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Dear Digital Inclusion Supporter,
Happy New Year! We have officially begun the second year of the CCNP BTOP grant, and we are excited to make even more progress towards digital inclusion in 2012. This year, we plan to increase our efforts to promote the work of our partners, especially through our Web Portal. Please see our Success Stories for inspiration, and share your stories with others through the Forum, or e-mail Amy Hirotaka at ahirotaka@edlabgroup.org.
We are also pleased to announce that EdLab Group has hired a Senior Project Director for Digital Inclusion, Leslie Rae Schmitz. She will be working closely with our partners and staff to continue and broaden the work we are engaged in through the Communities Connect Network. Find out more about Leslie in "What's New in the Communities Connect Network." |
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Spotlight On...
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Diverse Communities Find Technology Help at Yesler Computer Lab
Asfaha LemLem, RecTech Coordinator at the Yesler Computer Lab (also called the Yesler Learning Center), wears many different hats in a given day. In the mornings, he plans programming and builds partnerships with other agencies in the area, such as Neighborhood House, MMRTI, and Horn of Africa Services -- all CCNP Partners/BTOP recipients. In the afternoon, he helps elementary, middle school, and high school students with their homework and coordinates technology volunteers. In the late afternoon and evening, he supervises technology trainings for adults and seniors. The Yesler Computer Lab is located in the Yesler Community Center and is run by the Associated Recreation Council, or ARC. The lab serves a diverse population, including members of the East African and Southeast Asian immigrant communities. Asfaha estimates that lab users speak 23-25 different languages! English Language Learning remains one of the central programs in the lab. Because of its central location in the Yesler Community Center (20th and Yesler in the Central District neighborhood of Seattle), the lab also attracts a wide range of ages, interests, and needs, presenting unique challenges and opportunities.
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Asfaha LemLem at work in the
Yesler Computer Lab
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The CCNP BTOP funding has given Asfaha the opportunity to work more hours, allowing him to open the lab early three days a week. The lab now has morning programming which benefits lab users who might work in the evenings or have other commitments. There are approximately 50 visitors to the lab each day, so extended hours helps everyone have more time on a computer.
Asfaha knows how important it is to innovate and change in response to the needs of the community. Since he began working at the Yesler Computer Lab over ten years ago, programming has consistently grown and transformed to benefit the communities moving in and out of the neighborhood. Because of Asfaha's essential work building partnerships, surveying the community, and working closely with lab users, the Yesler Lab is a vital, positive learning environment for the diverse community it serves.
Find the Yesler Computer Lab in our Network Directory.
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| What's New in the Communities Connect Network |
 Resource Library Thank you for using the Communities Connect Network Web Portal. This month, we're featuring the Resource Library, which hosts a variety of resources related to digital inclusion and PCC management. These documents and videos range from basic Microsoft Word trainings to tutorials on online job searching and banking. You can filter the resources by Learning Topic, Audience, Managing Programs and Technology, Outreach, and Resource and Evaluation by hovering over the "Resource Library" menu item and making your selection. From there, you can narrow down the results on the left side of the page by criteria, such as Skill Level and Language. Questions? Please contact Amy Hirotaka, CCNP Outreach Coordinator at ahirotaka@edlabgroup.org or 425.977.4749. Introducing EdLab Group's Senior Project Director for Digital Inclusion  Leslie Rae Schmitz is the Senior Project Director for Digital Inclusion at the EdLab Group. In this role, she leads the work of the Communities Connect Network Project along with developing new partnerships to expand EdLab Group services in support of digital inclusion goals. She brings to EdLab Group over 18 years of senior-level program and project management experience in a myriad of sectors including academic, not-for-profit, government, and financial. Leslie's most recent experience with digital inclusion was with the San Juan County Economic Development Council supporting the strategic visioning and planning process for bringing broadband to rural San Juan County. She has served as Project Director for a University of Washington School of Medicine Multi-disciplinary National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute-sponsored clinical research trial of a web-based decision making tool for men with prostate cancer, and worked in the financial sector as a Vice President/Senior Project Manager. At the U.S. Department of Energy Defense Programs, she received the National Performance Review Hammer Award for Reinventing Government by Vice President Al Gore.
Leslie has a Master's degree in Public Administration from the University of Washington, Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs. She holds a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, an internationally recognized ISO accreditation.
