February 2005 Newsletter

1. From the Executive Director

2. Headlines

3. Member Profile

4. From the Members' Listserv

5. News from the Field

6. Upcoming Events

7. Welcome New Members!

 

From the Executive Director

Dear Members,

We've been busy this winter running our funded demonstration grant programs
and fundraising to continue building our infrastructure and national member
services. Staff, board, and volunteers helped us award more than $1 million
in sub-grants to 47 organizations and we began shaping our 2005 conference
to be held June 17-19 in Cleveland, Ohio. This year's theme, "Making
Connections, Strengthening Communities" will focus on how community
technology centers are continuing to develop and adapt to continue to
address individual and community needs.

We also recently launched two new member benefits. The first is a Funding &
Events Digest, a semimonthly listing of organizational & professional
development opportunities relevant to community technology professionals.
The second is the CTCNet Policy Letter, a monthly highlight regarding policy
processes and issues relevant to our members and the work they do. We hope
that you've been enjoying these and do look forward to any feedback you
have.

In January 2005, in order to ensure that we're really connected to you, we
conducted a major member information update and renewal campaign. Many of
you have received e-mails and individual phone calls from our staff and
board in order to verify contact information. Please take a moment to check
your listing on-line at www.ctcnet.org/membership/directory, and if
there are any edits to be made, please email us at membership@ctcnet.org
with any corrections.

In March 2005, we'll be calling upon our membership to begin one of our most
important tasks: the Annual CTCNet Board elections. Nominations are open to
individuals associated with CTCNet member centers and on-line elections will
take place in April. We encourage you to think about the future of CTCNet
and help us seek out strong candidates that would contribute to our ongoing
growth and sustainability. You'll receive more about the process by postal
mail and again through our email list so stay tuned.

We continue to face uncertainties around federal commitments to technology
investments, evidenced by the loss of funding for the Dept. of Commerce's
Technology Opportunities Program and other cuts in the FY 2005 omnibus
appropriations. At the same time we continue to see interest in and
acknowledgement of the value of our centers across party lines, branches of
government, and other related fields. CTCNet is hopeful that we'll find new
opportunities and we continue to research these and advocate for funding on
behalf of community technology centers.

We hope to see you in June and look forward to seeing many of you in person
at our annual membership meeting!

Kavita Singh
Executive Director

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Headlines

CTCNet Award Grant Funds

This past quarter, CTCNet conducted two very competitive grant processes for our Connections for Tomorrow (C4T) and Youth Visions for Stronger Neighborhoods (YVSN) programs. We received a large number of applicants for both programs and we thank each organization that submitted an application.

Connections for Tomorrow (C4T), funded by the Compassion Capital Fund of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is aimed to provide resources to ensure that all segments of society have the skills to fully participate in the 21st century. CTCNet awarded grants to 37 community based organizations that serve at-risk youths and individuals that are homeless in the state of Massachusetts. Of 68 applicants, we were happy to award $750,000 total to 37 organizations. Each grantee receives technical assistance as well as free capacity and program building workshops for their center. Please visit the list of 2005 C4T grantees.

Youth Visions for Stronger Neighborhoods (YVSN), funded by the Corporation for National Service's Learn and Serve America (www.nationalservice.org), provides support to collaboratively develop curricula and evaluations meeting the interests of young people through community service and multimedia. This program has been instrumental in engaging youth to utilize problem-solving skills to address issues that are affecting their communities and enhancing the perception of youth as a vital asset to their neighborhood's long-term health and success. CTCNet awarded $175,000 to 8 sites out of the 85 applications that were received. Since Youth Visions inception in 2004, CTCNet has awarded more than $370,000 to more than fifteen organization across the United States. This year's grants process extended CTCNet's longstanding track record of providing incredible opportunities to empower our nation's youth to address neighborhood needs in concrete ways. To view the 2005 YVSN grantees, visit http://www.ctcnet.org/youthvisions/index.htm.

