Oh, The Things We Can Accomplish Together!

Well, what do you know? Stephanie has taken the time again to help me log into the Soci 273 Blog. I am sure that it comes as know surprise to those of you who know Stephanie that she took the time again to help me log into the blog and this brings me to the point that I would like to make about the course, volunteer opportunities and the people that we come in contact with throughout the course of our lives. It is not possible for us to live our lives without each other. We both need and rely on one another in more ways than we can possibly imagine.

I began my volunteer experience with the Family Violence Prevention Center of Orange County (FVPCOC or FVPC) during the their Fall 2005 volunteer training. The training period at that time consisted of about 35 hours with a couple of shadowing shifts to complete the training period. At that time, the volunteer opportunities at FVPC were hotline advocates, child care providers, court advocates, community educators, support group facilitators and office assistants. The training took place on evenings and weekends and I think that made it possible for those who worked and those who attended classes during the day to attend trainings. Since the center is located in the college town of Chapel Hill, it is my understanding that it is a bit challenging to attract volunteers who are not students. I was not a student at UNC at the time I began the training. Although University of North Carolina at Chapel students and interns provide invaluable time and service to the agency, it is important for the agency to recruit volunteers who are not students as the agency must remain operational during the times of year when students are on holiday breaks.

The Family Violence Prevention Center of Orange County provides "free and confidential services in English and Spanish to adults and children who may be experiencing emotional, physical, and sexual abuse in their personal relationships" (http://fvpcoc.org/whoweare.shtml.
Their mission is to prevent and end domestic violence through direct services and community education. They could not do this work without the help of volunteers and interns like us. The services provided are:

24-Hour Toll Free Hotline
Emotional Support
Crisis counseling (in office and on hotline)
Safety Planning
Emergency Shelter Placement
Support Groups (English and Spanish) with free childcare
911 cell phones and voicemail boxes
Help with Domestic Violence Protective Orders
Civil and criminal court accompaniment and advocacy
Community advocacy and resource referrals

It would not be possible for the agency to provide the free and confidential services that it provides without the help and support of the volunteers that it trains and supports throughout the volunteer experience. Much like Dr. Blau and Rafael do when teaching and supporting students in Soci 273 and Soci 290 courses, FVPC is able to carry out its mission to prevent and end family violence through direct services and community education by recruiting, teaching and training new volunteers each semester.

I began co-facilitating support groups at FVPC in December 2007. I continued to co-facilitate the weekly drop-in support group for my Soci 273 apples service. I began co-facilitating the weekly drop-in group after a number of months completing day time hotline advocate shifts. For me, the work is extremely rewarding and powerful. When I engage with a client at FVPC or when I practice effective listening in general, all that is left in the interaction is our common humanity. Being there, witnessing and being present for someone who has experienced any kind of abuse based on who they are validates them as human beings and provides a safe space for them to share their negative and hurtful experiences. It is meaningful to me to take the steps that I can take to make the world a safer place for women and children. Soci 273 and FVPC create and provide opportunities that make it possible for me to do that.

I work full-time here at UNC and I did not get to spend time at the Humans Rights Center or in the space Dr. Blau and the rest of the class created for the Latino/a children who live at Abbey Court. Although it did not happen this semester, I am so completely inspired by the creation of the space and the work that you all did there that I plan to sort out a way to spend time in Abbey Court on an on-going basis. I will continue to volunteer at FVPC as a support group co-facilitator and perhaps there will be a way to take my love of spending time in that manner to Abbey Court.

