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South Park Exhibit what's hotcommunities connect gather august 16Does your organization help people learn to use information technologies? Do you help them get access to online resources? If you want to exchange with others working towards digital inclusion, participate in trainings and help promote the development of more resources for your community technology program, join us August 16, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The statewide Communities Connect Network is gathering at New Holly in Seattle for an "Advancing Community Technology" implementation meeting. All are welcome, but CCN is organizing in particular those engaged in Adult Workforce Readiness, Youth Academic & Creative Development, and Financial Self-Sufficiency. how to ask
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Google SketchUp is a free 3D modeling program with instructional materials and simple tools to create models of houses, robots, space ships or whatever you dream up. It’s a good project tool for students and completed models can be placed in Google Earth, printed or posted to the SketchUp 3D Warehouse. Journey North provides an opportunity for students to follow migration routes and patterns. This could be whales, birds, flowers, stars, butterflies and more. There is an array of active learning activities provided for each migration. English For All or EFA, is a free Web-based multimedia system for adults learning English as a second language. It allows teachers to create online classes and students to learn and practice English. Activities for ESL Students has more than 1,000 activities to help study English as a Second Language. This includes question of the day, quizzes, tests, exercises and puzzles. This project of The Internet TESL Journal has thousands of contributions by many teachers. Afterschool Training Toolkit is a free online staff development site with activities, online resources and best practices. This is a project of the National Partnership for Quality Afterschool Learning at the Southest Educational Development Lab. l.i.n.k.a.g.e
To 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.sub/unsub
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Greg Nickels, Mayor Department of Information Technology BILL SCHRIER chief technology officer BUSBONG SEARS acting director, office of electronic communications DAVID KEYES manager, community technology program staff  D.H. CASS MAGNUSKI editor |
south park photovoice exhibit
 South Park students' community change photojournalism artwork is now on display at the Benham Gallery, 1216 First Avenue, through August 19. |
Inspired by the desire to address the gun violence that occurred in South Park over the course of last year, the South Park Violence Prevention Collaborative (SPVPC) developed the Community Voices project. This program was designed to engage the South Park community in multiple ways to document the opinions of local residents about public safety issues in their neighborhood and to promote dialogue among key stakeholders.
In partnership with South Park Community Center, the participants used the Photovoice technique to engage youth in a creative way by encouraging them to express their opinions of South Park through photography. With the help of professional photographers and writers, youth ages 11 to 16 years old were asked to photograph their community, identifying aspects that they were proud of, and aspects that they wanted to change. They later wrote captions for their favorite pictures.
The exhibit can currently be viewed at the Benham Gallery, 1216 First Avenue, through August 19. Free and open to the public, it provides an opportunity for traditionally silent voices to be heard. It offers a forum to share the perspectives of young residents of South Park with their neighbors, other community members, service agencies, and key decision makers. Their voices challenge the stigma and stereotyping of South Park. The hope is that their expression will contribute to a better understanding of the daily lives and needs of these youth and draw an invested interest in South Park by civic leaders.
For more information please contact Antoinette Angulo at nica_tonsk@yahoo.com, (206) 985-8630 or Elena Perez at elena_p69@yahoo.com, (206) 359-1885.
ctcnet offers great resources
The national Community Technology Center Network, or CTCNet, held its national conference in a muggy Washington D.C. this year, with activities inside at a boil. Here are a few tidbits, with this month’s Linkage coming from workshops and conversation at the conference. AT&T announced a $1 million grant to CTCNet to improve the training and dissemination of technology for people with disabilities. Teens from around the country presented awesome video projects as part of CTCNet’s Youth Visions program. Teams of youth also shot the conference. One interviewee, asked what his favorite computer command was, replied: "Ctrl Z: there's a lot to be said for cleaning up your own mistakes."
Amy Borgstrom of the Corporation for National Service and formerly from the federal TOPS program, presented the Toni Stone award for community technology innovation. While being handed the envelope, Amy captured what we know from experience, "Every program needs someone with visionary leadership and someone who can make the trains run on time."
Ami Dar, founder of Idealist.org, which hosts Action Without Borders, shared his history as an Israeli paratrooper seeing the need to facilitate communications for peace. He asked, "How do neighbors figure out how to help each other? What are the distribution channels?" He challenges us to further develop these ideas.
Kojo Nnamdi, host of the radio program Technology Tuesday, spoke of society and personal challenges to overcome the digital divide. Kojo put this perspective on our technology challenges: "Some say that synchronizing your laptop, Blackberry, and phone are the greatest challenge. But synchronizing all of society to be on the same level is the challenge."
Watch the CTCNet.org website for workshop materials to be posted.
rainier beach & yesler ctcs return tax money to the community Volunteer helps a resident file taxes at the Rainier Beach CTC. |
During tax season this year, the Rainier Beach and Yesler Community Technology Centers helped residents save their hard-earned dollars. These two community centers partnered with the United Way of King County EITC Campaign to offer tax preparation services in the computer lab. The program provides free quality tax preparation to low income working people, primarily those with household incomes less than $35,000 per year. Taxes are prepared by IRS-trained and certified volunteers, and filed electronically for a rapid refund. The program also helps people maximize their incomes by promoting use of all available tax credits, by providing access to public benefits and by connecting people with opportunities to save and build assets.
