Transmission Project

Recommendation 12 of the Knight Commission on the Information needs of Communities in a Democracy lays out the framework for a “Geek Corps” along the same lines as our Digital Arts Service Corps.

Recommendation 12: Engage young people in developing the digital information and communication capacities of local communities.

Media habits of Americans vary greatly with age. Younger Americans, especially if relatively well-off, tend to integrate advanced information and communication technologies into their daily lives in ways that seem largely alien to their elders. To be an innovator in the social uses of digital media, it helps to have had early and lifelong experience. At the same time, many technologically savvy young
people have little connection to the ideas and challenges of local democracy. This uneven distribution of knowledge across the generations actually creates a unique opportunity.

Imagine a “Geek Corps for Local Democracy” where, as a post-college opportunity, American youth volunteer to help connect a physical community to the networked infrastructure. They would be assigned to diverse communities to help local government officials, librarians, police, teachers, and other community leaders leverage networked technology. Geek Corps participants would teach community members how to use technology. They would help local leaders to understand technological shifts and how they can leverage new technologies for community practices. Participants from all the communities involved would be connected into a national network of participants to share best practices, develop collectively usable code, and build a network of information systems for local democracy.

Programs are already underway in which high school students volunteer to help with technology efforts. But the local nature of such initiatives means that there is little coordination among communities. A Geek Corps would weave together the local and the national through networks of passionate youth. Ideally, such a program would have the same stature as the Peace Corps or AmeriCorps, such that participants would be welcome into jobs with open arms. Yet, the real benefit for most youth would be a deep understanding of how different communities work and how democracy plays out at the local level. Those who invited Geek Corps participants to their community should relish the opportunity to help these youth understand local democracy and governance. The result is cross-generational civic education.

Geek Corps participants would need to have varying types of technological skills. The pay would not be overly generous. The unique quality of the opportunity would make up for the low level of income in the short-term. There would need to be a process for assessment to assure that local needs were met. A national staff could help coordinate local participants and provide a technological backbone to the project.

To work, this program will need support at both the local and national levels. It would make most sense for communities to fund a portion of the costs and for their contributions to be matched either by foundations, corporations, or the federal government. Local communities would also have to provide a structure for the Geek Corps participants to engage with the relevant community players.

To highlight the differences in our program and this recommendation: the focus of our program is upon community impact, rather than professional development (that’s just a beneficial side-effect). We try to engage individuals of all ages, backgrounds, education levels, and expertise (sometimes another geek isn’t the capacity that’s called for). Lastly, push back against the low wages: recommend nothing less than a living wage; it may not possible in the current environment but this work should not be undervalued.