AT&T funds LIFE Camp digital literacy effort

A major telecommunications player is offering funding to help create Southeast Queens’ next computer whiz.

LIFE Camp announced a $25,000 contribution from AT&T last Thursday that will help fund the organization’s youth digital literacy programming.

As part of the initiative, the violence interrupter group will connect more than a dozen teenagers to an internship focused on digital literacy; science, technology, engineering and math financial literacy and community beautification education.

“Giving youth and young adults the opportunities to set themselves on the path to a bright future is why I founded LIFE Camp and I am thankful to AT&T for allowing us to expand digital literacy programming to individuals who need them most,” organization founder Erica Ford said in a statement.

The funding is part of AT&T’s $2 billion nationwide commitment to “bridge the digital divide,” per a release.

Participants in the program will receive a $15 per hour stipend for their time. They will learn basic computer literacy skills, culminating in a project in which they apply what they’ve learned into coding.

“We all gain when we make investments in our young people,” state Sen. Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans) said. “That is why I applaud LIFE Camp and AT&T for joining in partnership to increase digital literacy and prepare youth for the opportunities of tomorrow.”