CTCs in the News

CTCNet would like to highlight the following CTCs that were recognized for their dedication and service to their respective communities. CTCNet encourages members to send us any center, program, or staff recognition in your CTC. Please send any entries to newsletter@ctcnet.org

Colorado CTC of the Year: Open World Learning
Awarded by Community Computer Connection "C3"- Boulder, CO, September 2004

The Community Technology Program of the Year is presented to organizations that run an effective and innovative community technology program. The 2004 receipient of the award was OpenWorld Learning (www.openworldlearning.org). OpenWorld Learning provides technical training and services to Latino youths between 8 and 14 years of age.

Small Business Excellence Award-Nonprofit Organization of the Year: AchieveAbility
Awarded by the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, Philadelphia, PA, October 2004

The Small Business Excellence Award for Nonprofit Organizations is presented to nonprofits that provide beneficial services to the community at large. AcheiveAbility, which provides social services and affordable housing to underserved individuals, was the 2004 receipient of this award.

Houston Community Technology Award: Macedonia Outreach & Career Center
Awarded by Technology for All-Houston, Houston, TX, November 2004

The Technology For All-Houston Community Technology Award is presented to community technology centers that have provided programs and services that exemplify their commitment and dedication to respective communitites. The 2004 award was presented to the Macedonia Outreach & Career Center. The Macedonia Outreach & Career Center provides programs for adults to increase their job skills and expand their self-sufficiency.

14th Annual CTCNet Conference

We encourage all CTCNet members to attend CTCNet’s 14th Annual Community Technology Conference: Making Connections, Building Communities in Cleveland, Ohio June 17-19, 2005. The conference will offer more than fifty sessions & training workshops on a variety of topics, as well as site visits, networking opportunities, a welcome reception and other special events. Registration information and exhibitor & sponsor opportunities are available.

A Big Thanks to All CTCNet Members!

CTCNet conducted its membership renewal drive this past month and we would like to thank each of you that have updated and renewed your membership. CTCNet takes great pride in each of our more than 1,000 members and realizes the importance of a strong network as key to further advancing the community technology field.

If you would like to update your contact information, renew your membership, or inquire about your membership status, email us at membership@ctcnet.org.

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CTCNet Member Profile

Our featured CTCNet member of the quarter is the Community Technology Center of the Santa Cruz County Education Service Agency. In this edition, we spoke with Jeneen Treto, Marketing Coordinator/Teacher Assistant of the Community Technology Center located in Nogales, Arizona.
Nogales, Arizona
www.sccedu.org
Contact: Jeneen Treto, Marketing Coordinator/Teacher Assistant
Programs Started: CTC Morley-05/04 CTC SCAHS-05/04
CTC NHS-6/02/04 CTC De Anza-10/18/04
CTCNet Member Since: 2004

 

Mission Statement: “To enhance the education of our community by providing supplemental services which incorporate technology, education, workplace skills, and inspire lifelong learning.”

Primary Target Population: "Our target population consists of children of all ages. Specifically, high-school students needing assistance in reading, math, writing, adults seeking to gain knowledge of computers, literacy and job skills for promotions or career changes, and the business community."

What programs/services does the Community Technology Center offer?
Our CTC program is comprised of four locations.

Santa Cruz Alternative High School and Nogales High School sites offer high school credit recovery and credit advancement (allowing students to graduate on time or ahead of schedule); Arizona Instrument Measure Standards (AIMS) test preparation. Santa Cruz Alternative High School also offers‘English as a Second Language’ (ESL) classes; GED preparation; and open access at the school. Additionally, this site is in partnership with its host school offering Math, Reading, and Social Studies classes as part of an innovative computerized self-learning, self-paced instruction program.

Casas De Anza site is located within a low-income housing development recreation center. Classes offered at this site include; bilingual Microsoft Office courses for adults; GED preparation; Internet access; after school computer classes and tutoring for children.

Morley is located downtown as is the main office and school serving ages 4 through senior citizens. This location offers Microsoft Office classes, Internet classes, high school credit recovery and credit advancement for Rio Rico High School students, computer classes and tutoring for children, and open access lab. In October 2004, County Superintendent of Schools Roberto Canchola opened up an accommodation school to help academically at-risk middle and high school aged children who have either dropped out of school or are on long term suspensions. This school, Pimeria Alta Accommodation School is located inside the CTC Morley site.