Abbey Court Learning Center

During my time in Sociology 273, I have learned a lot about cultural identity and how important it is for immigrants to not completely assimilate into American culture. I feel that it is absolutely tragic for an immigrant to enter the United States and completely forget who they are and where they came from. People should continue to practice their own traditions and adhere to the customs of their own people. While working for the Abbey Court Learning Center, I have learned a lot about the importance of diversity and how important it is for people to continue to observe their cultures. That is why I am so excited for participating in Las Posadas. Las Posadas is a nine day Spanish holiday tradition that celebrates Mary and Joseph’s trek around Bethlehem searching for a place to rest and give birth to Jesus Christ. At Abbey Court, we will be having an end of semester get together to celebrate the completion of the course, and most importantly, to see the kids one last time before the holidays. While tutoring at Abbey Court I have built a connection with the children and have looked forward to seeing them every Thursday when I volunteer. They have taught me a lot about their own cultures. After their math homework is finished, I often ask them to teach me some something about them, most often in the form of a brief Spanish lesson. My goal is to reduce the size of the table that separates our cultures from interacting at a deeper level.

What I take away from my experience in Sociology 273 is that human rights include more than just the right to freedom. It includes the right to a proper education, housing, food, and much more. I have learned that it also includes the right to cherish whatever culture it is that people have grown up in. Humans have no right to force people of other cultures to assimilate into the large society and give up their own traditions. Also, as a result of the increase in telecommunications and the World Wide Web, humans are now able to communicate and interact with a much wider scope of people. Therefore it is very important now, more than ever, to respect other peoples cultures and heritages.

Family Center of Northern Durham

For my service-learning project, I volunteered at the Family Center of Northern Durham, which is a bilingual preschool.  The mission of the organization is to “support families and to foster children’s healthy development and learning by partnering with parents to develop leadership support networks, provide services that respond to the changing needs of families and communities, and facilitate collaboration of and access to community resources.”  In sum, their goal is to “meet the needs of the families in the northern part of Durham County.” The preschool’s enrollees have come mostly from the northern part of Durham County and the southern part of Person County.   Some services offered are Friday play mornings and a wide variety of education and fun activities. The Center also partners with a Durham Literacy Center, which holds English teaching classes.

When I began volunteering at the preschool, it was in a state of decline.  Funds were running out, few children were enrolled, and staff members were not getting paid.  It was clear that they needed to make some changes. During the time I spent at the Center I helped to achieve many things.  I reorganized the library, played with the children, developed marketing tools, rewrote a vague mission statement, brainstormed recruitment ideas to attract a diverse clientele, and further defined job descriptions for the staff members.  Moreover, I was able to help reduce their financial risk by searching for grant opportunities. 

As this course was my first real introduction to human rights, the service-learning project, along with the class project, really helped to inform my understanding of the importance and applicability of the concept.  Like those two gentlemen who came in to speak about their experiences of leaving Mexico and starting a life in America, I had encounters with people who were going through very similar situations.  The language barriers were certainly an issue, signifying the importance of the Durham Literacy Center and the educational classes it offers.  I also had the chance to sit on some of the Board meetings, where new ideas and strategies were discussed.  Behind everything that was said was the underlying thought and concern about how the families would be affected.  A place truly for the families, the Center provides people who otherwise would not be involved in the community an awesome opportunity to participate.   Aside from community involvement, there were other rights that the Center helped to achieve for families, including, but not limited to, the right to respect and protection of family, right to adequate standards of living, and right to social assistance.  While I have been a part of many volunteering projects in the past, I have always focused on productivity and sustainability of an organization and never thought in terms of human rights and how those were or were not being met.  Through my service-learning project, I now have a greater understanding and appreciation for these rights that are often taken for granted.  

NCHICA

As an intern at the North Carolina Healthcare Information and Communications Alliance (NCHICA) in Raleigh, NC, I have had the opportunity to take part in a large initiative to promote the adoption of health information technology. Since NHICA is a non-profit, governmental organization, it advocates for policy and legislation changes to improve the quality and access of healthcare through technology. My work with NCHICA encompassed a variety of tasks; however, my primary goal was to present an efficient strategic planning process that could aid NCHICA in their most recent push to promote health information exchange (HIE) systems. Through extensive market research, I was able to aid in the creation of a final strategic planning proposal that NCHICA will use in the following quarter to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of its processes. The market research component of the project included over 50 interviews which were conducted with upper-level personnel in similar non-profit, governmental organization. Although my work was business related, I indirectly supported the desired human right of healthcare in the North Carolina. My work was extremely challenging yet rewarding at the same time, and it was most certainly one of the most invaluable experiences I have had in my college career.

