The digital book Tarikna is an amazing journey for readers and for its 14 youth authors from Eritrea, Somalia and Ethiopia.  Tarikna was produced through a combined English literacy and digital media program by the YTech Program at the Metrocenter YMCA of Seattle with the Seattle Public Library and Horn of Africa Services. For the 14 exceptional participants, the first parts of their journeys are the stories they share in Tarikna of leaving their home countries to come to the U.S.  The second journey was the process of improving their English reading and writing skills and digital media production skills through the program.  The stories have been published through the PugetSoundOff.org youth civic engagement web site that the City of Seattle supports.

Every Tuesday and Thursday for three months the East African youth immigrants and refugees met at the Seattle Public Library Central Branch for reading and writing exercises, followed by a technology component in the YTech computer lab.

During the English literacy program the youth:
1) drafted a college admissions essay, 2) read “The Translator” by Daoud Hari, created a resume, 3) attended a resume critique event with professionals from Boeing, Microsoft, and Slalom Consulting, 4) wrote a short essay about their experiences in immigrating from Africa to the United States, and lastly 5) created a Digital Book containing their stories which can now be viewed online at
www.pugetsoundoff.org/tarikna.

The program wasn’t all hard work. In addition to completing the rigorous requirements of the English literacy program, the youth also practiced photography skills, toured the Seattle Art Museum and met with attorneys in the board room at Ryan, Swanson, and Cleveland’s law office in Downtown Seattle to learn about potential legal careers.

Thanks to Aaron Curtis for his work on this program. You can read more about the YTech’s programs here.

Puget Sound Off is supported in part by the City of Seattle Community Technology Program with funding from Comcast.

Peter Gishuru, Yohannes Beshi and ACPNW intern Ida Goitem with students at the lab.

Peter Gishuru, the President and CEO of the African Chamber of Commerce of the Pacific Northwest (ACCPNW), was talking with a recent immigrant from Kenya, who complained of not knowing how to operate a computer. “I do not even have email,” he said. Unable to find employment, this man wanted to volunteer at a local senior center, even though manning the front desk, and thus the computer, would pose a dreaded task. Like him, many African immigrants and refugees struggle with a notable lack of computer skills.

To address this gap the African Chamber of Commerce received funds from the Technology Matching Fund to implement a computer literacy program at the Center for East African Community Affairs (CEACA). Located in the Rainier Beach United Methodist Church, CEACA maintains a 15-unit computer lab that is fully equipped with Internet access, is wheelchair accessible, and offers daycare facilities for families. Centrally located and easily accessible by public transportation, Rainier Beach is an ideal location to offer computer classes to its 300 members.

The program successfully launched in November. Classes are held on Saturdays and begin with time to share coffee and doughnuts to create a welcoming environment. Volunteers work with students to teach a variety of skills, ranging from computer basics to learning how to conduct a job search online and using social media. In addition to helping students gain technology skills, a key goal for Peter and Yohannes Beshi, executive director at the CEACA is to create the instructional, practical and administrative organization necessary to continue classes beyond the life of this grant.

For more information on the project contact Peter Gishuru.

Congratulations to LIHI graduate, Tekle Haggos, at the Bart Harvey in the Cascade Neighborhood.

Low Income Housing Institute’s Computer Technology and Job Search Training program is on the move. With support this year from the Technology Matching Fund and the Solid Ground MLK AmeriCorps/VISTA program, LIHI has expanded this project from a small pilot to a growing program serving residents at nine housing sites.

The program offers homeless, formerly homeless and low-income individuals opportunities to increase their employability and career advancement options through a highly individualized computer technology and job search training program. Volunteers, including students from Western Washington University’s Extended Programs and Woodring College of Education, work with refugee and US-born tenants on technology literacy goals set by the residents themselves, including computer basics and typing, completing online employment applications and searching for community resources online. During weekly one-on-one sessions, volunteers emphasize practicing computer technology skills so that participants are able to independently use computer technology after they graduate from the program.

Thirty-five residents have engaged in this volunteer-powered program so far, each gaining between 10 and 20 one-on-one hours of instruction and practice and graduating with pride in meeting their technology literacy goals and new found confidence.

For more information on the project, contact LIHI’s Community Engagement and Advocacy Manager, Ania Beszterda-Alyson.

Deadline: March 4, 2013

Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn visits the ECS computer center during the Ethiopian New Year.

The Ethiopian Community in Seattle (ECS) serves all persons of Ethiopian origin by providing help to those in need,  and empowers them to live productive lives.   With support from the Technology Matching Fund last year, the organization revitalized their computer lab.   When asked to reflect on the impact of the grant, Computer Center Coordinator Tefera Gulelat shared these comments:

What were the greatest successes of your project?

