Technology For All
Occasional Update - November 2005

"Together We Empower Communities"
Here's a quick update regarding Technology For All (TFA) and our collaborative efforts to empower residents of low-income and underserved communities through the tools of technology. Important information for Community Technology Centers (CTCs) and community technology practitioners is located at the bottom. If you like this newsletter, e-mail it to a friend. To support our work call 713.454.6400.

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News and Updates

Technology For All Operates ACT Centers in Service to Katrina Evacuees --- From September 2 through September 20 Technology For All operated community technology centers at the Astrodome, the Arena and the Reliant Center. The Astrodome and Arena Center were called ACT Centers (Astrodome/Arena Community Technology Center). We are grateful to the over three hundred volunteers who contributed almost 11,000 hours of volunteer time to staff the centers and assist evacuees to find loved ones, look for jobs and housing, fill out FEMA applications etc. For a report on the project go to click here. TFA is also initiating the Community Technology 2.0 project to build CTC capacity at CTCs serving neighborhoods with large numbers of hurricane evacuees. For more information about the project click here.

NAACP Family Technology Center is 2005 CTC of the Year -- At the recent community technology conference, TFA recognized the NAACP Family Technology Center as the 2005 Community Technology Center of the Year. Perri Rideaux is the Center Director. In addition to a cash award, the Center received roundtrip airfare and registration to the Community Technology Centers' Network 15th Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. in July 2006. Recognized with Honorable Mention Awards were the M. D. Anderson YMCA, the East End Life Center and the East Side University Village Community Learning Center.

Ten Community Technology Centers Participate with Fall UH Class --- "Technology in the Community" is a required project management class for students at the University of Houston College of Technology. This fall ten community technology centers will benefit from project teams of students enrolled in the class. Project Teams will be working with CTCs to develop technology plans and web sites. CTCs recommended by TFA to participate in the program this semester include Blueridge United Methodist Church, Advocate Legal Service Center, Christian Community Service Center, Techs and Trainers, East Side University Village Community Learning Center, Treasure Our Community, NAACP Family Technology Center, Community Faith, Macedonia Outreach Center and South Union CDC. Technology For All thanks Dr. Cheryl Willis and the University of Houston College of Technology for support of this important service learning opportunity which benefits both students and community based organizations operating CTCs. For more information about the program click here.

What to do with Electronic Scrap---When your computer, monitor or other electronic scrap reaches the end of its useful life, remember to dispose of it responsibly. The City of Houston Solid Waste Department receives small quantities of electronic waste at three locations around the city. For larger disposal issues call TFA (713.454.6400) and we can make a referral. For information about City of Houston disposal sites for your end of life electronic scrap click here.

Adán Diaz Serves as Intern --- Adán Diaz is a senior at the University of Houston College of Technology who expects to graduate in December 2005. As a part of his final academic semester, he will be serving as an intern with TFA. In this role he will be at TFA 15-20 hours a week honing his IT skills in a real-world environment as he prepares for full-time employment in the workforce. Adán is a resident of Houston and graduated from HISD's Sharpstown High School prior to entering UH.

Project White Hat --- Project White Hat will be a unique project for Houston area CTCs led by UH graduate student Rob Hiltbrand. Rob is developing and implementing the project to complete a Master of Science degree (May 2006) in Technology Project Management at the University of Houston. The goal of Project White Hat is the creation of processes and procedures that will secure the 200+ TFA affiliated community technology centers across the greater Houston area. The secondary goal is the creation of documentation and the compilation of tools to assist CTCs with information technology security. The end result will be the creation of a process for CTCs to keep their systems secure enough to prevent spyware, viruses and unauthorized users while continuing to offer valuable resources to the community.

Digital Media Program begins at Misión Milby --- With initial funding for
equipment and supplies from the United Way of the Texas Gulf Coast and another anonymous grant, TFA is developing a Digital Media program at the Misión Milby Community Technology Center for youth in the East End. Over 60 youth have already signed up. The program is also benefiting from the assignment of Nikki Payne as a new Americorps*VISTA to TFA. Nikki is assigned to TFA from September 2005 - August 2006. Youth in the program will learn skills for movie making, web design and other digital media tools. Nikki is a recent graduate from Sam Houston State University. She is a Houston native and grew up in the Acres Homes neighborhood.

New Staff Members --- With the development of the Community Technology 2.0 project, TFA has several new staff members. Joshua Cousin is a recent new resident from NewOrleans working at the South Union Community Development Corporation. Working as AmeriCorps*VISTA members in collaboration with Houston Hope on the Community Technology 2.0 project are Janice Rose, Bill Finley, and Monique Kearney. Additional AmeriCorps*VISTA members are being recruited for the project which will build the capacity of CTCs serving Houston Hope neighborhoods with large numbers of hurricane evacuees.

