computer skills training
Volunteer Coordinator and Program Developer
Organization:
The Wilderness Technology Alliance VISTA Name:
Arthur Meadows
Program Start:
7/2009
Project Description:
The VISTA will be training volunteers to refurbish computers, set up networks, and do web design. The VISTA will also manage and coordinate volunteers to keep up the office. Lastly they will recruit, train and lead a team of volunteers to acquire low-income/non-profit recipients of programs, products and services.
1. Identify and secure expanded space for operations
2. Increase the ability of the WTA to provide workforce training in technology for shelter residents
3. Recruit and train volunteers to staff existing major program activities.
4. Develop new areas of possible endeavors (electronic commerce, computer recycling, technology thrift store)
Project Outcome:
Art did an excellent job and was a wonderful representation of the WTA.
Art secured the use of the old A&E building for use by the WTA, a 6000 SF building with room for offices, classroom, meeting room and computer lab. All at no cost to the WTA.
Art worked with the WTA president to make our center a Cisco certified training center, a COMPTIA training center and obtained free COMPTIA certification exams for shelter residents.
Art assisted in securing major donations from GSA, AARP and DHS - about 250 computers and monitors in all and encouraged a 15 volunteers to give their time with the center.
Art also visited a major recycler and secured their support with a computer recycling program with the WTA.
Youth Media Coordinator
Organization:
Boston Neighborhood Network VISTA Name:
Julie Bohnlein
Program Start:
1/2007
Project Description:
Julie will be working with youth to build a youth-lead media production club. Her role will be to help the youth members to establish a program structure, volunteer mentoring and instructional, and production guidelines for youth lead video projects. She will be working closely on these activities with our Multimedia Coordinator. Part of the position requires that she assist in the development of new media/technology curriculum based on past participant evaluations. A major goal is to increase youth participation and leadership to the point that the club is able to produce a once a week program made by teens for cablecast on our channels.
- Assist in further development of BNN’s youth media arts and technology services and training, including assessment, curriculum development and coordination of instructional offerings.
- Outreach to Boston teens, especially at-risk youth, to recruit interest in media-making at BNN. Work with other youth-serving organizations, develop promotional materials (print and video), survey past participants, and assist with planning improvements.
- Develop youth media club to provide regular opportunity for sustainable involvement of youth participants beyond duration of workshops.
- Help identify potential funding sources for club, mentors and training scholarships
- Provide individual assistance to youth and other BNN members as they develop the technical and creative skills necessary to assume leadership roles within the program
- Collaborate with and support youth-based initiatives with community partners and organizations
Program Development
Organization:
The Wilderness Technology Alliance VISTA Name:
Nathan Alden
Program Start:
6/2006
Project Description:
Provide youth and low-Income community members with professional technology job experience by operating a real high-tech company.
- Recruit, train and support service-learning participants
- Facilitate students and volunteers to: refurbish and place computers with training to low-income adults, repair computers, provide network services, design web sites for non-profit organizations, generate eCommerce transactions, host a community technology access lab, and provide a community technology help desk.
CTC Volunteer Coordinator
Organization:
Pillsbury United Communities VISTA Name:
Jennifer Drewyor
Project Description:
Jenny will assist Waite House to staff its CTC by building capacity. Develop a a technology task committee for the Phillips Neighborhood. She will also be in charge of coordinating Waite House Community Technology Center and all the activities that related to the program.
Volunteer Recruitment, curriculum development, creation of a neighborhood CTC task force, training of youth and adult workers in technology.
CTC Program Building
Organization:
Operation P.E.A.C.E. Boston VISTA Name:
Colette Mahoney
Program Start:
8/2002
Project Description:
Goals include rolling out a computer skills training program, designing a plan to utilize computers to improve the literacy of students attending our after school program, doing the same with an English as a second language program, and working on community outreach partnership building to raise awareness of our programs so as to attract community and corporate support.
Tutor and Event Documentarian
Organization:
Lowell Telecommunications Corporation VISTA Name:
Thomas Konieczny
Program Start:
7/2008
Program End:
7/2009
Project Description:
Thomas’ current duties consist of tutoring and mentoring individuals who are involved in various youth and community projects and organizations, and technical support for LTC’s various media and infrastructure upgrading projects.
Project Outcome:
He is good at working one-on-one with individuals and as a utility person on video projects. For example he helped set up and break down the mobile TV rig at a recent Lowell Symphony concert and at this summer’s Lowell African Festival. In between setting up and breaking down he participated as a camera man. He also has video editing skills and has completely edited a few TV shows highlighting community organizations, eg., a half hour show on (The Merrimack River) Clean River Project.
Tom has played a vital role in the LTC’s media work in a number of Lowell’s festivals such as the Lowell Folk Festival, the Lowell African Festival, the Southeast Asian Water Festival. He has worked as a youth project mentor with the River Ambassador Project, the Light of Cambodian Children project, Lowell Catholic High School’s media project, the UMass Lowell GEAR-UP summer project, the United Teen Equality Project and others. He has helps with one-on-one tutoring of new producers involved in two or three religious organization’s TV shows. He has helped out in our vast infrastructure upgrading program as well.
