The Department of Information Technology has awarded the 2012 Communities Online Boost Grant to 15 Seattle organizations. Funds of up to $1000 per organization were used to help enhance the use of online tools for community building and civic engagement. Congratulations to the following organizations awarded Boost Grants for 2012:
206 Zulu – The goals of the 206 Zulu project are to update their website as the ultimate resource hub for all things Hip Hop and community related. The site will include content and resources for the community to learn about the local history, news, resource directory, access archived multimedia, and be able to contribute their own stories through the site’s own integrated social media capabilities.
Afrique Service Center – The goals of Afrique Service Center’s project are to create a blog for their current website, creating an environment for community feedback and opportunities to collaborate on solutions to neighborhood and community issues. The blog will also offer more opportunity to develop community partnerships, working together, and improving the local communities and neighborhoods
Backpack Academy – Backpack Academy will use Boost grant funds to develop a website for their local program, which will include a blog, event calendar and parent resources such as online registration and program schedule. There will be a link to Seattle Public Schools and additional educational materials to help parents access their child’s student records and progress.
Coleman Neighborhood Association – The Colman Neighborhood Association will use Boost grant funds to transition their email listserv to a website using NextDoor. They will also be purchasing 2 netbooks to be placed in two cafes where residents can go to blog and post other useful content relevant to their community.
El Centro de la Raza – The goals of this project are to create and online volunteer management system using their current Salesforce contact management system. They anticipate this will lead to greater retention of their current volunteers and facilitate the recruitment of new volunteers, as more content will be available remotely. They will continue to partner with NPower on this project as NPower originally created a customized Saleforce database for El Centro de la Raza.
El Comite Pro-Reforma Migratoria y Justicia Social – El Comite Pro-Reforma Migratoria y Justicia Social is seeking completely redesign their website, which will include a blogging feature, event calendar and education tool. They will be using funds to purchase a desktop computer to better facilitate the upkeep of their site.
Feet First – Feet First will develop a widget for their current website that will allow city residents to report problem areas that prevent walkability. The project will eventually lead to integration with a smart phone app. Residents will be able to see the status of their actions, as this project will coordinate with SDOT and other city departments as needed.
Pinehurst Community Council – The goals of this project are to better integrate their web presence of their web blog/website (www.pinehurstseattle.org) and our Facebook and Twitter accounts using WordPress plugins and widgets. They anticipate that by doing this they will be able to better focus on content and engaging with their audience, while making it easier for their audience to post content as well.
Powerful Voices – Powerful Voices will use grant funds to expand the use of social media to build community and connections with their stakeholders. The focus of this project is to continue implementing their strategies on these platforms: YouTube, Facebook, website, Pinterest and Constant Contact, while also launching a blog to support development of unique content.
Raja for Africa – Raja for Africa will use Boost grant funds to develop blogging capabilities for their website. They will also be hosting classes for youth and parents to learn how to blog. The project seeks to have more engaged youth in news and blogging, building community through social media, developing user’s knowledge about Internet use, and promoting media literacy to generate real world impact.
South Beacon Hill Association – The South Beacon Hill Association will use Boost funds to create a website for their neighborhood, which will include a blogging feature, event calendar and feeds from the Seattle Police Department.
South Park Area Redevelopment Committee – The goals of the South Park Area Redevelopment Committee project will be to update their current home page with new website architecture. The project will make it easier to navigate around the site; give a comprehensive overview of what the neighborhood has to offer; and give better connections to their government partners.
Southeast Seattle Education Coalition – SESEC has developed a basic WordPress website, www.allfivesinfive.org. This project will develop sister website pages branded for the All Fives in Five Action Summit. We will leverage WordPress functionality, including Event Manager, to manage the event and develop other functionality, including a members-only section where Action Teams can collaborate.
Unified Outreach – Unified Outreach will use Boost grant funds to expand their website to include updatable news/blog pages. This new portion of the website will act as a hub for local artists and youth interested in participating in their charity’s programs.
Urban Financial Services Coalition – UFSC Puget Sound Chapter will upgrade their website by adding the capability of managing their contacts, connect with volunteers and to better interact with the community at-large. They will be adding features such as a Community Talk link that will connect with government, exploring the use of Constant Contact to manage volunteer hours, and creating both volunteer and blog portals
Read more about the Seattle Communities Online Project, Neighborhoods on the Net, and access training materials and resources at http://www.seattle.gov/communitiesonline/