Social gaps and access to technology

A group of high-school students taking part in the Summer Youth University at Tel Aviv University decided to explore the problem of social gaps and access to technology. Here is what they say:

“In the last two decades, the socio-economic gaps in Israel have widened. We, the future generation, see how the Israeli society is falling apart, socially and economically.

We must change this!

There are a lot of differences in our society in terms of poverty and the use of technology: the poorest populations are Arabs and groups within Orthodox Jews, and there is a correlation between the use of technology and poverty.

Our solution focuses on trying to give a computer to every family. Our goal is to make the most basic technology accessible. This is especially relevant when we think about the future, because as our world progresses, different populations are left behind technologically. This will only widen the economic gap and inequality.

We want to act to encourage STEM education in Israel, with the assistance of municipalities and other organizations that seek how to get rid of old computers. We would like to offer these computers to families who do not have a computer at home. In exchange, they will take a short training about computers that ‘every child should know.’ Our idea was presented to Mr. Gil Shwed – the co-founder and CEO of Check Point Software Technologies Ltd, one of Israel’s largest technology companies and a world leader in cybersecurity. We are interested in presenting the program to various municipalities and entities.”