“The ECS computer center has become an invaluable resource for large number of low income people in their quest to learn new technology and to better themselves. They surf the internet for job search, tutorial services, homework help, research their class projects and engaging their friends through social media. It is really heartening to see a good number of senior citizens frequenting our facility.”

What were your most difficult challenges?

“We were challenged in several fronts when we tried to procure our native Amharic language word processor. The lack of standards in their encoding (ASCII or Unicode) scheme, compatibility with various operating systems and the varying cost made it harder for us to choose among several competing vendors. There was also an issue of finding proficient volunteers in the chosen Amharic word processor. After contacting various Ethiopian individuals and organizations, with its known compatibility issues, we settled on the ‘Power Geez’ Amharic word processor.

The other challenge was getting a firm commitment from our various volunteers and keeping them engaged for the duration of the project. We have found that counting mainly on volunteers to teach fixed classes or run core activities will lead to disappointed customers. We had to cancel classes and activities during the volunteer’s absence. To mitigate these shortcomings, we reverted back to using hired hands for tutorials, computer class instructions and computer resource center management.”

Tell us about an individual who participated in this project. 

“Mr. Bosna is a 54 year old immigrant from Ethiopia who recently arrived here in Seattle. He had never used a computer before he walked to our center. He was unemployed at the time and looking for help in acquiring a skill to apply for a job.  He subsequently attended two rounds of our computer training classes. He learned how to use the Microsoft office productivity programs. He was also taught how to write in his native language, Amharic, using the Amharic word processor. He was able to prepare his own resume and edit it any time he wants.  He createsd his own email account and sends out electronic messages. He has since applied for several jobs online by attaching his resume.

“The computer center has also become indispensable for several low income families that include a family of six that arrived here in Seattle recently.  The parents brought their children for after school programs, for homework help, research and to use the computer for general purpose. We were thankful for giving a  helping hand to those with limited resources.”

Although the grant officially ended in December, the ECS computer center continues to offer beginning computer classes, ESL, homework help and resume and online job assistance. For more information contact Tefera Gulelat at tefera_gulelat@yahoo.com or visit ecseattle.org.

We are offering workshops and now accepting applications from community and neighborhood groups for the 2013 Technology Matching Fund.  Applications are due March 4.  Attend a workshop and learn more about the program and how to apply for a grant. First-time applicants are encouraged to attend. These grants provide up to $20,000 for projects that increase technology literacy and access or projects which use information technology to build community and diverse participation online. Applicant organizations must be non-profits or ad-hoc, be in Seattle and applying for projects focused on reaching Seattle communities.

Workshop to learn more:

Wednesday, Feb 6, 10am – 12pm
2100 Building at
2100 24th Ave S
http://www.seattle.gov/tech/calendar/default.htm#/?i=1

More information is also available at seattle.gov/tech/tmf/

See a list of the 2012 projects at seattle.gov/tech/tmf/Projects2012.htm

View all City grant opportunities at seattle.gov/grants

• Joint Technology Matching Fund and Neighborhood Matching Fund Workshop, January 17, 6:00 to 7:30 at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center
• Ask the Mayor, January 23, 7:00 to 8:00 PM on Seattle Channel
• Inclusive Gigabit Libraries Forum, January 24, 10:30 to noon at Hyatt at Olive 8
• Catch Some (Air)Waves: An Information Session on Low Power Community Radio, January 24, 1:00 at Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center

Read more about these events and other stories of community and technology interest at Brainstorm.Seattle.gov

Seattle World School student reads poetry to practice English.  Photo by Nancy Peterfreund.

Jack Straw Productions, a multidisciplinary audio arts center in the University District, has been providing hands-on language and technology training to Vietnamese, Spanish and Amharic speaking youth at the Seattle World School, a public school for newcomers to the United States.

With support from the Technology Matching Fund in 2011, Jack Straw implemented a new writing, performance, and technology project with Seattle World School and the Vietnamese Friendship Association.  In this project, Vietnamese high school students worked with Jack Straw’s professional writers, vocal coaches, and audio engineers to write, perform, and record their own poetry.

The project grew out of Vietnamese Friendship Association’s concerns that their students were very shy and had difficulty speaking English in front of each other.  Jack Straw sent two actors/vocal coaches to the school twice a week to work with students in small groups reading out loud, with special attention to difficult sounds. As the students’ abilities and confidence in reading out loud began to grow, Jack Straw writers began working with the students to help with their writing and to build their English language skills by encouraging their creativity and giving the students a chance to play with the language. Listen to the student’s recording here.

