May 2005 Newsletter
1. From the Executive Director
2. Annual Community Technology Conference
3. CTCudos
4. Quarterly Profile
5. From the Members' Listserv
6. Welcome New Members!
7. Upcoming Events
From the Executive Director
Dear Members,
As summer approaches, we’re preparing for CTCNet’s annual conference. Working closely with a fantastic Ohio host committee, OCCN, Digital Vision and numerous presenters from the field, we hope to bring our theme of “Making Connections, Strengthening Communities” to life.
Those of you that are CTCNet Members should plan to attend CTCNet’s 2005 Annual Meeting. This important meeting is our one opportunity to connect in-person as a network and gather feedback from you on the future directions of CTCNet. Our success depends on your presence and involvement so we hope you’ll make this Saturday afternoon meeting.
Speaking of events, in May I represented CTCNet at two convenings and was able to spend time with some of our strongest partners and lead CTC practitioners. The first was the National Conference on Media Reform, a convening that highlighted critical issues related to traditional forms of media, the incorporation of ever expanding media formats (particularly technology-based) and the drastically changed environment within which public information is shared and the public’s voice is heard. The second was the California Community Technology Summit, an event put on by the ZFellows Policy Team, sponsored by the CT Foundation of CA. This group of CT Leaders put together this event to highlight ongoing digital disparities that continue to exist and what steps CA can take to build a roadmap for technology healthy communities. This important event has been
Community technology and media centers are in a primary position to serve as public locations through which community members can create content and share their voice. Through our members, CTC practitioners and CTC
Stay tuned to CTCNet through our national list to hear more about efforts to ensure that our information technology access and rights continue to be available, affordable, and accessible to ALL.
Kavita Singh
Executive Director
Annual Community Technology Conference
http://www.ctcnet.org/conf/2005
The 14th Annual Community Technology Conference is the largest national gathering of community technology practitioners, representing community based efforts, regional collaborations, and strategic alliances-- all meeting the needs of communities and people through effective, innovative technology programs and resources. CTCNet members attending the conference should mark their calendars for the Annual CTCNet Membership Meeting on Saturday, June 18.
Conference registration and hotel rooms are filling up fast so sign up today!
http://www.ctcnet.org/conf/2005/attending/registration.asp
Pre-Conference Workshops on Thursday, June 16 also have limited availability, so be sure to sign up online for these free half-day workshops covering social enterprise, evaluation planning, youth multimedia, and expanding the community impact of CTCs.
http://www.ctcnet.org/conf/2005/at_conference/preconf.htm
This year's program is designed to provide a wide range of professional development and capacity building workshops, as well as innovative models, promising practices & hands-on learning. A number of special events will also provide opportunities for networking, celebrating leadership, showcasing valuable resources and generating discussion about the future of community technology.
Make your registration and book your hotel room today! http://www.ctcnet.org/conf/2005/attending/registration.asp
CTCudos!
CTCNet extends congratulations to following members receiving honors, awards, and recognition for their work and/or the efforts of their staff.
Austin Free-Net (Austin, TX) received a proclamation from Mayor WIll Wynn on March 24th, in honor of its 10 years of dedication and service in providing computer technologies and Internet access in public spaces to meet the needs of underserved communities.
Beyondmedia Education (Chicago, IL) received the Crossroads Fund' s 2005 Ron Sable Award for Activism, presented each year to Chicago-area organizations fostering social change within their respective communities. The award, presented April 22, cited Beyondmedia's "incredible work giving members of some of the most marginalized groups, including women in prison, young women, and women with disabilities, a voice."
Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston (Boston, MA) held its fifth annual Cyber Summit April 21-22, showcasing technology-focused projects-- including digital toys, videos, and movie trailers-- developed by youth teams coached by teens and adult mentors. The Cyber Summit also featured various workshops and a technology exhibition for youth to showcase their products. Over 40 youth from the Charlestown, Chelsea, Roxbury, South Boston, and Dorchester Boys and Girls Clubs, as well as youth from other Massachusetts organizations, participated.
