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I N S I D ENew Lab in ID Funding Workshop: Jan. 19
"We’re one of the most wired cities in the world, but there’s still much we can do to bring the benefits of this technology revolution to all segments of our city." -Mayor Greg Nickels
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d.o.l.l.a.r.sDeadlines: March 31, 2005; June 30, 2005; and September 30, 2005 Adobe supports schools and community-based organizations with programs that enable and inspire K-12 students to think creatively, communicate effectively, and work collaboratively, using digital technology and communication tools. Adobe also supports nonprofit organizations and programs with an emphasis on the following criteria:
Social Venture Partners Seattle Out of School Time Program Deadline: (letters of inquiry) February 11, 2005 Social Venture Partners Seattle seeks to partner with organizations providing activities for youth ages 5-18 during out-of-school time, including before and after-school hours, evenings, and weekends. Programs should provide one or more of the following: quality time with caring adults; activities designed to develop social, life, and leadership skills; academic enrichment; and opportunities to contribute to their communities. The Out of School Time Grant Committee expects to award two grants of approximately $40,000 each. SVP will make initial single-year grants that it intends to lead into longer-term partnerships (typically three to five years). In addition to the grants, SVP will provide consulting to help build the organizational, management, and technology infrastructure of its grantees. City of Seattle Bill Wright Technology Matching Fund Deadline: February 18, 2005 Seattle neighborhood groups and organizations are invited to apply for funds for projects which increase technology literacy and access in their communities. The City is also encouraging civic participation projects which increase resident involvement in problem solving and use information and communications technology to support their effort. Deadline: Ongoing The Public Welfare Foundation supports organizations that address human needs in disadvantaged communities, with strong emphasis on organizations that include service, advocacy and empowerment in their approach: service that remedies specific problems; advocacy that addresses those problems in a systemic way through changes in public policy; and strategies to empower people in need to play leading roles in achieving those policy changes and in remedying specific problems. 2005 funding priorities include community development, criminal justice, the environment, health, human rights and global security, reproductive and sexual health, youth, welfare reform and civic participation.
free cable internetIt's not too late to get free cable Internet and modem for your local CTC. These free connections are currently only available in the Comcast service delivery area and within the Seattle city limits. For more information and to download a short form to make application, go to our tech web. If you have questions, email Derrick Hall or call (206) 233-5061. sub/unsubTo subscribe or unsubscribe to Brainstorm, please email us, and we'll add you to our email notification list, or subtract you per your request. If you have ideas for future stories, please let us know and we'll try to accommodate them. We encourage you to visit the City of Seattle's Community Tech pages, seattle.gov/tech. archivesBack issues of Brainstorm including techtips and linkages are now available in our online archives. Click to revisit all previous issues.
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 Recreation Leader Dung Dinh works with Derrick Hall to set up the lab at the new International District/Chinatown Community Center at 8th and Dearborn. new lab opening in i-districtThe International District now sports a new computer lab in the new International District/Chinatown Community Center at 719 8th Avenue South. This is the third lab in the area, complementing the Chinese Information Service Center (CISC) lab and the Little Saigon computer lab at Helping Link. The 16,000-square-foot community center is two stories tall and offers a large multipurpose room, offices, restrooms and storage space on the first floor. The entire second floor houses a regulation basketball gym, which is also used for classes in Yoga, Ju-Jitsu, Kendo, Butokukan Karate, Chinese Long Staff and Tai Chi.
On September 29, 2004, Mayor Greg Nickels, in conjunction with SCIDPDA, helped the community dedicate the new center with a naming ceremony. The grand opening celebration included local entertainment and tours of the building. The computer lab has just gone online. Derrick Hall, a City of Seattle computer technician, has recently installed broadband Internet access, supplied by Millenium Digital Media, which donates, under franchise agreement, its CableSpeed service to five access sites. Recreation Leader Dung Dinh, a first year student at the Art Institute of Seattle, is excited about opening the lab. He has much to offer the community. He has been using computers since he was in second grade. "I built my first computer when I was in first grade, and created my first computer game in third grade. It was terrible, but it was a real accomplishment at that age." "Some seniors want to join my basics class on how to use a computer," said Dung. The center is considering some intergenerational classes for the future. So far, most of the people who show up are high school kids. A lot of kids live around here now, in the new buildings. Some of the computers will be used for recreation, but we're also going to use them to teach basic computer skills and I'll even teach them how to build a computer. I'll be offering that class for free." IDCCC Recreation Center Coordinator Allen Chin started the computer room at the Queen Anne Community Center. That lab offered senior adult instruction classes, however the greatest usage occurred by the youth. "We had day camp, and after school, children used the computers. But the greatest use was by the Teen Program. There was a reading time where youth looked up articles on the Internet, and homework time for research. The teens also used the computers recreationally, playing online or locally networked games." According to Chin, "With the neighborhood being so low income, the digital divide here is very large. I believe the immigrant population will need these public access computers to do basic email and Internet searches. Basic instruction is also greatly needed. We plan on having the computers with Chinese and Vietnamese language support. The new IDCCC will be a place of new opportunities for the community. This community has been underserved and is the lowest income neighborhood in the City. The community center will be a place for recreation, sports, classes and facility rentals." "Some say the Community Centers are just for exercise recreation," said Chin. "Why then computers too, they ask. The public access to