Transmission Project

The AmeriCorps Community Technology Empowerment Project (CTEP) bridges the “digital divide” for recent immigrants and low-income communities in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. AmeriCorps members help youth and adults use technology to better access social, civic, educational and economic opportunities.

The primary goal of this project is to help partner agencies utilize their existing community technology resources to better serve the needs of both youth and adults within their local neighborhoods, especially new immigrant, low-income residents and persons with disabilities.

A secondary goal is teach agency staff, volunteers and visitors how to use new technologies (including digital video and web) in order to help their constituents connect with existing civic, social service and community resources.

Additionally, all AmeriCorps CTEP members are required to mobilize volunteers at their host sites, participate in member development activities, and learn about civic engagement during their service year.

The Children’s Partnership (TCP) is a national, nonprofit child advocacy organization working to ensure that all children – especially those at risk of being left behind – have the resources and the opportunities they need to grow up healthy and to lead productive lives.

We focus particular attention on the goals of securing health coverage for uninsured children and ensuring that the opportunities of digital technology benefit all children and families. With input from our advisors, we advance our goals by combining national research with community-based activities. We then develop policy and advocacy agendas to expand these demonstrated solutions to underserved communities around the country.

In this way, TCP serves as a “research and development arm” for the children’s movement and expands the reach of child advocacy to new issues and new audiences.

Mission: To empower under-resourced communities through the tools of technology.

Technology For All (TFA) focuses most of its programs on the support and encouragement of community technology centers (CTCs) across the greater Houston area. In collaboration with the Mision Milby CDC (MMCDC), TFA operates its own CTC and together TFA and MMCDC develop and test programs that can be replicated in other CTCs. TFA is also focused on creating social enterprises that use technology as a tool to solve community problems. As an example, under the umbrella of “TFA-Services,” TFA is developing projects like TFA-Wierless, which is creating new oppertunites for low income communities to reach the internet.

At People’s Production House we are fulfilling the promise of citizen and community journalism by closing the gap in skills and access.

We believe a diverse, ethical, and independent media is an essential element of social change and we believe that historically excluded communities must be protagonists in media democracy. Our work combines media creation, media policy education and media organizing to preserve and expand the free press so central to America’s identity and democracy.

PPH is run and staffed by journalists and community organizers from historically excluded communities. Our projects are unique as we bring together two of the best American traditions: community organizing and independent media creation, to build a community of media organizers: media literate youth and workers who can create and demand a media that functions in their interests.

Founded in February 2000, the Neighborhood Technology Resource Center’s mission is to create public spaces where technology can be experienced and serve as a catalyst for individual and community capacity development. The NTRC accomplishes this mission by creating programs in collaboration with residents that are practical, relevant and contribute to their digital proficiency. Our long term vision is that local citizens, community organizations, churches and businesses will have access to and the necessary knowledge of digital technologies and its benefits for the purpose of individual and community development.

Our programmatic focus has been to use digital technology to: (a) increase literacy and educational competency among youth, adults and organizations; (b) enhance training, employment goals and outcomes for long-term career development; and (c) strengthen organizational infrastructure to facilitate growth and development.

The Neighborhood Technology Resource Center (NTRC) has three locations in Chicago’s North Lawndale, West Town and Grand Boulevard communities. At NTRC North Lawndale we have 20 computer workstations with T1 Internet access. Located in the Northwest Tower Apartments, NTRC West Town has twelve computer workstations connected to the Internet through a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), while NTRC Grand Boulevard hosts over 45 computers for public use.

The Marcus A. Foster Educational Institute (MAFEI) Oakland Technology Exchange West project (OTX-W) is a large-scale computer reuse program dedicated to providing high quality, refurbished home computers to families, students and teachers. As reflected in the scope of work and subsequent MOU agreement, MAFEI continues to meet the following objectives for FY 2004-05.

OTX-West is dedicated to eliminating the digital divide in Oakland, California. We do this by refurbishing surplus computers, educating families and providing ongoing access and support to those who have received our computers. The experiences of OTX-West over the past 6 years has demonstrated both the need for home computers in the community and the reuse model as a green way to meet the need.

In today’s world, everyone needs access to computers and the Internet in order to join the new economy. Access to education, health care, government agencies, jobs, and other services are all currently offered through the Internet. This need has many adults feeling like they are too old to learn the tools of the “information age.” This way of thinking, along with the lack of resources in the communities, contributes to the “digital divide” that exits in Oakland.

It is not enough to provide computers, although this is essential. OTX-West provides education that is necessary for those who are getting their computers for the first time. Technical support is also necessary to keep these computers working properly so that the people of Oakland can continue to learn and become a part of the “information age” and not be left behind.