How are your Centers staffed?
"The Community Technology Center sites are collectively run by seven full-time staff members, one part-time staff member, and supported by three volunteers who come to us through a partnership with Arizona Department of Economic Security. These volunteers help us with the contribution of their time and assistance with daily operations. In addition, through partnerships with local high schools we are fortunate to have students volunteer and contribute their time and energy at our center while fulfilling their community service graduation requirements at their school. Pimeria Alta Accommodation School is staffed by one full-time staff member and one part-time staff member. They are funded by the Santa Cruz ESA."

What do you see as the impact CTC of Santa Cruz County is having on your community?
"Our program has raised academic achievement by reinforcing classroom instruction, impacting instructional strategies, keeping class sizes small, and offering a new alternative for our high school students to earn needed credits. We have established partnerships with three governmental agencies; three community agencies; three high schools; local food banks; college students and PLATO Learning Inc., PLATO provided us with our educational curriculum and AIMS tutorials. With the success of our credit recovery program we now have a high demand for high school credit recovery and advancement courses using PLATO Learning software. During the summer of 2004, students earned 170 credits in our credit recovery program. While it is too early for reports, we know we have helped students to pass or come closer to passing their AIMS graduation exit exam.
As more and more people come to us seeking to gain the necessary skills to enter the workforce, or improve their current skills, our Microsoft Office classes have doubled in size and we are now offering advanced and post-advanced courses. Our new ESL and language classes are becoming so popular that we have waiting lists. We have only been around one year, and have only scratched the surface of the possibilities that exist within our program, and we still have much more to accomplish."

What are the challenges, demands and pressures facing your organization?"Our demands and pressures are not unlike any other CTC: funding, sustainability, future growth and continued marketing in our community. One of our major challenges is lack of space. With our enrollment so high and so many programs available, we have outgrown our current facility. Although all high schools are different, and our relationships differ from one school to another, a major challenge we face is getting students to take full advantage of our open lab hours, and getting the administrators to encourage the at risk students to attend our available classes. We are in the process of developing a marketing plan to increase the number of families and students from our lowest quartile of academic achievement. We look forward to establishing a systemic approach in our community that allows us to integrate technology into the lives of our community."

CTCNet wishes to thank Jeneen Treto and the staff Santa Cruz County Schools for sharing information about their four centers. Each quarter a new CTCNet member is given the opportunity to share information about their organization. If you would like to highlight your center or program, please email newsletter@ctcnet.org. Please note that CTCNet reserves the right to edit submissions for length and clarity.

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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, which generates thought-provoking discussions and ideas. We encourage all members to participate. Let your voice be heard! We may even post your comments in a future edition of our Newsletter! If you are a CTCNet member and wish to subscribe to the listserv, send a request to membership@ctcnet.org.

We reserve the right to edit or reformat postings for content, context, and/or space limitations. For more information, email newsletter@ctcnet.org.

The 2004 November election proved to be an event that generated a wealth of action, campaigning, advocacy, and dedication by many citizens across the nation. Many CTCs across the country got involved in their communities in an effort to participate in the election process. Here are a few responses taken from a list discussion about how members were engaging in election-related activities in their communities:

Linda Fowells (California Community Technology Policy Group, Los Angeles, CA: www.communitypartners.org) writes: “The California Community Technology Policy Group (CCTPG), along with The Children's Partnership, Community Partners and CTCNet, has taken a very active role this election cycle. We provided information to all of the candidates running for state office and the California delegation of the House of Representatives about youth and technology and how community technology plays a role in providing access and training in technology to youth. We also conducted the E-Lection program, a way for community technology centers to engage residents in a nonpartisan education and voter registration campaign…”

Jessica Venegas (Community Preservation and Development Corporation, Washington, DC: www.cpdc.org) writes: “We partnered with the Enterprise Foundation which provided an onsite training for 20 of our staff, and Get Out the Vote packages for each the nine CTC's we had participate. We also partnered with resident associations, neighborhood groups, local sororities, and local board of elections offices (we have sites in DC, MD, and VA). We have posters up around our communities and held over 50 events in the month of September across our sites to register voters. In the state of MD, we had voter machines in our centers and did trainings on how to use them. We are also providing transportation on election day. We registered 200 voters and feel we made a huge impact in educating our youth, adults, and seniors as to why voting is an important right.”