Offering this service in the community center lab was a huge success. This year, Rainier Beach residents filed 546 income tax returns from the lab, generating $910,000 in tax refunds. This was double the amount filed at the site last year. "Maintaining continuity in our lab programming has been key," says Rainier Beach CTC coordinator, Young Pham. "One of the main reasons we had such an improvement over last year was word of mouth. Everyone just told their friends and family about it. The community has expressed a great need for the tax service, and I’m glad we are providing this opportunity for them," he said. At Yesler Community Center, there were 289 returns filed, providing almost $400,000 in refunds with over $150,000 in earned income tax credits and over $90,000 in child tax credits.
The United Way is planning to run this successful program again next year. More information on the United Way EITC Campaign is available here. For more information on the Yesler and Rainier Beach CTC, go here.
online eitc resources
NPower Seattle is also helping community programs and residents get access to federal tax refunds, includng the earned income tax credit. NPower started a program this year to train organizations to find and help residents use online resources and tax filing sites. For more info see their EITC links.
Hundreds of employees of T-Mobile spent June 27 in and around the Miller Community Center painting, cleaning and creating a new teen space for the launch of T-Mobile’s Huddle-Up program. Johan Petro of the Seattle Supersonics also joined in the action. T-Mobile donated two new computers, furnishings, a sound system and even a refrigerator to Miller’s programs. The new computers will be used in conjunction with the Seattle Parks’ RecTech Coalition after school programs. Seattle was one of eight sites benefiting from T-Mobile’s new national community outreach program that connects kids in high-need, urban communities to positive people, places, and programs. This effort fits right in with the community centers’ TechNet afterschool program. T-Mobile’s initiative is in partnership with City Year and the Afterschool Alliance. Since Seattle is T-Mobile’s home ground, the community centers’ TechNet after-school computer learning programs will provide an ongoing opportunity to link youth with T-Mobile employees’ time and energy. t-mobile huddle-up at miller
meet our advisors
 Shivani Tejuja |
 Jerry Lin |
 Leah Altaras |
It’s a mouthful, but the Citizens Telecommunications and Technology Advisory Board, or CTTAB, serves an important role providing valuable advice to the Mayor, City Council, and Department of Information Technology. Here are profiles of three volunteer members that were appointed this year. For more info go here.
Shivani Tejuja
CTTAB enables Shivani to combine her interests in technology and public service. She also volunteers with SeattleWorks. Professionally, Shivani held a position as a Program Manager for Microsoft Corporation and transitioned that experience into a similarly challenging role with Starbucks Corporation. In her spare time she enjoys dancing, playing tennis, hiking and traveling. Shivani is chair of CTTAB’s Youth Participation Project committee.
Jerry Lin
Jerry has lived in Seattle for about five years, working for the Windows Mobile team at Microsoft. Specifically, he programs for mobile messaging, bringing SMS and email to cell phones. According to Jerry, "I've been blessed to have had easy access to technology that re-shapes my personal life, as well as my interaction with the City and world. As such, I am interested in issues of citizens' access, and in how Seattle adapts to new ways by which people get involved and
organizes." Jerry is chairing CTTAB’s Emerging Technologies committee.
Leah Altaras
Leah Altaras is finishing her third year at UW School of Law and works as an intern at the King County Prosecutors' Office in the Fraud Division. She is a member, author, and topics editor for the University of Washington's Shidler Journal of Law, Commerce, and Technology. Additionally, she holds two BAs from UW in Journalism and American Ethnic Studies. Leah is a member of the Community Technology committee of CTTAB.
d.o.l.l.a.r.s
Medina Foundation
Deadline: Ongoing
Provides funds for emergency and critical human services, job training for the under-employed, pre-school to 12th grade educational opportunities, substance abuse prevention and treatment programs, assistance programs for those suffering from the effects of domestic violence and services for those with disabilities.
Pay It Forward Mini-Grants for Service Projects
Deadline: October 15
Funds one-time-only service-oriented projects identified by youth as activities they would like to perform to benefit their school, neighborhood, or greater community. Projects must contain a 'pay it forward' focus; that is, they must be based on the concept of one
person doing a favor for others, who in turn do favors for others, with the results growing exponentially.
Windermere Foundation
Deadline: Ongoing
Funds programs that help homeless and low income families. Non-profit agencies receiving support have furnished emergency and transitional housing, have subsidized costs for services such as health care, employment counseling, placement and training, day care, scholarships and much more.
City of Seattle Neighborhoods Small and Simple Fund
Deadline: October 2
Funds a broad array of neighborhood-initiated improvements, organizing or planning projects
Puget Sound Energy Corporate Giving Program
Deadline: Ongoing
Supports a wide range of community-based programs and projects. Of special priority are those programs that promote responsible economic development and environmental stewardship.
archives
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