LITTLE GEEKS
Little Geeks is based in the belief that literacy through technology is a basic human right. Andy Walker, the creator of Little Geeks, is determined to level the computer and internet playing
field so that every child has access to computer technology and the internet, giving them access to the world community.
The foundation supporting Little Geeks was begun two years ago as a project designed from a vision of love, inclusion and knowledge for every child in Ontario. It is committed to leveling the playing field for children without the economic means to have a computer. Hundreds of children in Ontario are now connected to the internet and to the world through their computers.
Any child between the ages of 7 and 17 who shows an economic need will get a free computer with a one-year internet subscription and free technology assistance to get started.
Little Geeks gets its referrals from agencies, from schools or just the ordinary person discovering the project on the internet. They are proud to declare they have not turned away a single child.
Andy Walker says he created Little Geeks because he himself found success in college when his parents gave him a computer. His computer success allowed him to become a television personality, an author of four books, and eventually to create a successful company. Technology literacy launched Andy into a world of abundance.
Two years ago, at the inception of Little Geeks, Andy began to wonder if a kid like himself, coming from an average background, could achieve great things through technology, what could be possible for somebody coming from an underprivileged background? He saw computer technology as a way for each of us to go far beyond our communities into a world where anything was possible. So Andy created Little Geeks, believing that technology literacy and a connection to the internet was a basic human right.
While Andy had already achieved success in his career before he began Little Geeks, something was missing for him in his life; a sense of fulfillment and joy was lacking. Since then, with the creation of Little Geeks two years ago, he has experienced fulfillment he never imagined. He’s met the woman of his dreams, he’s happily married, and he sold his company, making him financially free. With Little Geeks, he says he continues to expand the tangibles of what he always wanted in life–love, marriage and money–but even more important, the intangible quality of being fulfilled. He believes everyone who makes contribution the main focus of their lives will discover fulfillment beyond anything they’ve thought possible.
Little Geeks has been recognized in dozens of media outlets across Canada and on the internet but none of this was predictable. Since beginning Little Geeks two years ago, Andy and his team have been stopped numerous times; they ran out of money, they lost their premises, they were criticized in the media and they even considered shutting the project down. But Andy has discovered in his commitment to Little Geeks that big breakdowns cause big breakthroughs. For him, the barriers they ran into were merely signs he was on the right track and he used those problems to remind his team to get back to where they started – their commitment to love and inclusion through knowledge.
What’s next for Little Geeks? To expand the game nationally and internationally. He sees computer literacy being available in every city and every continent, every government, at every level. He has visions of sharing his game with the UN and the G8, and especially with the leaders of African nations. He envisions Little Geeks creating communication everywhere, creating instant communities around the globe that keep furthering education, a planet where we are all in communication.
Andy Walker – (completed Team 1 November 2008, Toronto)