Jack Straw also provided a flash drama PSA project called “Health Talk” at Seattle World School. Community partners included International Community Health Services and Refugee Women’s Alliance. The project provided literacy, technology, and school curriculum content support working with writers, actors, and audio engineers. Amharic and Spanish students learned about health and well being from an ICHS health care provider and assistant and applied that learning to produce PSAs in English. ICHS staff went over health topics and provided some information about how they can affect your overall wellbeing. The “Health Talk” PSAs are available here.

For more information about the project, contact Joan Rabinowitz at joan@jackstraw.org

FCC Commissioner Rosenworcel commented on the importance of developing policies to increase women and minority representation in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) jobs. According to the Commissioner, women currently occupy less than 25% and Hispanic/Latino and African Americans occupy only 6% of STEM jobs.  This is extremely important because STEM jobs are the fastest growing in our economy.

The Committee also heard from the Connect2Compete Program (C2C). According to C2C, 100 million Americans do not get broadband at home and 66 million Americans lack digital literacy. In addition to cost and digital literacy, C2C cited the lack of perceived relevance as an additional barrier to broadband adoption. C2C’s goal is to work with 10 cable operators in 20 states and community groups to bring Internet connections priced at $9.95 (for 2 years), $ 150 refurbished computers and digital literacy training to 500,000 students in 1,000 schools. During a two-month pilot in San Diego, 9% (819) of those eligible received discounted Internet service and 612 families bought computers through the program.

The Diversity Committee is also:

• Discussing research indicating that the number of minorities in radio and television has remained static or is declining. The Diversity Committee expects to collect data from the largest 20 telecom firms, largest 20 media companies and largest 20 high tech firms to gain a better understanding of the extent of minority representation in those fields.
• Sponsoring a study to learn about what barriers exist to minority ownership in media and what effect those barriers have on how minorities access critical information, such as emergency information and news related to healthcare, education, the environment and civic life. For example: is the media ecosystem providing Latinas with adequate information about cervical cancer and if not, could that be related to a lack of minority media ownership?
• Working to develop a report on specific market barriers to entry for minorities in media and technology jobs and look at potential market-based incentives to increase hiring of women and minorities.
• Studying the entrepreneurial opportunities created by unlicensed spectrum such as Wi-Fi. They are planning a workshop to raise the educational awareness level of minority entrepreneurs, women and small business owners to better understand the value proposition of unlicensed spectrum and hear best practices from those with experience on how to get new products and services to the market.

For more information on the FCC’s Diversity Committee work, visit FCC’s Committee for Diversity in the Digital Age or contact Tony Perez at tony.perez@seattle.gov.  You can also watch the October 3, 2012 meeting here. The Committee’s next meeting is in January 2013 at the FCC offices in Washington DC.

The Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC) helps chronically homeless adults gain the skills they need in order to obtain and maintain employment, providing them with economic well-being, productivity and self-accomplishment.

Case managers and volunteers work with each client to address issues holding them back, like chronic homelessness, no high school diploma, mental illness, disability, and/or chemical dependency. DESC also works with employers within the community, such as Metropolitan Improvement District and Princess Tours, who are willing to work with and employ DESC clients, helping them achieve job longevity and success.

With support from the TMF in 2011, DESC has been able to take great strides in eliminating existing barriers that prevent homeless adults from securing and retaining livable wage jobs and stable, affordable housing. DESC was able to update the computer labs at the 216 Drop-In Center. Clients enrolled in their Connections program produced up-to-date resumes, cover letters, master applications and search for jobs online and master interview skills. Through the course of the grant, DESC helped more than 1400 clients.

The effects of Connections programming are noticeable, especially in clients like “Joe Smith.” When Joe arrived at Connections, he had recently lost his job and his unemployment compensation had quickly run out. Fortunately, he was a skilled welder and with a Connections focus, guidance and accessible computer lab, he was able to find work quickly. However, with most of his paychecks being spent on hotel stays, he lacked the ability to stabilize his housing situation. He returned to Connections, this time in search of financial guidance. He and his case manager created an action plan that included DESC’s free overnight shelter service, a monthly budget, savings account, and they set a date for when Joe could start looking for stable housing with his case manager. Within two months, and with only a couple of setbacks, Joe was a proud resident of his own apartment.

Case managers, volunteers and access to technology all made this process a bit smoother for Joe and many other folks with similar stories. For more information on this project, contact Jen Bliss.