From June 15-21, many of the Department's 1,190 Neighborhood Networks centers throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands will celebrate Neighborhood Networks Week by showcasing how access to technology creates employment and educational opportunities for kids and families living in HUD-insured and -assisted housing communities.

The theme for this year is "Exploring Technology, Enriching Lives."

Two special events will be held today in Washington, D.C.: the dedication/grand opening of a new youth technology center and a web cast with kids.

The 4:30 p.m. youth center dedication will take place at Edgewood Terrace Apartments and will feature HUD Assistant Secretary for Housing/Federal Housing Commissioner John Weicher. Also from HUD will be Stillman Knight, Jr., deputy assistant secretary for Multifamily Housing Programs, and Delores Pruden, director, Multifamily Neighborhood Networks Initiative. Joining the three HUD officials will be representatives from Community Preservation and Development Corp., the owner of the apartment complex and sponsor of the event, Case Foundation, Freddie Mac, Microsoft Corporation and SunTrust Bank. The youth center was made possible by support from a creative public/private partnership.

Following the youth center dedication, Deputy Assistant Secretary Knight will join kids at the Youth Gateway at the apartment complex for a web cast, hosted by Kidz Online. The winner of the Neighborhood Networks Week 2003 national poster contest will also be announced at this event.

Other events planned for the week include:

• On June 17, the U.S. Department of Education will host a web cast on technology education and will focus on preparing both students and parents for the digital age.



• Also on June 17, an orientation will be conducted for Neighborhood Networks centers to learn about Money Smart Plus, a financial literacy-training program. The event will be coordinated by HUD's Philadelphia Multifamily HUB Office.



• On June 17 in Charlotte, NC, Neighborhood Networks centers will unveil the details of a national partnership with Bank of America, which will provide financial literacy awareness to low-income residents and hold the first of four workshops at the Grier Park Community Center.



• On June 18, the grand opening of the Kraus Computer Learning Center in Brooklyn, NY, will highlight a national partnership with STRIVE (Support and Training Result In Valuable Employees). STRIVE is a non-profit agency that offers job readiness and career advancement skills to underserved men and women.



• On June 19, NASA will host a web cast from Aquarius, the world's only underwater laboratory off the coast of the Florida Keys. NASA is interested in learning if Aquarius can help unlock some of the many secrets of long-term space travel.



• Also on June 19, astronaut Roger Crouch will visit a Neighborhood Networks center at the Berkshire Place Apartments in Nashville, TN. Crouch will give a presentation entitled: "Reaching Out for Hope - Launching Your Own Way."



• In another June 19 event, the Whitefield Commons Resource Center will become the first pilot Neighborhood Networks center to partner with CyberLearning, a project of the National Education Foundation that provides online training in information technology, management and test-prep skills.



• And on June 20, Nortel Networks Kidz Online will host a web cast that will feature students using fast-paced comedy video clips to learn about class work and their day-to-day lives.

Created by HUD in 1995, Neighborhood Networks was one of the first federal programs to help low- and moderate-income communities achieve self-sufficiency by providing them with access to computers.

A schedule of the week's events is available on the Neighborhood Networks website.