Transmission Project

Marcia worked during the year to reorganize the task force/coordinating board of the Parsells and Denver Computer Technology Center. She also coordinated with the Academy for Career Development, which provided computer software, support, and long-distance learning classes for neighborhood adults in basic computer skills. Marcia took several classes herself through the Academy to upgrade her skills and improve her ability to find volunteers for the center. Marcia worked throughout the year with neighborhood groups developing a website based on the needs of these groups, preparing a listserv for the community group, and working to improve communication among various committees and services in the community. Marcia attended meetings of the Youth/Adult Partnership grant, a capacity-building youth-serving grant from NY State, which worked to bring neighborhood groups together and work on youth-chosen activities. Marcia recruited, trained, scheduled, monitored, and evaluated volunteers for the CTC lab. Marcia worked with church members and other volunteers to maintain and expand outreach services to neighborhood youth and adults. Marcia worked on One Voice/One Vision.

Marcia worked with the local neighborhood organization, the Beechwood Organization, to set up a website and improve communication between individuals in the organization and members of the community. She sought input from various parts of the neighborhood and communicated effectively with the web designer and the president of the organization. She was always positive and friendly to the youth who attended the CTC lab. She was also encouraging to volunteers and supporters.

When James first joined Boat People S.O.S. (BPSOS) as an AmeriCorps*VISTA Member he was assigned multiple tasks as set forth in his AmeriCorps*VISTA Member Assignment Description. He was able to successfully complete the objectives of Goal 1 for Quarter 1. However, he was not able to complete Objective 2a, to implement an ESL class at the House for Senior Citizens at the Lockwood/Elmwood in Arlington, Virginia for two reasons. First, the occupants did not feel the ESL class was necessary (they were only interested in learning about the Internet and computers). Second, James was not able to recruit a volunteer to teach the class. He did successfully complete Objectives 2b and 2c.

For Quarter 3, James assisted a BPSOS staff in setting up new program for Victims of Trafficking. He worked on this program for approximately one month and then he assisted another staff member with the Tax Assistance for Vietnamese Immigrants with Low Income (TAVILLI) program. From January 1 through April 23, he organized tax preparation sessions 3 days a week, 2 hours each session. He recruited volunteers and established a database containing names of volunteers that may help with future tax clinics. He went out in the Vietnamese community and distributed 800 flyers advertising free tax preparation. He enrolled 300 individuals for tax preparation, and kept a database of those individuals. When he enrolled the individuals for tax preparation, he gave out a needs assessment/opinion survey for them to complete. This survey informed individuals about programs available at BPSOS (computer, ESL and etc…).

Unfortunately, he was unable to complete the objectives as stated in Quarter 4 before the end of his one-year service because the first issue of BPSOS Mach Song was not published until July 2002. However, he did update BPSOS newsletter database. This database contains names of past and current BPSOS clients as well as others who want to receive the newsletter in the mail. Articles written in the newsletter highlight human-interest stories as well as provide information of services available to individuals.

As VISTA Leader, Dan
• Helped coordinate CTC VISTA PSO held in Boston August 30-Sept. 1;
• Developed a plan for VISTA Leaders and the Resource Specialist to facilitate monthly regional group conference calls and individual check-in calls with CTC VISTAs serving outside of the Boston area, replicating the MA CTC VISTA monthly in-person meeting, and implemented for his assigned groups in the Midwest and South;
• Redeveloped quarterly CTC VISTA News, the Project’s newsletter for the VISTAs, edited and published in the fall and winter;
• Participated in monthly MA CTC VISTA meetings;
• Provided feedback on various Project office communications and support systems: CTC VISTA Project web site relaunch, CTC VISTA Project blog and individual CTC VISTA Project blogs, Fall “care package” to VISTAs, various memos and resource sharing via email lists.

Notable challenges include: Making sure as many VISTAs, if not all, participate in the check-in calls and blogs, and dealing with VISTAs having particular difficulties at their site and/or in their lives, requiring a lot of time, patience, and tact.

As Assistant Editor, Community Technology Review,
• Developed new features for the journal, including expanded Resources section and Perspective endpiece column with guest writers.
• Did outreach for writers and resource contributors for Winter 2004-05 issue.
• Coordinated and helped edit Winter issue, sections and individual articles.
• Produced web site version of the Winter issue.
• Developed editorial plan for Spring 2005 issue.
• Developing ideas for redesigning web site, and developing advertising opportunities.