In April, Centro Latino de Educación Popular (Los Angeles, CA) participated in "Festival of Books", an annual event hosted by UCLA and sponsored by the Los Angeles Times. Centro Latino presented information about their program, !LEAMOS! por Computadora (Let's Read by Computer), which works to improve English proficiency for Spanish-speaking youth and adults, in order to access information, services, and skills regarding health, personal finances, and employment.
Rosalie Pratt, a youth producer with Chicago's Community TV Network (Chicago, IL), received the 2005 Yes I Can! International Award from the Foundation for Exceptional Children. The Award, presented in early April, celebrates the achievements of youth with disabilities. Rosalie was honored for her documentary entitled "Dyslexic Saw Dog: A Movie About My Education as a Student with Learning Disabilities," which provides an in-depth look at the various challenges associated with learning disabilities including educational inconsistencies and social misconceptions.
Jesus House of Prayer (JHP) Community Center (Chicago, IL) was honored in early May with the 2005 Susan F. Berkowitz Award for Outstanding Service to Children. This award recognizes practitioners that provide youth with the resources to increase self-esteem and strength to become leaders in the schools, families, and communities.
Quarterly Profile
Our featured CTCNet member is the Community TV Network (CTVN) With the onset of portable video technology, Denise Zaccardi recognized the potential of this accessible new medium as a powerfully transformative tool. She founded Community TV Network (CTVN) with a mission to empower Chicago's low-income minority youth with access and training in the tools of media technology. CTVN's programs have expanded to include access and training in state-of-the-art technologies to people of all ages. CTVN has been a member of CTCNet since 2000. In 2003, a "C4T" grant helped CTVN expand their programs, including services to people with disabilities. located in Chicago, IL. CTCNet Network News spoke with Virginia Boyle, CTVN Program Director, to learn more.
Community TV Network (CTVN)
Chicago, Illinois
www.ctvnetwork.org
Contact: Dr. Denise Zaccardi, Executive Director
Mission Statement: Community TV Network (CTVN), a leader in community access to media, empowers low-income youth and adults in Chicago to identify, address, and resolve issues through the use and understanding of media arts and computer technology. CTVN gives youth the awareness, motivation, and tools to create a positive future for themselves and their neighborhoods.
Primary Target Population: Chicago youth and adults from low-income families and communities, mostly African American and Latino.
What programs/services does the Community Technology Center offer?
CTVN offers free digital video production to youth throughout Chicago by offering classes and partnering with neighborhood school sites. Programs are offered at our own workshop/office. CTVN’s Hard Cover program is an after-school and summer program open to all teens in Chicago, with participants working as a team to produce a cable-TV show, "Hard Cover: The Voices and Visions of Chicago’s Youth." A new, 30-minute program is cablecast every two weeks. Hard Cover is the nation's longest-running youth produced cable-tv series; it received a 2003-2004 "Coming Up Taller Award" by the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities. In 2005, we expect to serve 300 youth through Hard Cover.
CTVN also offers similar video/new media training programs through its special projects, which also include youth activism components. Our major two special projects are Sisters Against Violence and the Juvenile Justice Video Project.
CTVN's Youth Computer Lab Program provides a youth-friendly space with a service youth want—access to Internet-linked computers, printers, and staff who can help them achieve their goals through technology. CTVN's curriculum engages youth in activities helping them achieve goals, from multimedia production, filmmaking and music recording, to finding a new high school, GED program, or searching for a job. Set-aside computers are exclusively for youth to use during program hours, and we also link youth to services including medical, emergency shelter, scholarship assistance, counseling, and more. CTVN began running adult tech programs in 1996. In 2003 we expanded to include services for people with disabilities.
How are your Centers staffed?
CTVN is staffed by one full-time and five part-time employees, as well as college work-study, college student, and professional volunteers.
