This article from the Chronicle of Social Change outlines a new plan in the state of California, USA which will grant free mobile phones to youth in foster care. "A new pilot project would extend a free smartphone – complete with a calling plan, wireless service and a mobile hotspot – to about 33,000 current and former foster youth between the ages of 13 and 26. The $22 million plan is now backed by the head of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), and the full commission will vote on the two-year venture at a meeting on Thursday April 25 in San Francisco," says the article. The aim of the plan is to help foster youth stay connected with family members and loved ones and help them overcome "digital disparities" faced by many foster youth in the state. "Digital connection is also increasingly important in today’s world where so many transactions now require Internet access," including job applications, government benefits, and more.
“I would have felt a lot safer if I had access to a smartphone,” said Thalia Bernal, a 23-year-old former foster youth. “I like to think of smartphones as the remote controls in our lives. They are connected to everything else and if used correctly, it’s the tool we need to not only become wiser, but live a life full of opportunities.”