CLUTCH was an initiative designed to help individuals learn IT skills by building something valuable for their community. It encouraged a practical, hands-on approach to technology, where learners, whether they were parents, volunteers, or co-workers, engaged in creating websites or other digital tools that served a meaningful purpose.
For instance, parents of school-age children collaborated with a mentoring teacher to learn IT skills and build a website for their child’s class. Similarly, volunteers and co-workers created digital platforms to explain or promote important community initiatives or company projects. The core idea was to teach basic IT skills through purposeful, real-world projects, rather than abstract learning.
The CLUTCH Concept was successfully tested in two programs: the CLUTCH Millennium Awards, which supported community-based digital projects, and the CABER program, which leveraged broadband technology for educational purposes. Both programs demonstrated the effectiveness of this hands-on, community-centered approach to IT education.