Adam Cohen (Project Vote Smart, Phillipsburg, MT: www.vote-smart.org) writes: “One way we provide information on the requested subject is through our catalog of Key Votes. We have a section called Technology and Communication, in which we have the voting records of all congress members from 1991-present. From all the hotline calls/emails I have dealt with I have noticed one of our most popular sections for prospective voters is our "ratings" section. This is a resource provided by various advocacy agencies, which we catalog and provide to our users. It’s a very simple way for someone to see exactly where a candidate stands on a particular issue by how they are graded.”

The CTCNet Members e-mail list is an active discussion forum for topics affecting community technology centers and programs. CTCNet actively monitors the list, which generates thought-provoking discussions and ideas. We encourage all members to participate. Let your voice be heard! We may even post your comments in a future edition of our Newsletter! If you are a CTCNet member and wish to subscribe to the listserv, send a request to membership@ctcnet.org.

We reserve the right to edit or reformat postings for content, context, and/or space limitations. For more information, email newsletter@ctcnet.org.

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News from the Field

Listed below are noteworthy developments that may have an impact on your non-profit organization and its operations.

Non-Profits Included to Comply with Federal Trade Commissions Regulation of the CAN-SPAM Act.

In January of 2004, the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act (CAN-SPAM) took effect raising concerns for many non-profit organizations. The CAN-SPAM Act was instituted by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in an effort to eliminate unsolicited commerical emails, which is described as email that advertises or promotes a service or product. The CAN-SPAM Act originally excluded non-profit organizations to the restrictions set forth by this Act. However in December 2003, Congress ruled that non-profits would in fact be included with private businesses, foundations, etc. as having to comply with the Act. The concern of many non-profit is that this Act main focus is that the average non-profit organization does not typically send commerical email. Now that non-profits have to remain in compliance with the CAN-SPAM Act, it has the potential to heavily affect how organizations are able to communicate via email with potential funders, other non-profit organizations, as well as co-workers. Listed below are the regulations that must be followed according to the CAN-SPAM Act:

For more information on the CAN-SPAM Act:

Federal Trade Commission
http://www.ftc.gov/spam/

What Nonprofits Need to Know about CAN-SPAM
(Guidestar)
http://www.guidestar.org/news/features/can_e_mail.jsp

CAN-SPAM Requirements for Commercial Mailers (FTC)
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/buspubs/canspam.htm

Do Not Fax Rules Delayed

Beginning July 1, 2005, it is unlawful to send an unsolicited
advertisement to a facsimile machine without the prior written permission of the recipient of
the advertisement. The Federal Communications Comission (FCC) defines unsolicited advertisement as "any material advertising the
commercial availability or quality of any property, goods, or services which is transmitted to any person without that person's prior express invitation or permission." This includes membership dues renewals, and ads for any seminars or conferences for which a fee is charged, even if it is sent to organization members or previous meeting attendees. It is not clear at this point whether charitable solicitations
are included, but newsletters without advertising or policy updates do not fall under this definition.

The business or entity on whose behalf the fax is being sent must identify itself in the top or bottom margin of each page or on the first page of the fax message, and must include its telephone number and the date and time the fax is sent If the person or entity transmitting messages to a fax machine on another person’s behalf demonstrates a “high degree of involvement” in the sender’s facsimile messages (e.g. supplying the facsimile numbers to which a message is sent) the broadcaster must provide the other party's name on the fax.

A facsimile broadcaster may be liable if it supplies facsimile numbers to a business or entity sending unlawful fax advertisements and faxes sent to fax servers and personal computers are covered by the faxing rules.

In the interim, the FCC will reconsider its determination that an “established business relationship” is not sufficient to show express permission to receive unsolicited fax advertisements. Nonprofits must, however, still have either express permission from or an established business relationship with an individual before sending faxed advertisements. Organizations should establish clear procedures for
handling complaints or threatened lawsuits from anyone who has received an unwanted fax solicitation.

