Sharing a bit about something I am looking forward to getting involved more and more with in the coming months in Chicago.
This sliced up extraction is taken from something the amazing Michael Maranda put together to challenge us to get involved in launching a collective for digital access and community benefits:
We're here to get down to brass tacks. What is needed, in practical terms?
We already have some of what we need through our informal network of
organizations and concerned citizens ... and it's up to us to connect more
effectively, in the absence of appropriate level of funding/community
investment from public and private sector.
We have no choice but to step up, 'cause if we don't we'll have fallen much
further behind and given up too much of what we value.
Organizations need space, staff, volunteers.
People need effective organizations with the above resources, safe spaces
for civic discourse on any and every issue they want to pursue, and networks of
opportunities and mentors to help map the paths to these opportunities.
We need streams of equipment that we can pump through refurbishing programs
... (and where equipment no longer of use can be recycled in an environmentally
sound manner).
We need public institutions dedicated to addressing these problems
aggressively and accountably.
The terms of what we need: space, staff, volunteers, equipment, skills ...
are clear. Let's map what we have and what we need and see if we can match
together what we've already got collectively. Let's figure out how we can
invest in efforts that we can share ...
There are many things that each of our organizations re-invents because
we're going it alone while a collective investment of many in a common resource
will produce something of greater and more lasting value, making all of us more
organically connected and more individually viable.
Thursday, September 14 there will be a meeting convened by CTCNet Chicago at
the Pui Tak Center (Noon) - we're going to take this opportunity in the history
of Chicago as our moment in the Movement for Digital Literacy, Access &
Opportunity.
The bottom line is were taking the future in our collective hands.
You have my personal invitation to this meeting.
Spread the word. Whether you have a CTC or Technology Learning Center or are trying to
form one or just want to support the movement in a meaningful way....
Regards to all,
MM
Please see:
http://www.digitalaccessalliance.org/
http://www.ctcnetchicago.org/