What do you see as the impact CTVN is having on your community?
CTVN’s production program has trained 5,750 of Chicago’s at-risk youth to award-winning, insightful, alternative media arts production and viewership. Our Computer Technology Training Programs have graduated 475 low-income adults, and currently serves youth. CTVN’s overall impact is to empower youth and adults by teaching them to make creative, solution-oriented media while learning skills that will improve their educational achievement and technological skills. The impact of our computer labs is improving the future of low-income youth and adults through employment education, and the acquisition of computer and digital technology skills required in today’s academic world and workforce.
What are the challenges, demands, and pressures facing your organization?
One current challenge we’re facing in digital media is archiving our older videos, which will involve transferring video tapes to digital format. Another challenge is maintaining state-of-the-art computers and software, and covering the cost of that task. Other challenges include providing staff health insurance. These are all necessary components to successfully operating our programs efficiently, but they are not consistently or easily funded. We are currently looking for new ways to address these challenges. Sustainability is always the challenge. In the CTC community, we just need to keep at it, to keep focused on our mission, and to get our message out.
From the Members' Listserv
The CTCNet Members e-mail list is an active discussion forum for topics affecting community technology centers and programs. CTCNet actively monitors the list for thought-provoking discussions and ideas, so let your voice be heard! (we may even post your comments in a future edition of the Network News) If you are a CTCNet member, but not currently subscribed to the list, send a request to membership@ctcnet.org.
In this edition, we focus attention on the tough decisions facing CTCs when deciding among myriad options for website design software. The following is a sample of member responses, based upon an April exchange on the member's list
Mercedes Soto (IT Resource Center, Chicago, IL):
Consider trying Netscape Composer, which comes with the free download of Netscape Navigator 7.2 (http://channels.netscape.com/ns/browsers/download_fullinstall.jsp). There are quite a few very good tutorials available online, including Netscape's (http://wp.netscape.com/browsers/using/newusers/composer).
Jim Craner (Chicago Technology Cooperative, Chicago, IL):
Check out Nvu (pronounced "in view") http://www.nvu.com. It's free, open source, pretty full-featured, and available for Windows, Macintosh, and Linux clients. No, it doesn't do every single thing that Dreamweaver does, but "Intro to Web Design students" won't know what 99% of that stuff is anyway, so... Nvu is based on the original Mozilla Composer HTML tool, but more polished and with extra features.
Nettrice Gaskins (DigitalArts Communities, Inc., Brookline, MA):
I agree that this issue puts many computer graphics/web design teachers and students between a rock and a hard place, especially folks who do not have the money to buy Dreamweaver or Flash or GoLive. My students use open source but I also think they need to master the "industry standards" in order to get jobs or keep up in college. A CTC should offer both and give students the opportunity to choose. In my experience, students (esp.youth) go wild when they use Flash but they are willing to use other apps at home. However, I strongly feel that teachers should be more concerned with helping students gain basic to advanced skills such as planning, design concepts, web building,and maintenance. This is more important than the actual tools or applications.
Claire Murray (Murray Learning Associates, Malden, MA):
Whatever program you use or teach with, get the students to consider accessibility issues for their web site and making a site that is readable and not just flashy. Flash and other "whistles and bells" are often favored over good basic design elements. A few basic texts can help your students through most design issues. If you can, pick up a few copies of the basic html texts (and now even blogger texts)-- I highly recommend books by Elizabeth Castro (Peachpit Press), who creates very useful examples that you can replicate with your own material inserted. She also discusses access issues and refers folks to the World Wide Web consortium (http://www.w3.org/) which sets the standards for access and other web-related issues.
Welcome New Members
CTCNet welcomes the following new members to the network.
