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Insight Communications And Oxygen Media Mark The Successful Completion of The First-Ever "The Young Women's Technology Fellowship"
LOUISVILLE, KY – May 15, 2001 –
Insight Communications and Oxygen Media have announced the commencement of the pilot “Young Women’s Technology Fellowship,” an educational initiative addressing the digital divide, which was created from Insight’s “In The Know” campaign and The Oxygen “Link To Think” curriculum. Twelve Louisville-area high school girls, who may not have otherwise had such an opportunity, were selected from a competitive pool of applicants and successfully created an online magazine, www.louisville-ezine.org, dedicated to social issues. In addition, each girl will receive free cable modem service for one year from Insight and an iMac computer from Oxygen in recognition of completing the program.
During the two-month after-school program consisting of 50 hours of in-class training, the Fellows learned marketable skills such as HTML programming, researching, writing and editing, and interviewing. The high-profile women that the Fellows interviewed were Lt. Col. Jackie Cooper, JCPD; State Representative Joni Jenkins; Alderwoman Denise Bentley; Jefferson County Judge/Executive Rebecca Jackson; Women 4 Women Chair Cissy Musselman; and Oxygen Senior Vice President Cheryl Mills. Ms. Mills also participated in an online chat with all twelve Fellows.
“These young women have been given a tremendous head start in the technology field, thanks to this program,” said Alderwoman Denise Bentley. “This may be the beginning of a rewarding career for them.”
“I was excited to have this opportunity to come to this class. Sometimes it was hard, but I enjoyed every minute of it,” said Faydra Washington, Fellow. “I can’t thank Insight and Oxygen enough; they have changed my life.”
“I really had fun in this program. I learned how to work on computers more now than ever,” said Rian Hall, Fellow. “Ever since we had the interviews, it has helped me get up and talk in front of people and a camera. I hope they do programs like this again soon.”
“This experience has allowed me to explore technical boundaries that I wouldn’t have known about in other circumstances,” said Katia Heyman, Fellow. “I am truly grateful to Insight and Oxygen for allowing this opportunity to be presented to me.”
“In the Know” is a public affairs initiative formed by Insight Communications which builds upon the cable industry’s pledge to provide free high-speed Internet access to accredited schools and public libraries. Insight has taken that pledge a step further to offer students and teachers the resources of broadband content and robust cable programming to enrich the learning experience. The Oxygen “Link to Think” curriculum supports Oxygen’s commitment to advocacy, technology and creativity and aims to bridge the digital divide and reach girls most in need.
About Insight Communications
Insight Communications (NASDAQ: ICCI) is the 8th largest cable operator in the United States, serving approximately 1.4 million subscribers. The company is highly concentrated in the four contiguous states of Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio. Insight specializes in offering bundled, state-of-the-art services in mid-sized communities, delivering analog and digital video, high-speed data and the recent deployment of voice telephony in selected markets to its customers. Locally, Insight serves approximately 240,000 customers in the Louisville/Jefferson County area.
About Oxygen Media
Oxygen Media is an integrated media brand that superserves modern women by combining the best qualities of the Internet and cable television. Founded in 1998 by Geraldine Laybourne, Marcy Carsey, Tom Werner, Caryn Mandabach and Oprah Winfrey, Oxygen consists of a growing network of popular Web sites located at www.oxygen.com and a 24-hour cable network.
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Contact:
Kim Messina
Director of Communications
Insight Communications
(917) 286-2300
messina.k@Insightcom.com
Contact:
Cheryl Smith
Oxygen Media
(212) 651-5442
csmith@oxygen.com
