HILLSBORO, Oregon - Walking to school or work is going to get safer for residents of this community, thanks to students involved in the 4-H Tech Wizards program. The after-school bilingual program offers Latino students in secondary schools the opportunity to learn new technology skills and apply them to solve a community problem.

For Hillsboro High students, the problem is safety and the technology used as a solution is GIS (Geographic Information Systems) software. Using data on accidents, crime, road construction sites, signage, and sidewalk locations, students use GIS software to create maps showing safe walk zones for the residents of Washington County, located west of Portland.

Access to technology attracts participants to the program.

In nearby Beaverton at another 4-H Tech Wizards site, Latino parents gather around a high school student named Pedro as he explains, in Spanish, how to install a hard drive. Thanks to Pedro's realization that many Latino children do not have access to technology at home, these parents are learning how to build, maintain, and update computers at a low cost. Because of Pedro and his mentor, more children will have access to computers at home, which may help them do better in school.

In downtown Portland, moviegoers at the Northwest Film Festival watch a documentary about traditional tamale making. The film was created by Denny, a 4-H Video Wizard who worked with a mentor at the Oregon Historical Society.

The 4-H Tech Wizards Project began in 1997 after a newspaper article cited an 86 percent dropout rate among Latino youth in Washington County. "The article received attention from community and civic groups looking for ways to address this problem," explains Lisa Conroy, coordinator of the 4-H Tech Wizards Project. "This was of utmost concern to many of us who are familiar with the statistic that by 2040, over 40 percent of K-12 students nationwide will be Latino youth," she adds.

For many Latino youth, the pressure to drop out of school and get a job is a reality. "We thought that we could help by developing a program that would help them see a brighter future and to acquire skills to be productive in that future," Conroy explains. In figuring out what type of program to create, the 4-H program for Washington County decided to talk to the youth themselves. Results showed that an appealing program would have to address their cultural self-identity, strengthen intergenerational relationships, and provide access to technology.

With help from the Intel Latino Network, the 4-H program at Oregon State University Extension Service developed the 4-H Tech Wizards Project. Mentors who are Latino, bilingual, and work in technology conduct the sessions twice a week. "Because of their background and personal experiences, the mentors understand the pressures that Latino youth are under. They are able to mentor on a personal, professional, and an educational level. The kids have so much respect for them. Within four weeks, the kids are glued to the mentors," Conroy says.

The 4-H Tech Wizards meet for two hours twice a week at area high schools. A cohort of 10 students stays together for four years. Students follow a technology curriculum that begins with Web Wizards, continues with Video Wizards, and concludes with GIS and Global Positioning System Wizards. In addition to learning the technology and doing a real-world project, the Tech Wizards also contribute 15 hours of community service, providing technology training for others. "For the first time, these youth are seen as a community resource. This really builds their self-esteem," says Conroy. As one student says, "I heard my mentors tell me that anything was possible, but I never really believed it until I did it. Now I realize what they were talking about. I can do this, and I can do anything."

Not only will the streets of Hillsboro be safer for youth because of the 4-H Tech Wizards, but the 1997 dropout statistic may also need some adjusting. Since the program began, 95 percent of the youth in the program have graduated from high school and 100 percent of the graduates are pursuing careers in math, science, or a technology-related field.

The Washington County 4-H Tech Wizards Program has served 500 students and currently has four schools participating. There is a waiting list of schools, but recruiting Latino, bilingual mentors who work in technology has proved to be a challenge. For more information about the program, visit www.4-hwebwizards.org*.