California
CorporateKids (Chino)
Educate the Children (Long Beach)
Latino Issues Forum (San Francisco)
National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture (San Francisco)
Reach Us 2 Inc (Lakewood)
Second Samoan Congregational UCC (Long Beach)
SRI International (Menlo Park)
UC Berkeley Graduate School of Education (Oakland)
District of Columbia
Media Empowerment Project (Washington, DC)
Georgia
Family Heritage Foundation, Inc. (Stone Mountain)
Illinois
Independent Media Center (Urbana)
Jane Addams Hull House Association (Chicago)
Lakefront Supportive Housing (Chicago)
Northwestern University Settlement Association (Chicago)
Maryland
The Wilderness Technology Alliance (Silver Spring)
Massachusetts
ADA Technology Corporation (Lowell)
Bethel AME Church (Jamaica Plain)
Boston Asian: Youth Essential Service (Boston)
Castle Square Tenants Organization (Boston)
Church Outreach to Youth, Inc. (North Adams)
Ecumenical Social Action Committee (Jamaica Plain)
Grace Renaissance Academic Studies Program ( Dorchester)
Greenwood Shalom (Dorchester)
Hispanic Office of Planning and Evaluation, Inc. (Boston)
North American Indian Center of Boston, Inc. (Jamaica Plain)
Massachusetts Veterans Inc. (Worcester)
Mattapan Community Centers, Inc. (Mattapan)
Refugee Immigration Ministry (Malden)
Roxbury Tenants of Harvard (Boston)
Sociedad Latina (Roxbury)
Solutions Community Development Corporation (Holyoke)
The Brick House Community Resource Center (Turners Falls)
The Women’s Union (Boston)
Young Entrepreneurs Society, Inc. ( Orange)
Worcester Youth Center (Worcester)
Zumix (East Boston)
Minnesota
Digital Watershed (Minneapolis)
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (Minneapolis)
United Way of Olmsted County Teaming for Technology (Rochester)
Missouri
The Youth and Family Center (Saint Louis)
New Mexico
New Mexico Media Literacy Project (Albuquerque)
New York
Harlem Renaissance Economic Development Corporation ( New York)
Ohio
Center for Nonprofit Excellence (Akron)
Champaign County Department of Job and Family Services (Urbana)
Child Guidance & Family Solutions (Akron)
Cuyahoga Community College TILI Learning Centers (Cleveland)
Kent State University Tuscarawas (New Philadelphia)
Scranton Road Ministries Community Development Corporation (Cleveland)
University Settlement (Cleveland)
Pennsylvania
Kingsley Association (Pittsburgh)
People for People, Inc. (Philadelphia)
Tennessee
Knoxville Area Urban League (Knoxville)
Washington
Mason County Literacy (Shelton)
Thurston Community Television (Olympia)
West Virginia
Mission West Virginia, Inc. (St. Albans)
International Members
IRMA-India (Bhubaneswar- India)
Nakaseke Community Multimedia Centre (Nakaseke-Uganda)
Ghanaian High-Tech Women (Accra-Ghana)
CDBN Nigeria (Umuahia Abia State-Nigeria)
Youth Alliance Nigeria (Umuahia Abia State-Nigeria)
Upcoming Events
June 17-19, 2005
14th Annual Community Technology Conference
Community Technology Centers' Network
Cleveland, OH
Web: http://www.ctcnet.org/conf/2005
June 23-29, 2005
2005 Annual Conference
American Library Association
Chicago, IL
Web: http://www.ala.org/ala/eventsandconferencesb/annual/2005a
June 27-30, 2005
26th Annual National Educational Computing Conference
International Society for Technology in Education
Philadelphia, PA
Web: http://center.uoregon.edu/ISTE/NECC2005
July 6-9, 2005
Waves of Change: Community Media International Conference
Alliance for Community Media
Monterrey, CA
Web: http://www.alliancecm.org
July 11-13, 2005
Workforce Innovations Conference
U.S. Department of Labor & American Society for Training & Development
Philadelphia, PA
Web: http://www.workforceinnovations.org
September 28 – October 2, 2005
Taking Liberties
National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture
Philadelphia, PA
Web: http://www.namac.org