of the winning proposals involved partnerships between a combination of community agencies. Projects were selected based on:

• The ability to create or expand innovative models for service or instruction.

• The ability to create new partnerships or to strengthen the existing capacity of non-profits
that serve the youth population.

• The potential for greatest impact.

• Promotion of new norms of community behavior for excellence, responsibility and community service.

• The potential for sustainability.

Lucent Technologies, headquartered in Murray Hill, N.J., designs and delivers the systems, software, silicon and services for next-generation communications networks for service providers and enterprises

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