As Associate Producer, Commonwealth Broadband Collaborative
• Participated in planning meetings and discussions for future of CBC.
• Developed relationship with The September Project, a community remembrance and civil liberties awareness project focused on September 11 event.

Peter oversaw and directly implemented numerous aspects of the “DigitalBicycle” project, primarily focusing on developing a Drupal-based centralized web community that leverages the power of the distributed network but provides for efficient and usable group collaboration. This included planning the framework and workflow of the site, the setup and administration of the server, development and implementation of the code that powers the system, and preparation for the future expansion of the project as it moves from a beta project to having a working user base. In addition to developing the core web system, Peter worked with outside volunteers to develop the specification for a desktop publishing application called “Sprocket” and managed its development by outside programmers. Furthermore, Peter has spec’d out and begun development on a Linux-based client-side system, “KickStand”, which handles the automatic seeding and downloading of specified material and is designed to be used by participating organizations.

She is currently helping to organize, write, and format BNN’s quarterly newsletter, our most important piece of literature sent to our members. The newsletter introduces new equipment in our facilities, editing and production tips, and production class schedules. BNN has been unable to produce a newsletter since last winter, due to lack of staff and time, so Alli’s assistance in this is especially crucial. Once the newsletter is completed it will be mailed to approximately 500 members and BNN typically receives a positive response from a large number of recipients.

Another example of Alli’s reach to the community is BNN’s Neighborhood Network News Program Highlights which Alli has been in charge of for the past six months. The Program Highlights require Alli to be in close contact to all of our producers and to contact various shows on a weekly basis. The Highlights also require her to send out a bulk mailing each month encouraging producers to contact her and let her know about their show, so that BNN can assist them in reaching as many people in the community as possible.

Not only is Alli reaching out to community members, but during the next six months a lot of her attention will go to reaching out to community organizations. BNN provides non-profit organizations in the Greater Boston area a chance to produce a PSA highlighting their organization’s cause. Alli will be responsible for the production and editing of these PSA’s, and she will assist BNN’s Education/Outreach department in contacting the organizations through phone calls, mailings and most importantly a “Get Your Message Out” seminar.

Over the last six months Alli has been a vital part in increasing BNN’s reach to the Boston community. She has kept daily communication with many of our producers and the productions that she has assisted on have gotten her out into the community and aided BNN in delivering community messages.

1. RTPnet
• Helped increase sponsorship for the RTPnet Conference to $2,500.
• Planned and executed RTPnet Conference for about 100 nonprofit and IT professionals.
• Promoted RTPnet, TechLinkUp and the RTPnet Conference at the N-TEN Nonprofit Technology Conference and the CTCnet Conference.
• Created a detailed how-to manual to plan next year’s conference.
• Helped shape discussion for 2006 conference in Winston-Salem or Greensboro area.
• Helped shape new RTPnet web site and Judy Hallman’s article for Community Technology Review.

2. Triangle United Way
• Helped plan and volunteered at Triangle United Way’s Agency Communications Committee workshop, “Getting Wired for Success.”
• Helped recruit speakers for the TUW workshop, including two speakers from the RTPnet Conference.
• Helped plan the events and agenda for TUW’s Internal Campaign and created the PowerPoint presentation for the Kick-Off event.
• Research grant opportunity and potential partners for an MLK Service Day sponsored by TUW.
• Volunteered for TUW’s Annual Meeting and Campaign Kick-Off event.

3. TechCoop and 501 Tech Club
• Planned and executed 501 Tech Club meeting with the most number of attendees.
• Increased membership on the club’s email list by promoting the 501 Tech Club to partners and contacts I’ve made through RTPnet.
• Planned a TechCoop to lead a discussion on a strategic plan for the future of 501 Tech Club meetings.

The first focus for the site was to capture the history of World War II veterans because they are subject of a great deal of local interest and are quickly passing away. TINCAN is a contributing member of the Library of Congress Veterans’ History project. Nora’s accomplishments on the veteran’s aspect of the project include:

• Collecting, transcribing, and uploading (with volunteer assistance) 25 WWII veterans’ and civilians’ oral histories. Several WWI veterans have been identified as well.
• Scanning hundreds of photos from WWII, often from veterans’ scrapbooks, and photographing memorabilia, including medals and souvenirs brought back from the various locations in which the veterans were stationed.
• Reorganizing the handful of veteran’s histories and photos that were online, which included creating consistent archiving processes for the materials, correcting annotations, and in some cases, re-contacting the veteran or civilian to check data.
• Developing a cadre of 30 volunteers, primarily from Gonzaga University, to carry out interviews and scan photos.
• Putting on events to bring attention to veterans’ history. Perhaps the most memorable was a gathering on Veteran’s Day at a neighborhood coffee house, where veterans of all wars were invited to come, bring materials to be scanned, and make appointments for oral histories. The café owner loaned the back room to set up computers and scanners, and a local grocery store provided a large cake decorated like an American flag.

