In a modest little building just a few hundred yards from the Snake River bridge at Marsing, curiosity-driven young people from economically strapped Owyhee County are bridging the digital divide.

The Marsing Resource Center—a product of multiple partnerships—logged nearly 4,000 visits in 2002, only the third year since its public computer laboratory opened.

“That’s a lot of people, when we’re only open four hours a day, five days a week,” says MRC coordinator Darlyne Aleksich. “We’re quite a novelty for a town this size—and we provide our kids with filtered Internet and a safe, clean place to be.”

Ron Hopkins, superintendent of the Marsing School District, calls Marsing “pretty amazing.” The gift it is giving his students is equal access to tomorrow’s jobs.

“The more time the kids have on the computers, the more comfortable they will get with them,” Hopkins says. The students work on their homework with adult supervision, and older kids teach younger ones.

Among the MRC’s dozens of supporters and contributors is University of Idaho Extension. A grant written by UI 4-H youth specialist Carol Benesh for a UI-MRC partnership netted the center computer equipment, technical support and Internet accounts from PowerUP a national organization dedicated to helping underserved youth acquire the skills to succeed in the digital age. In addition, the American Distance Education Consortium provided the UIMRC partnership with a satellite system and three years of Internet service. And, a USDA New Communities grant is supporting youthful cyber activities at the MRC and elsewhere in Owyhee and neighboring Canyon County.

Both counties have among the highest percentages of Hispanic residents in the state, and both have poverty rates nearly double the state average. Mary Lee Wood, a UI Extension specialist emeritus who guides the New Communities program in Owyhee County, calls technology a “pretty important piece” in helping low-income Idahoans.

“The whole premise of Extension is helping people help themselves—and if people don’t get technologically up to speed, they often get left in the dust,” she says.

Two afternoons a week at the MRC, assistant New Communities coordinator Bea Murphy invites youthful visitors to join her on a “Webquest.” Together, they work on a variety of digital projects. In addition, a handful of kids are planning to form their own 4-H computer club.

In Owyhee County, UI Extension educator Eric Morrison is teaching kids about Palm Pilots and global positioning system units, and interested students in Marsing, Notus, and Nampa have become a “Tech Team.” The group is developing a Web site and plans to take their know-how to schools and the community. Technology has also become a part of Notus 4-H Summer Camp.

Bridget Aman, New Communities program coordinator in both Owyhee and Canyon counties, says when kids learn technology, everyone benefits. “Youth tend to be more open, eager, and patient in teaching,” she says. “If they have technology skills, they’ll take them home to their parents.”