If anybody is interested in being a part of NCHICA, you can visit the website at www.nchica.org. The staff at NCHICA is extremely accommodating and enthusiastic!

Next Semester Work to Ratify CEDAW in Chapel Hill

As the semester closes, I want to make sure that a project we discussed this past semester does not get lost or forgotten. We spoke to Donna Bickford with the Carolina Women's Center about getting Chapel Hill to ratify CEDAW. We discussed making this a second semester project, but I think it's important that we don't loose sight of the significance of the movement.

Progress in the US has been seen within the US Senate when, last July, the Senate took action on the treaty. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted the treaty favorably out of committee with bipartisan support. It will go back to the committee for approval before consideration by the full Senate, where approval will require a two-thirds vote.

Just as a background, there are several examples of how CEDAW has made a really significant and tangible impact on women’s lives in countries where it has been ratified. In Turkey, for example, CEDAW was used to rescind a government policy that forced female students to undergo exams for chastity. In Tanzania, the High Court cited CEDAW in striking down a law that prevented women from inheriting land from their fathers. In Colombia, courts have cited CEDAW in their rulings to provide legal recourse to female victims of domestic violence. The state now ensures protection for all such women. India’s ratification of CEDAW was followed by an increase in girls’ education.

Many of the issues we see in these countries don't seem applicable to the issues in the United States, but the significance of getting CEDAW ratified here in the US is essential to taking a stand against atrocities against women worldwide. A strong U.S. voice and influence are essential to help halt sexual trafficking of women, to bring women into the economic mainstream, and to ensure that all girls and women have access to education and health care. The United States has much to offer as new democracies look for guidance on how to bring women’s rights into the 21st century. The United States can work with other countries through the CEDAW Committee to make women full economic and political contributors.

The Carolina Women's Center is looking into taking this project on next semester, along with the help of several student groups, and if you're interested in joining in the efforts, please contact Dr. Donna Bickford at dbickford@unc.edu.

Madres Para Ninos

Madres Para Ninos
○ Help Mom with sense of isolation because survey showed that parents did not have contact if a emergency occurred. This program will develop a social network for the mothers at Abbey Court.
○ Experience at School: There will be 10 sessions that will help the women understand the development of the child. This will show them how to be create learning experiences for the child through being resourceful and not spending money. For example, create a book form pictures at home. The program will also help them set up procedures and standards at home to reinforce the procedures and standards that are learned in the school. The facilitator will start discussion to help them learn form each other's experiences with their children.
○ This is a test trial so for the first session there will only be mothers with children in pre-school. This will start a month before school starts and 6 weeks after.
○ Ideas we discussed: providing child care (maybe doing it on Sat. or Sun. while children are playing soccer or providing childcare in the rear room in the learning center [potential noise problem])

Another Human Rights Experience

Hey yall!

I wanted to share with yall another blog - http://maristsouthafrica.blogspot.com/2008_05_01_archive.html

One of my friends (sociology major) went to South Africa this past summer. This is their classes amazing blog. If you get a second check it out because it has some incredible pictures that truly captures what it looks like to provide human rights to those that need it the most!

Update on Pittsboro Habitat Community Organizing

Hey guys...wanted to give an update on the Pittsboro Habitat community organizing project Chelsey and I have been working on. A quick summary -- we are rebuilding the East Cornwallis Neighborhood entranceway sign, which was destroyed during a storm over a year ago. We are also planning a kick-off celebration that will include the mayor, press, and refreshments.