For more information about the Do Not Fax ruling, visit:

Nonprofit Overview of the "Do Not Fax" Rule
(Independent Sector)
http://www.independentsector.org/programs/gr/donotfax.html

Unwanted Faxes: What You Can Do
(Federal Communications Commission)
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/unwantedfaxes.html

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Upcoming Events

American Association of People with Disabilities
March 9, 2005
Washington, DC
Leadership Gala
URL: www.aapd.com/index/html

Association for Computer Machinery
March 13-17, 2005
Santa Fe, New Mexico
20th Annual ACM Symposium on Applied Computing
URL: www.acm.org/conferences/sac/sac2005/

Organizers' Collaborative
April 15 & 16, 2005
Cambridge, MA
6th annual “Grassroots Use of Technology” Conference
URL: www.organizenow.net/index.html

California State University @ Northridge
March 14-19, 2005
Los Angeles, CA
20th Annual International Conference on Technology and Persons with Disabilities
URL: www.csun.edu/cod/conf/index.htm

Consortium for School Networking
March 21-24, 2005
Washington, DC
K-12 School Networking Conference
URL: www.cosn.org

Nonprofit Technology Enterprise Network / Network for Good / United Way
March 23-25, 2005
Chicago, IL
Nonprofit Technology Conference
URL: www.nten.org

Council on Foundations
April 10-12, 2005
San Diego, CA
Annual conference for philanthropic sector
URL: www.cof.org

Association for Computing Machinery
April 12-15, 2005
Seattle, WA
Fifteenth conference on computers, freedom and privacy
URL: www.cfp2005.org

American Telemedicine Association
April 17-20, 2005
Denver, CO
Annual meeting and exposition of telemedicine advocates, practicioners, and vendors
URL: www.atmeda.org/about/aboutata.htm

Community Technology Centers' Network
June 17-19, 2005
Cleveland, OH
14th Annual Community Technology Conference
URL: www.ctcnet.org/conf/2005/

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Welcome New Members

We are pleased to welcome...

Alabama
Life, Inc. (Huntsville)

California
AMP / Community Technology Development (Monterey)
Anderson Union High School District (Anderson)
Cambridge Academies / Cambridge Academies Community Technology Centers (Modesto)
City of Los Angeles Community Development Department (Los Angeles)
YMCA of Greater Long Beach / YMCA Youth Institute (Los Angeles)

Florida
Miami Dade College (North Campus) (Miami)

Iowa
University of Northern Iowa / Community Technology Center (Waterloo)

Ilinois
Bloomington Public Library (Bloomington)
El Valor (Chicago)

Kansas
Entrust Computer Technology Centers Inc. (Lenexa)
Royal Valley Unified School District #37 (Mayetta)

Massachusetts
African Community Economic Development of New England (Roxbury)
Cape Verdean Community UNIDO (Roxbury)
Spontaneous Celebrations / Beantown Media Program (Jamaica Plain)

Maryland
U.S. Basic Skills (Capitol Heights)

Minnesota
Sabathani Community Center (Minneapolis)

New York
Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation (Brooklyn)
Buffalo City School District (Buffalo)

Ohio
Ashbury Senior Computer Community Center (Cleveland)
Columbus Public School (Columbus)
Lima/Allen Council on Community Affairs (Lima)
Oakland Park School of Technology (Columbus)
Ohio University / The GRID Lab (Athens)
Scioto County ABLE (McDermott)
Sunday Creek Associates (Shawnee)
The Ability Center of Greater Toledo (Sylvania)

Oklahoma
Eufaula Public Schools (Eufaula)

Oregon
Chemeketa Community College (Salem)
IRCO (Portland)

Pennsylvania
North Light Community Center / Neighborhood Access to Technology (Philadelphia)
Philadelphia Housing Authority (Philadelphia)

South Carolina
Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College (Orangeburg)

Texas
Alternative Community Development Services (Dallas)
Brownsville Independent School District (San Antonio)
LULAC / Empower Hispanic America with Technology (Dallas)
Macedonia Outreach Center (Houston)

Virginia
ChainBreakers, Inc. / Harvey Daniels Community Technology and Learning Center (Portsmouth)

Washington
Washington State Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs (Bellingham)

 

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