Internet

Ah, the Internet. Many of us are tangled in its web each and every day. It's a useful tool, an accessible source of valuble (or not so valuble) information, a simple medium for communication, an entertainment hub, a time-gobbler and so much more.

Here in St. Louis, I have access to the Internet right in my bedroom on my personal PC, in the computer room of my apartment building, at my university, at work and even at the coffee shop down the street. Even for people without a PC, a university or a job with Internet access, there are the 17 branches of the St. Louis Public Library that provides free Internet for the public.

Now imagine living where there limited or no Internet access. In Kermit, there are no households with the Internet. No libraries with the Internet. No smartphones. No aps. No Wifi.

There are two places in Kermit where one can go to access the Internet: the new high school Mingo Central, which has a Media Center and A.B.L.E. Families charity house, which has ten computers with Internet access available.

These Internet sources are valuable to the community's job-seekers, GED-seekers and students. According to A.B.L.E. Families, their computers are used by Kermiteers to complete their GEDs online, learn basic computer and software skills to become more marketable for their job search, apply for jobs, research, homework and reading the news. Students at Mingo Central High School can enhance their academic skills and performance through access to online books, journals, news articles and other resources. In our modern world, these computer and Internet skills are almost essential for the success of job-seekers and students, young and old.

For more information about how the Internet issue in rural Appalachia is being addressed, check out the Digital Divide page.

The A.B.L.E. Families bulding where us SLU students stayed.