A lot of of the design decisions were given to me and Chelsey. For the main portion of the sign that will say "East Cornwallis Neighborhood" we decided to go with a cedar wood slab. It is pictured below:



The wood is a red cedar, that Herman Hart in Bear Creek cut using a chain saw. He cut the last slab used in the previous sign. The wood is stronger and better quality than what was used in the previous sign. Today we had the slab delivered to Dave Pendergrast at Northwood High School. Him and his class will be carving the letters into the slab and assisting with installation.

We are also working on other aesthetically inviting options for the entranceway. This includes a brick buildup around both pillars and shrubbery around the sign. Our goal is to have flower boxes inside the brick pillars. We are currently working to get plant donations from a number of local nurseries.

Last week we worked with some of the neighborhood children in sanding down the usable parts of the old sign (posts and bottom portion). The kids enjoyed helping out with this and are anxious to help with the painting as well.

We are also working on getting the mayor and press to our kickoff event which will be in December. This will be a community celebration with refreshments. That is it for now, but i will keep you posted as to when the sign is completed and the celebration date.

Rights for the Elderly

My apples project is not on the normal class list, but still very applicable to the topics discussed in class. Many of the people that live in the home where I volunteer are unable to stand up for themselves and rely on the honesty and dependability of the staff to care for them. In fact, several of the residents don't have any family at all and their well being is completely dependent on the quality of care at the facility. I have noticed quite a bit of disrespect on the part of the nurses aids, and it really bothers me. I'm not sure what can be done, as I don't want to rub anyone the wrong way or cause trouble. I am quite sure it is frustrating to work somewhere like that, where you are constantly needed to help someone use the restroom or bathe, but I also feel like everyone deserves respect. Regardless of age or physical/mental ability, nobody should be ignored or disrespected, especially when they are in a vulnerable state.

Human Rights Video

I found this pretty cool documentary on YouTube that helps to define 'Human Rights'. It's pretty surprising how hard it is for people to define this. It also gives the history of human rights and how the idea originated. Here's the link... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ot8YGiRtB7U ...check it out and think about it.

Tuesday Volunteer at AC (Needs Help)

Hey everyone! I am a Tuesday volunteer at Abbey Court. I have never been on any other days to tutor, but for some reason Tuesday's at the center are always packed. Last Tuesday we have over ten kids and only three tutors. If any of you all have some time on Tuesdays please try and stop by the center, because we could definitely use the extra help on Tuesdays.

Also I know last class we discussed grants for Abbey Court. I spoke with Mrs. Nancy on Tuesday and she has some great things to add to our list. A white board (great for doing math problems and being able to see the problems easier), light (lamps) for the back rooms, and dictionaries (they have been checking them out from the local library).

CORRECTION: Seoul Train Documentary

I just found out that the documentary will be showing on Tuesday (11/10) at 7:30 in Manning 209, NOT in Murhphey 116. Sorry about that!

--Liz Vigus

Seoul Train Documentary

Hey guys,
I'm pasting in some info I got in an email about a documentary that will be showing this Tuesday (11/10) at 7:30 in Murphey 116. It looks really interesting, and it involves an underground operation to help oppressed people escape from North Korea. Representatives from an NGO LiNK (Liberty in North Korea) are doing this to raise awareness of the human rights and refugee crisis in North Korea. Read below for more info on the organization and the documentary!

--Liz Vigus

A few students have joined together, with the sponsorship of the campus club Invisible Children, to bring representatives of the NGO called LiNK to campus in order to shed light on the human rights and refugee crisis in Northern Korea. On November 10th at 7:30pm in 116 Murphy we are hosting a short screening of a documentary film called Seoul Train to help educate the UNC student body on the growing crisis in North Korea.

