Worcester Computer Coop
Via Sarah: check out the Worcester Computer Co-op. They make high speed Internet access available to anyone for free, and have special after-school programs and senior computer classes. Particulary noteworthy is that they use free software for everything in their lab:
Free software setups such as ours are very well-suited to a learning environment. The Co-op network administrators have created a situation in which users are free to play with the computers at will without fear of breaking something. This freedom is fundamental to a user’s computer education. Learning about computers is 90% experimentation and 10% instruction. Once a user is comfortable clicking any button and capable of actually playing with a machine, they will quickly be able to transform the computer from an intimidating piece of expensive electronics into a useful tool for career development, education, entertainment, and communications.