Washington State Council on Digital Inclusion Meeting On December 1, 2011, the Council on Digital Inclusion (CoDI) met at Bell Plaza in Seattle to discuss digital inclusion strategies in Washington State. CoDI was formed five years ago in response to the need for coordinated strategies across the multiple groups and agencies grappling with the challenge of digital inclusion in Washington State. Council members are representatives from state and local government, industry, and the non-profit and education sectors. During the half-day meeting, CoDI members learned about the CCNP Web Portal, found out about the Washington State Broadband Office's initiatives and possible grant funding, and took home an important framework for building digitally inclusive communities. For notes from the meeting, visit the CCN Web Portal Forum. For more information or to find out how to get involved, contact David Keyes at david.keyes@seattle.gov or Betty Buckley at Bettyb@wita-tel.org. 
Remember to Like Us on Facebook and Follow Us on Twitter!
The Communities Connect Network Facebook Page features digital inclusion and community technology news and information, as well as CCNP partner updates and information.The CCN Twitter feed will keep you up-to-date with BTOP news from across the country. |
| Project Updates | |
BTOP in Action
The NTIA featured CCNP in a recent BTOP in Action article. The article highlights the accomplishments of CCNP Partner computer labs and training partners in 2011, and gives a by-the-numbers account of the resulting increase in digital inclusion in Washington State.
The National Broadband Map Goes Mobile
The National Broadband Map is easier to use on your mobile device now. The new feature allows anyone on the go to more easily search broadband availability, summarize and rank data, and view a map of community anchor institutions - all optimized for their mobile device.
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| Resources | |
Beth's Blog
Beth Kantor has one of the longest-running and best-loved non-profit technology blogs. Catch up on her latest posts to learn about everything from creating Pinterest boards for your non-profit to understanding the newest changes on Facebook.
White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Blog
The United States Chief Technology Officer, Aneesh Chopra, and other staff blog here about the latest national technology news.
Digitally Savvy Job Searching from NPower
In this post, Elissa Thomas outlines important online steps to take in pursuit of a great job. Don't forget you can also view the NPower Northwest social media webinars and accompanying resources at our web portal.
You may know Mashable as the one-stop-shop for all stories tech-related. They also have a page devoted to tech stories related to non-profits and national and global social justice.Philly Keyspots Blog
Philly Keyspots is another BTOP recipient and their blog is full of useful information and inspirational stories about bridging the digital divide.
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CCN Trainings
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Northwest Justice Project Videos
The Northwest Justice Project has created the first of fifteen videos on Washington Law Help in partnership with CCNP. The first video contains vital information for homeowners facing foreclosure. Find out more here.
Workforce Development Council of Seattle - King County Trainings
The Workforce Development Council of Seattle - King County has worked with their partners to create a series of hands-on workshops on three important topics:
- Financial Fitness
- Using the Self-Sufficiency Calculator, and
- Job Search Skills in the New Economy.
These workshops have been designed for staff and volunteers of our PCC subrecipient organizations. The workshops will be hosted regionally over the next six months so that all of our PCC organizations will have a chance to attend -- in the Seattle Metro area, in Northwest Washington, and in Eastern Washington. The workshops will be repeated in the Seattle Metro area several months after they have been presented in the rest of our regions.
The first round of trainings were held in the Seattle area in November and December 2011, and were scheduled to be held a second time in January at the YWCA Learning Center at Greenbridge . Due to the snowy and icy weather conditions, those sessions were cancelled but will be held again in February (dates and times to be determined).
NPower Northwest Trainings Webinar Recordings Available on CCN Web Portal
Our partners at NPower Northwest have a created a Live Webinar Series on Social Media designed for staff and volunteers of our PCC organizations: Social Media 101, 201, and 301. Each webinar was presented twice and recorded for those who were unable to attend live. Recordings and more detailed information about the topics are available on the CCN Web Portal Training Page.
In the upcoming year, capacity-building training will also be provided by the following CCN Partners:
- SDK Bridge: One of SDK Bridge's current programs is teaching youth in low-income neighborhoods about 3D modeling and computer programming. As a CCN Training Partner, SDK Bridge will bring this training model to our PCC subrecipients.
- STAR Center: The Special Technology Access Resource (STAR) Center empowers people of widely varying abilities and disabilities to build community using computers, the Internet, and assistive technology. They will provide training on various assistive technology resources for lab users with physical and cognitive disabilities.
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About CCN
| Mission: Communities Connect Network (CCN) works to ensure digital inclusion and technology opportunities for all residents of Washington State.
For more information about Communities Connect Network (CCN), please contact Katrina Kennard, Project Manager a t kkennard@edlabgroup.org or 425-977-4753. |
| About the EdLab Group | 
The EdLab Group is a private, non-profit organization with funding from federal and state governments, private foundations, corporations, and individuals. Our mission is to leverage the power of technology and diversity to transform teaching and learning. We respect your privacy and do not sell, share or allow our list to be viewed by other individuals or companies. For more information about the EdLab Group, visit our website at www.edlabgroup.org. |
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