Here are a few details about the organization LiNK (Liberty in North Korea)
and the Documentary: LiNK, or Liberty in North Korea, is a U.S. based
international NGO devoted to the North Korean human rights and refugee
crisis. LiNK protects North Koreans where they can be reached, advocating
for their human rights. In the field, LiNK maintains a network of shelters
to protect refugees who are in hiding in China and Southeast Asia. The
organization operates underground, helping to bring refugees to safe
countries. In the US and South Korea the "Liberty House" program assists
newly resettled refugees. Protection officers and staff spend extensive
time meeting with North Korean refugees to document their stories and share
them with the world. LiNK believes in the influence of the grassroots and
realizes that change may only come about through international attention
and the conscious action of global citizens.  More information about LiNK
can be found here: http://www.linkglobal.org/

Seoul Train: With its riveting footage from the secretive Underground
Railroad of Asia, "Seoul Train" is a gripping documentary that exposes the
life and death of North Koreans as they try to escape their homeland and
China. Created in China and inspired by the 19th Century Underground
Railroad that saved over 30,000 slaves, up to 300,000 North Korean refugees
today are trying to escape through a similar network of routes in China and
Southeast Asia. Come and discover how you can take part in the today's
modern Underground Railroad and be responsible for rescuing those who have
been oppressed.

For more information about the documentary please see the official website
here: http://www.seoultrain.com/

I was assigned to follow the Environmental Advisory Board (EAB) and how it interacts with Carrboro’s other sectors of government and of course the board’s perception, awareness and stance(s) on human rights. The EAB meets every first Thursday of the month in Carrboro’s Town Hall. The fist available meeting I could have attended ended up being cancelled so I spent that time researching the board’s previous activity through Carrboro’s official town website. It seems that in the past the board has been used as a go-to group when the larger umbrella of the Carrboro government wants to make a decision concerning environmental issues. However, according to most recent meeting minutes it seems the group has been more “proactive” in setting their own agenda especially concerning the newly founded Carrboro open space behind the Spotted Dog on Main Street. Another thing that seemed consistent throughout the minutes was the lack of consistent involvement from members. It is not a judgment just an observation--most minutes have most board members listed as absent. It will be interesting to see how this factor affects the overall group and its agenda as the semester proceeds.

The first meeting I got to attend was interesting. There were few attendees however the meeting was very structured and seemed rather formal (e.g., calling to order, adjourning, handouts, etc.). There was an interesting presentation on the Transition Model. This was a new concept for me. What I learned is that there is apparently an entire model built that communities in the UK are implementing to help themselves better adjust to climate change and other issues such as peak oil. As I am writing this now, I realized that the meeting was fairly specific. That is to say, there were some technical terms used such as peak oil and alternative energies that without my prior background knowledge of environmental science and climate change related issues I would not have been able to follow the discussion as clearly.

A topic that came up in the meeting that seems the most human rights oriented was the overall theme and perspective the group took on understanding how they might implement the Transition Model used in the UK in Carrboro. The general take away of the meeting was that the board’s focus was on empowering the community through the realm of adapting alternative energies and education on climate change. The focus of empowerment and less towards educating is what seemed human rights oriented. According to my interpretation of this, in a perfect world, the board would want everyone in the town’s vicinity to be educated on these topics. Realistically though, I wonder how this might happen. It seems as though the more “privileged” people in Carrboro are the ones able to access this education (e.g, people who go to events at the Carrboro Open Space). Lastly, it seems there is a lot of collaboration with the EBA and other environmental activist groups in surrounding towns such as NC Powerdown and BALLE. It will be interesting to observe how the advisory board chooses to interact with these groups around the emerging idea of using the Transition Model in Carrboro. This thursday is the next environmental group meeting that I will be attending.

Leaf light

So we have moved on from creating a database to creating a survey that we will ask the farmers markets in order to sign them up for accepting the food stamp program. This is a complicated and intense endeavor because we must get certain questions answered that the application calls for, the organization has their own questions they want answered and then we have to make sure we follow all research procedures determined by the IRB. It has taken us about 2 weeks to get to this point.