The next focus of the project was to engage local historical organizations in uploading historical materials to the Memories site. Nora’s accomplishments to date are:

• Identifying local museums and historical associations in the Inland Northwest. Four organizations are now actively working with the project.
• Working with the Valley Museum, a small community museum, that is planning to upload documents and photographs to the site. Working with a local school, they will develop an exhibit on the founders of the Valley community, and upload the materials to the site as well as having an exhibit.
• Working with the Hillyard Museum, which does not yet have a physical location, to explore putting materials online as a means of raising interest in the development of their neighborhood museum.
• Working with the local Railroad Society to consider putting their extensive collection of materials online. We will also look for a means of collecting railroad-related oral histories, since the railroads were pivotal in Spokane’s settlement and development.
• Scanning and documenting materials for the Masonic Temple, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.
• Helping to develop a rationale for organizations to put their materials online. For example, since every item in the Memories archive contains the URL of the contributing organization (if available), viewers of online materials may select the contributor’s web site for further information, and perhaps donations.
• Beginning to develop formal training materials for volunteers to put materials online. Formal training procedures for uploading and using the archiving tool will greatly streamline the process, and take the burden off staff trying to develop a full and interesting site. The project also has goals that include working with K-12 schools and TINCAN’s other projects to make use of the Memories site. Accomplishments to date include:
• Assisting teachers who took prior oral history workshops in uploading student interviews and other veteran’s memorabilia.
• Developing a project with a local K-8 school to work with the Valley museum on an exhibit.
• Planning a summer teacher workshop for summer 2005.
• Developing a proposal with the Garland neighborhood to engage at risk teens in TINCAN’s Virtual Online Teen Center in a project that will use oral histories to create the basis for business district murals and a video project.

• Built a good rapport with CTC users. Cat has developed a good relationship with many of the CTC users. The users are not afraid to ask her for assistance and she has many community members coming to her on a regular basis.

• Contacted representatives from each county in WA for information to put on new LIHI website. Cat sent an e-mail to people from each county seeking community information to add to a community resource/predatory lending website. She also compiled information for many of the counties through her own research.

• Coordinated the scheduling of Volunteer Monitors. Cat has been working with our volunteer monitors to ensure proper coverage to maintain the hours the lab is available for the community.

• Prepared CTC for Senior Training Seniors Classes. Cat has ensured that computers are running and that the lab is set up for the seniors training seniors’ classes. This had not been being done satisfactorily in the past, Cat has done an excellent job of ensuring that it now is and has received many compliments from the volunteer teachers.

• Posted rules and calendar of lab hours. Cat has developed a calendar to post for lab hours. She has also met with the volunteer monitors to establish rules for the lab. She is currently working with the monitors to ensure the rules are being followed.

Mike Denegal has provided technical assistance to the Family Learning Opportunity Centers (FLOCs) and he’s well respected for his professional technical advice for the organization. The FLOCs began with limited resources, equipment, and program structure. We are glad that Mike has assisted the Community Development Division in growing its resources, researching viable technology funding options, and establishing a line of communication among staff through the message board. Mike displays a high level of enthusiasm for growing the resources and establishing partnerships for SDCTC. He has made sure that both OTS and SDCTC stay abreast on technological trends, resources, policies, and innovations.

As an Americorps VISTA member, Clarice was an integral part of preparing for the school district’s “back to school registration drive,” at which time, parents and students attend school orientations and register for classes. Through OTX we serve a school district population comprised of 48,000 students and 104 school sites. For the purpose of the home computer component of OTX-West’s computer reuse program, Clarice assisted in the coordination of this effort to reach 41 middle school and high school sites. Her work included creating and organizing information packets, scheduling meetings with school sites and staffing orientations. Due to the extensive outreach effort, we were able to serve 800 middle school and high school students last Fall.

MAFEI currently has six interns representing the traditional high schools in the District, two of whom have returned from the previous year. As an Americorps member, Clarice serves as a liaison with OTX interns, coordinating work schedules and advising them appropriately regarding work responsibilities.