the Internet will permit users that cannot afford a computer, or their own Internet access, the ability to access the Internet for communication, learning, or recreation purposes. Community centers play a wide variety of roles for the community. The old traditional role of being a sports, and exercise facility are among them, but recreation and learning can also be achieved with computers. The community centers have taken on human services, and enhance our neighborhoods. Helping to bridge the digital divide is just another service we can and should provide." The 1999 City of Seattle Community Center Levy provided $2.1 million for the community center and gathering space facility in the International District/Chinatown, as part of Phase II of the "Village Square" project. The new community center in the International District is located in the second phase building of the International District Village Square. The International District Village Square II (IDVS II) project, developed by the Seattle Chinatown-International District Preservation and Development Authority (SCIDPDA). It is a mixed-use, multi-story facility with family housing, a community center, branch library, office and retail spaces, and parking. Additional funding, to complete the gymnasium, was made possible with $250,000 from the Pro Parks Levy Opportunity Fund. Funds for the $4 million price tag were appropriated from several different sources, including grants, parks levies and fund-raising events. The planned community center is part of a larger, six-story project called International District Village Square II. A library branch and retail spaces will share the first floor with the community center. The top five levels house 57 low-income housing units. The total project cost is estimated at $25 million. The new community center is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 1:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.; and Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; closed Sunday. chinese students explore seattle.gov at cisc workshop Gathered together learning how to use Seattle.gov The City’s Department of Information Technology presented a workshop on the Seattle.gov website to the students of the International District’s Chinese Information Service Center (CISC) as part of a strategy to encourage civic participation and engagement with government. On Nov 19, Website Manager Bruce Blood demonstrated the City’s many features, including the City directory, basic human services, job search information and several resources translated into Chinese, like the greater Seattle Datasheet and voter registration forms. Karia Wong, the CISC Lab Manager translated the session for the nine attendees, who mainly spoke Mandarin and Cantonese and had varying levels of comfort with the Internet. “This is a great starting point”, said Karia, “The students found it very useful. Many have come back to the lab to spend more time on the website.” If you are interested in scheduling a Seattle.gov website workshop at your Community Technology Center, please contact Delia Burke at 233-2751. For links covered in the workshop, visit seattle.gov/goto. dollars for tech projectsSeattle’s Department of Information Technology Community Technology Program is seeking applications for the Bill Wright Technology Matching Fund (TMF). This year the City will award approximately 9-15 grants of up to $10,000 each. Seattle neighborhood groups and organizations are invited to apply for funds for projects which increase technology literacy and access in their communities. The City is also encouraging civic participation projects which increase resident involvement in problem solving and use information and communications technology to support their effort. The application deadline is 5:00 p.m., February 18, 2005. Applications and guidelines are available online at seattle.gov/tech, at Neighborhood Service Centers or by calling the Community Technology Program at (206) 684-0600. An informational workshop will be held on Wednesday, January 19 at 6:00 p.m. at the Safeco Jackson Street Center at 306 23rd Ave S. Small grassroots, refugee and immigrant organizations may sign up for free grant assistance through the Nonprofit Assistance Center. Please call Rosie or Pang at (206) 324-5850 for more information. The Technology Matching Fund was established in 1997 to support the community’s effort to close the digital divide and encourage a technology-healthy city. A recent study conducted by the City shows that while Seattle is a very technology savvy community, with 83% of residents using the Internet and 83% having a computer at home, there still remains a significant digital divide in access and use by senior citizens, especially elderly women, African Americans, low-income and low-educated residents. "It is extremely important that the City work to ensure digital opportunity for all Seattle residents," said Mayor Greg Nickels, “the Community Technology Matching Fund is a key component in our strategy to reduce this divide and provide for strong families and safe neighborhoods." Prior year grant recipients include:
Sample project lists are available, and applicants are encouraged to email city staff with their ideas at or call (206) 684-0600. watching fed fundsMany community organizations with technology learning and access programs have hooked into federal streams of funding for their programs. The Department of Education Community Technology Center program, Department of Commerce Technology Opportunity Program (formerly NTIA-TIIAP) and to a lesser degree, the HUD Neighborhood Networks program, have been the most direct community tech targeted programs. These three have also provided valuable indirect services to CTCs by funding technical assistance, such as the Department of Education and America Connects, which has worked closely with CTCNet. Unfortunately, the federal budget picture for 2005 is a mixed bag. The biggest loss is the elimination of the Technology Opportunity Program, which has funded a wide range of infrastructure and application projects in the non-profit and public sectors. The CTC program will be receiving less funding and has narrowed in scope, but is still valuable. The DOE also offers the 21st Century Learning Centers funds for after-school programs. Health and Human Services potential funds include the Compassion Capital Fund and the Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. HUD has continued $15 million in funding for Neighborhood Networks. The community colleges will receive new money for community based job training, a potential partnership for CTCs, and they will continue support for one-stop career centers. Ryan Turner, the policy staff person for CTCNet has been tracking these opportunities and issued a more detailed description to CTCNet members. Ryan can be reached at rturner@ctcnet.org.
t.e.c.h.t.i.pnew years cleaningIf you have had your computer for more than six months, it is good to do some house cleaning.
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