We are starting to discuss what phone calls will be like and doing practice calls with our script in order to secure effective phone calls. The hardest part of this is working with everyone's schedules (within our group) and fitting the interviewees schedules into our calls. There are a lot of "what if's" but the group is eager to being this new phase. It is also nice when we meet each week for lunch and break bread. It's a nice time to debrief on all the individual work we've done that week

What to do with Teacher Workdays

Hi Everyone,

I wanted to speak about the Teacher Workdays that frequently happen in the Chapel Hill CArrboro School system and during our time in volunteering at A.C.
I noticed that when there is a Teacher Workday we close the center, and are not expected to go to the center and tutor because the kids are not expected to show up. I see this as a potential downfall of our efforts to instill self-determination and motivation in reading and writing. I do believe students should enjoy their day off, but from 3-6pm we should still report to the center. We do not have to work on homework and reading as intensely as we would during the regular school day, but maybe doing a Spelling Bee, or Academic Bowl with math games, or Reading Circle, Story Time. Any activities of that sort, we have to make sure taht we are encouraging reading and writing consistently. We should start teaching them now how to use time off from school effectively, so when breaks such as Winter Break, Spring Break, and Summer come around they know that this time is not all FREE time, and they should find productive, yet fun activities to do as well.

So, for future reference: I am not sure when the next Teacher Workday will be but when it comes up we should advertise that the center is indeed still open and we will be doing a special activity. Maybe with snack and drinks provided, so more kids will come up.

Also, what do you all think about going in on Friday afternoons to do some "special activities" (spelling bees, academic bowls, reading circles) for prizes?

Maybe we can do it like the last two weeks of the semester.

Let me know what you think about this so we can start planning.

Danielle Staggers

Re: Mentoring

I completely agree with you about our jobs as supportive mentors. Every time I work with a new student on their homework I have to stop them from insulting their own intelligence, "I can't do this, I'm stupid." Or they don't want to read in front of me because they know they have an accent. I don't know who lets them get away with this kind of talk or how much they actually believe it, but I always address it because I want them all to be confident students.

"Mentoring" at A.C. (not just tutoring)

Last week at AC, after completing all their school work I took my students (Emily and Kelly) out to enjoy some fresh air. There were a few boys playing soccer so I got Emily and Kelly to join in the fun-although they didn't know a lot about the sport they had a great time playing.Half way through Emily got discouraged about her playing abilities but I kept encouraging her to play and would pass her the ball every time so that she didn't feel left out. Although this situation was minor it reminded me how important it is for us to act as mentors and as tutors for these kids...giving them the resources and support they need to believe in themselves and enjoy life will make them do better in school, sports, etc. I'm sure many of us had mentors or people who encouraged us along the way so it is important for us to do the same.

Wireless Internet in Abbey Court Project Update

Technology without Borders (which started an adult computer literacy program for University employees. It matches student volunteers with employees who want to improve their computer skills) is working toward getting wireless internet service in Abbey Court. They finished their first grant for funding (Sea Graves Grant Application). They were very hands on with their committee members, inviting all of their members to take part in creating the best grant possible to ensure that they received the funds. They are now waiting to hear back as far as I know (from the Community Grants Committee). Tech without Borders is also working with Digital Literacy Committee and Project Homeless Connect. They have been invited by SITCH (formerly HOPE through the Campus Y) to join forces.

Tech without Borders Justification:
“Despite the relative affluence of the Chapel Hill/Carrboro, NC area, many of our neighbors remain stuck on the disconnected side of the digital divide, without regular access to a computer in their home, no options for affordable internet service, and a lack of training on how computers can have meaningful use for their individual circumstances. While non-profit and municipal organizations have worked to address different facets of this problem, their efforts have often fallen short of their objectives. The fundamental reason for this is the chicken-and-egg problem of computers, internet access, and digital literacy training: having access to any one or two of these is largely useless without the third. Our project attacks this problem all three fronts, with computer donations to families in need, digital literacy training for those families, and the development of a community wireless network to provide low-cost internet access comprising a holistic, community-based approach of closing the digital divide among low- and no-income groups. We have identified in our area a community that faces these issues acutely, Abbey Court. This apartment complex is home to some of the poorest residents of Carrboro, largely Latino immigrants or Burmese refugees. Unemployment is rife, and all too often the residents face racial discrimination without any real means of recourse. We hope that our project will not only prove instructive to the Internet community’s efforts to close the digital divide, but also serve to ameliorate some of the suffering faced by this community by connecting them—both literally and figuratively—to the opportunities the Internet can provide.”