Marketing and Design
Organization:
Phillips Community Television/Intermedia Arts VISTA Name:
Derek Maxwell
Program Start:
1/2007
Program End:
1/2008
Project Description:
The VISTA member provided and assited with an array of services and programs, including direct training to youth participants, development of training manuals and materials, website design and development, community outreach and recruitment, development of program materials including brochures, posters, and mailers, as well as other administrative duties.
Project Outcome:
Our VISTA member compiled a catalogue of past and present programs and descriptions, helped move our website to a new design based on open source Drupal software, helped set up web hosting with other non-profits, developed training manuals and materials, and taught a graphic design course to youth, which we had never done before here at PCTV.
CTC Volunteer Coordinator
VISTA Name:
Julia Smith
Program Start:
1/2007
Program End:
1/2008
Project Description:
The CTC/VISTA member’s duties centered around four main concerns of MCL’s CTLC: Coordination of volunteers and students, developing resources and documenting progress, and assisting with public relations and awareness.
Her coordination duties included: recruiting and screening of potential tech tutors and students for the CTC at MCL; matching tutors with students seeking 1:1 help and scheduling small group computer instruction; and overseeing instruction – checking with tutors and students to ensure all was progressing well and giving support where needed.
Development of resources included: creating and implementing a quality training process for tech tutors, implementing assessment tools to measure student’s progress; collecting and organizing curriculum and activity ideas for use in the CTC; and researching instruction options for special needs populations such as the disabled, limited English proficient, and low-literate adults.
The documentation of progress included developing and implementing systems to collect student and volunteer data, and collecting and reporting data to the CTLC Project Manager. The VISTA member was also asked to assist with the planning and execution of public relation activities, research best practices at similar CTLCs, research funding opportunities, and serve as a member of MCL’s Technology Committee.
Project Outcome:
The VISTA member developed a system for registering & assessing potential students, and implemented an already existing system for screening and orienting volunteer tech tutors. She successfully scheduled, oversaw, and supported small group computer instruction throughout her year of service (65 students enrolled in various small groups), and also weekly managed drop-in labs for all students. She successfully recruited qualified & dedicated volunteer tech tutors. She screened, oriented and supported those tutors and organized regular roundtable and recognition events for them. She began collecting and organizing curriculum and activity ideas for use in the CTC and developed a syllabus and curriculum for limited English proficient, immigrant students. She completed a draft of MCL’s CTC Operation Manual. She collected and reported volunteer and student data. As part of our public relations efforts, she developed contacts in the community with the local radio station, local cable company, Senior Center, and Employment Security Office (Work Source).
Working with our Americorps member, the VISTA member produced a useful novice level curriculum for ESL students. This will enable our limited English proficient immigrant students to begin learning computer skills as they are learning English.
CTC Outreach and Training
Organization:
Chicago Housing Authority/DSSA Management, Inc. VISTA Name:
Thomas Johnson
Program Start:
2/2001
Program End:
2/2002
Project Description:
The mission of DSSA’s Computer Learning Center is to connect the disconnected.
The role of each VISTA member is to move the computer learning center he or she manages toward a sustainable program that relies on volunteer resources in the community. The first step to a self-sustaining CLC is making the connection between our CLC and the neighbors of our CHA senior-disabled building. Historically, DSSA’s CLCs have been labor-intensive centers. The VISTA member will examine the success of other CLCs which are more self-sustaining and dependent on volunteer labor. The goal will be to move our CLC in the direction of sustainability.
1. Each member will use the designated space to create an inviting atmosphere for the CLC where residents and neighbors feel welcomed. Market the CLCL so that every resident of the CHA building visits at least once.
2. Outreach: Conduct presentations for community groups about our CLC.
3. Work with local schools to develop an afterschool program for the children who want to use the CLC
4. Develop a steering committee that meets monthly to establish goals and remove barriers related to participation in the CLC
5. Turn your CHA building’s CLC into a community center for the neighborhood. Expand programming beyond the simple use of computers to multi-media educational and one-shot activities.
CTC Assistance and Training
Organization:
Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción (IBA) VISTA Name:
Alison Hale
Program Start:
8/2001
Program End:
11/2002
Project Description:
The goal of this roject is to provide technology and technology related services to low-income families so they obtain better educational opportunities and higher paying jobs. Specific outcomes include:
- Increasing the amount of basic and advanced and basic technology classes being offered at the El Batey Community Technology Center
- Enhancing services provided to teenagers and youth
- Wiring the first 400 housing units in Villa Victoria with Internet access via cable modem
- Providing these families with a computer and printer
- Creating the Wide Area Network
To this end, the VISTA member will act as Program Coordinator and will work as a team with tech center staff to
- Develop and coordinate training programs
- Research and apply appropriate curricula
- Ensure the efficient operation of the CTC by preparing and publishing monthly activity schedules, coordinating volunteers and trainers, providing trainer orientation, scheduling maintenance and repairs, coordinating technology upgrades and program expansion.
- Supervise activities hosted at the center
- Ensure that computers and other technologies operate smoothly, that upgrades are performed, that anti-virus and other security systems are implemented, and that machines are respected by the program participants and end-users
- Enforce Technology Center rules and policies
- Help network the community
Project Outcome:
Alison began to organize a youth web magazine: assembled a group of teenage editors to run the magazine, began their training, secured the support of various branches of the organization and began to build partnerships with other organizations who could provide training or other services.