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Youth Success what's hotsupport digital
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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 |
Youth gain confidence and skills through computer learning.
success for youth learners
Thirteen at-risk young people have had a taste of success and discovered promising career paths after 14 weeks volunteering at InterConnection, a non-profit computer reuse and learning center. The program is a partnership between Digital Bridge Technical Academy, part of the King County Work Training Program and Interconnection.
“When I first came here, I didn’t know anything about computers. But now, two months later, I am building my own computer,” said 16-year-old James. “I know the different components and parts, upgrades and add-ons.”
For many young people who lack job skills and face multiple barriers to success, Digital Bridge has acted as a support system that has helped them avoid falling through the cracks. It has also changed their outlook on life. The at-risk and homeless youth were referred from Youth Care, a 2007 Tech Matching Fund recipient, and the Learning Center North.
“I’ve not only learned tech skills but people skills too, working with people who aren’t condescending. You can ask them anything,” said James, who plans to study business at Shoreline Community College. By completing the program, James has already earned 12 IT credits at the school.
“We have seen a marked increase in the confidence and ability our youth participants demonstrate,” said Bill Wells, program manager of Digital Bridge. “At the beginning of the summer the 13 students seemed to have a more limited view of themselves and their capabilities. Few had specific knowledge of computer technology and would have been intimidated by the inner workings of a PC. Now, these same young people have logged 350 hours of service learning, building and refurbishing 410 computers.”
Two-thirds of the students are now moving into the next phase of the program: a paid internship in the IT department of a corporate partner. Eight students will soon start training as service technicians at NPower Seattle Service Corps.
The confidence the students have gained not only shows clearly in their technology performance, but also pervades other aspects of their lives. “Prior to the summer, the labels society had assigned--such as ‘drop-out’ and ‘at-risk’--were the primary labels these young people carried, they now have a new roadmap to success and the sign-posts along the road carry different messaging: ‘IT professional,’ ‘college student,’ and ‘corporate intern,’” said Wells.
For more information on Interconnection, contact Charles Brennick. For more information on the Digital Bridge Academy, go here.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced they will hold the last of six public hearings on Media Ownership Issues in Seattle. This hearing was will be held on November 9th, from 4-11 pm at Town Hall in Seattle. Commissioners Copps and Adelstein issued a statement of outrage at the FCC's short notice on the hearing. ReclaimTheMedia.org is following this closely and offering workshops on testifying. For more information see the FCC Nov. 2nd headlines and the FCC hearing page. The FCC, under Chairman Kevin Martin, wishes to loosen the rules on media ownership, with the result that there will be far fewer sources and viewpoints available in all media with more decision power in mega-media companies like Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. Four years ago, the FCC tried to do this, but Congress and the courts said 'no,' after great public outrage. Jobs, minority coverage and ownership, kids' programming, independent voices, music, art, community event coverage, and locally produced stories are all at stake in the decision. The Seattle City Council has come out against the FCC media consolidation efforts. We encourage people to attend and speak out. The Seattle Channel has won the most prestigious award in municipal television, "Excellence in Government Programming (Operating Budget over $500,000)." The award was made by the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA) at their annual awards ceremony in Portland, Oregon. This is the first time the Seattle Channel has won top honors. They also won other first place awards for the Local Music Show opening, "Supporting Housing - Supporting
Success," and election coverage programming. You can see these and other award winning programs here.
media diversity: next fcc
hearing slated for seattleseattlechannel wins top honors
The City of Seattle has approved a new franchise agreement with cable TV and Internet provider Millennium Digital Media, which serves much of the Central District, Beacon Hill, the International District and parts of downtown and Queen Anne. The new ten-year agreement will result in better service and a new lower-cost basic cable TV service for $19.95, plus an increase in cable discounts of $4.00 off for low-income senior and disabled subscribers. The new agreement also provides funds for our public access channel SCAN-TV, which will receive a production studio in the south end. The agreement requires Millenium to do a community assessment on program satisfaction every three years, and provides a fiber link to enable the SeattleChannel to broadcast live from Town Hall. For non-profits and community technology centers, the City will be allotted free broadband Internet service for 50 organizational sites. Millennium has recently announced a name change to "Broadstripe." cable franchise approved
fixing transportation
How would you fix transportation? Volunteers may be eligible to receive $60 for helping evaluate a new participatory web site on Puget Sound regional transportation planning. LetsImproveTransportation.org has been developed by researchers at the University of Washington. They are seeking residents of King, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties to take part learning about proposed transportation system improvements and working with other residents to determine which ones our region should support. For more info, contact Kevin Ramsey or call (206) 713-4977.
s.e.c.u.r.i.t.y
update: gmail flaw fixed
Last month, we reported that Google Gmail users should be aware of a flaw that allows attackers to steal messages. We were contacted by Google spokesperson who informed us that they had fixed the Gmail vulnerability."
"Google takes the security of our users' information very seriously. We worked quickly to address the recently reported vulnerability, and we rolled out a fix. We have not received any reports of this vulnerability being exploited."
More tips and alerts on Seattle’s information security page can be found here.
d.o.l.l.a.r.s
Assistive Technology Fund
Deadline: December 31
Provides funds to cover 50 percent of the retail price of adaptive devices or software. The program allows blind and visually impaired individuals access to technology products that will have a significant impact on improving employment opportunities, increase the level of independence, and enhance their overall quality of life.
Adobe Action Grant
Deadline: December 31
Provides one-time cash-only grants for general operating and program support through a competitive, quarterly online application process. Grant amounts range from $5,000-$20,000, and are for one year only.
Verizon Training Grant
Deadline: Ongoing
Covers the cost of an eTour class, an eLearning training, or both. The classes cover topics of immediate and longer-term interest to nonprofit-sector practitioners.
l.i.n.k.a.g.e
cool charity sites
At DonorsChoose.org, teachers can post proposals for student experiences or materials that need funding. These become reality when donors, whom they call Citizen Philanthropists, choose projects to fund.
CharityNavigator.org is a major stop for charity ratings. They evaluate how much goes to programs and financial health, and how well the charities do at keeping donors' names off mailing lists.
Guide Star
The leading source of information on US nonprofits. A searchable database of more than 1.7 million IRS-recognized nonprofit organizations. Register your nonprofit here.
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