Recent Donations to TFA --- TFA thanks its recent donors including the Arch and Stella Rowan Foundation, Ellen Latimer, United Way of the Texas Gulf Coast, Chevron, St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, Plains All-American Pipeline, Reliant Energy, Suzi Nolan, AMD, HP, IBM, SBC, Adán Medrano and the U. S. Department of Commerce, and anonymous donation for the digital media project. Cash donations can be made online here or sent to to Technology For All, 2220 Broadway, Houston, Texas, 77012. To make a
computer or other in-kind donation contact Douglas.Caldwell@techforall.org or call 713.454.6412.

Is your corporation replacing desktops or laptops? --- TFA has several community organizations waiting to provide a home for those computers in service to community technology centers serving Houston's low-income neighborhoods. Also we need "learn and earn" computers for students in the East End. Consider the goodwill that your corporation can create by empowering a low-income community with technology tools. As noted, we have a large donation of several thousand monitors from Chevron underway, but each of those monitors needs a computer. Can your company or organization fill the gap? TFA has established TFA-STARRS to assist corporations with its Secure Technology Asset Recycling and Redeployment Services. Through our strategic alliances we can provide you a turn key solution that addresses your data security issues, reduces your total cost of ownership when upgrading computers and benefits Houston's low-income communities. For more information contact Douglas.Caldwell@techforall.org at 713.454.6400.

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Important Info for CTCs and CBOs

Online Community for Houston area CTCs created on Digital Divide Network --- TFA has created an online community for CTCs in the greater Houston area on the Digital Divide Network. Go to http://www.digitaldivide.net/community/CTCs-Houston to find out current information about CTCs in Houston and join the community.

Software for After-School Settings ---The America Connects Consortium recently completed several research briefs of interest to Community Technology Centers. Perhaps the most useful to those of us in the field is the new downloadable report (PDF format) on software for utilization in after-school settings. You can download the after-school software report and see all the other reports at http://www.americaconnects.net/research/default.asp?subid=34

Community Technology Review, Fall 2005 Now Online --- The newest issue of the Community Technology Review is now online at http://www.comtechreview.org/fall-2005/. Nikki Payne, our AmeriCorps*VISTA member has an article (http://www.comtechreview.org/fall-2005/000368.html) reflecting on her experience at the Astrodome Community Technology Center.

Children's Partnership releases new report: Technology is quickly becoming a necessary tool for young people to grow up healthy, educated, and productive in our country. Being prepared with the skills to use computers and the Internet has been shown to create important opportunities for children such as improving academic achievement, developing workforce skills for the future, and improving health. However, some states are doing a better job than others in preparing their residents, and in particular youth, with the resources to participate effectively in today's technology-driven world.To find out whether young people in each state are prepared, The Children's Partnership has developed state fact sheets, at http://www.techpolicybank.org/tpb/statefactsheets, for each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia, which provide key data such as the rate of workers employed in high-tech firms and the percentage of homes that have computer, Internet, and broadband access. The fact sheets complement a report recently released by The Children's Partnership entitled, Measuring Digital Opportunity for America's Children: Where We Stand and Where We Go From Here, at http://www.techpolicybank.org/tpb/report/doms. The report showed that Information and Communications Technology positively impacts the lives of youth, particularly around four critical areas of their lives - health, education, workforce development, and civic participation. It also identified a troubling digital gap, showing that many youth miss out on these opportunities.

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Websites of Interest to CTCs and CBOs

RTPNet Training Tools --- http://www.rtpnet.org/collections/comp.shtml
Exploritorium --- http://www.exploratorium.edu/index.html
Aspira, Online Courses --- http://ctc.aspira.org/Toolkits.htmlg/
America Connects Consortium ---www.americaconnects.net
Digital Divide Network ---www.digitaldivide.net
Association for Community Networking - www.afcn.org

Join CTCNet today - TFA encourages community technology centers to join the Community Technology Centers' Network. For more information, go to www.ctcnet.org.

We welcome your feedback! Contact Will Reed at 713.454.6400 or by email at will.reed@techforall.org .

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TECHNOLOGY FOR ALL/Technology For All-Houston

This newsletter is produced by Technology For All (TFA) for our donors and friends. TFA and TFA-Houston are Houston based nonprofit organizations working together to empower under served communities through the tools of technology. TFA has supportive relationships with community based organizations operating community technology centers (CTCs) in 56 U. S. cities. TFA is focused on creating social enterprises to empower low-income and under resourced communities. Since 1997, TFA-Houston has assisted over 200 organizations to create and develop CTCs that bring technology and
the opportunities it provides to the residents of Houston's low-income
neighborhoods. TFA operates its own CTC at Mision Milby in Houston's East End. To make a donation go to www.techforall.org and clickk on the "donate now" button at the bottom of the page. To learn more call 713.454.6400. If you do not wish to receive this "Occasional Update" please send an email to Will.Reed@techforall.org with the words "please remove" in the subject line.

Copyright 2005 Technology For All, Inc. All rights reserved.

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