Objective:
The primary objective of this project is to serve as a pilot project for equipping low-income communities in our area and across the U.S. with internet connectivity, computers, and the necessary training to utilize digital technology. We will be using the ISOC grant to provide free or low-cost internet connectivity for the community of Abbey Court (Carrboro, NC) and build the organizational framework and expertise needed to replicate the project throughout Orange County. The combination of internet connectivity, donated computers, and training preformed by volunteers will allow our clients to more effectively communicate with friends and family, work on homework, and search for jobs, in addition to more easing engagement with local government and access local health services. We also seek to develop a better understanding of usage patterns, attitudes to technology and technology service projects, and best practices for ICT-related projects in low-income communities.

Method:

TWB will solicit donations of used computers from area businesses and individuals. TWB volunteers, many of whom are experienced with refurbishing computers for donation, will ensure the machines work properly, load the appropriate software onto the machine (currently planning to use Ubuntu), and prepare the machines to be used in a client’s living room. Our digital literacy workshop subcommittee will coordinate an application process for distributing these machines, as well as training sessions based on our organization’s standard curriculum for digital literacy workshops.We plan to build a mesh network that uses a three-tiered design that has been utilized in other successful large-scale Open-Mesh deployments.
Connected to our two internet uplinks will be a “backhaul” network consisting of high-power point to point links provided by the EnGenius routers. Connected to the backhaul network will be “supernodes” located in within line of sight of as many other mesh nodes as possible. Finally, mesh nodes in clients’ apartments will connect to these highly-visible “supernodes” and provide service to the clients’ apartment, as well as neighboring apartments. Payment for access will be managed with a RADIUS AAA server, which is supported by the Open-Mesh firmware. We envision payment for access being on a “pay as you can” scale, with community members able to perform volunteer work for the project in lieu of payment; this is described in more detail below. Our network management software will also enable us to track usage statistics on our network, as well as identify and document technical problems.
In conjunction with our community partner, the Human Rights Center, we will distribute a total of four surveys to gauge penetration of and attitudes toward computers and internet in the community; we’ll also use these as a vehicle to improve the quality of service we are able to offer our clients. Finally, towards the end of our project, we will perform a qualitative study of the effects of our project on the residents through interviews with community members. All data acquired in our project will be made public whenever possible to provide lessons for the larger Internet community.





Tech without Borders is encountering the common problem when trying to get cheap wireless internet service in needy neighborhoods: it is regarded as unfair and the competition/other wireless companies do not look favorably upon this, because they see themselves losing business/profits. Many do not agree with supplying communities with affordable (also known as extremely cheap) wireless internet access. In Chicago, some people are using a building near the Sears Tower as a base for the main internet connection and intend on connecting it to nearby disadvantaged communities, in order to supply them with cheap wireless internet service. Although many areas encounter much backlash and opposition in trying to do this, it appears as if in this case in Chicago, the proponents of affordable wireless internet service may win.

Posadas at Abby Court

I think it is important to celebrate Las Posadas at Abby Court because it serves as a new cultural experience for people. The Latino and American community live so close to each other yet sometimes it seems like their so distant. Traditional events such as Posadas allows communities to come together and share in such a fun traditional event. It allows both communities to share their customs and what they mean to them. This is really important because when people learn about other people's culture they may begin to see more clearly and understand people they might not be too familiar with. I think that knowledge opens a lot of doors especially when it comes to learning about other people and their culture because it allows them to view things distinctively and feel comfortable.