College of Public and Community Service Receives OVER $1 Million in Grants
University Communications
University Reporter
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Arts on the Point Moving Ahead |
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By Leigh DuPuy
The College of Public and Community Service (CPCS) has received over a million dollars in federal grants for their initiative to provide primarily low-income populations with access and education to developing technology. CPCS has worked in partnership with the Community Technology Centers' Networks (CTCNet), a national nonprofit network of more than 400 community technology centers, to create local and national programs that seek to help bridge the digital divide.
The CPCS MetroBoston Community Technology Project will use a grant from the Corporation of National Service to help train and place 30 AmeriCorps/VISTA volunteers in community technology centers (CTCs) in the Greater Boston area. Complementary grants will provide for placement and support for more than 50 additional VISTAs in CTCs across the country. There are over 50 centers in the Metro Boston area, including the Codman Square Health Center in Dorchester and Boston Neighborhood Network. These centers offer a diverse range of educational programs, focusing on computer and Internet technology, and audio-visual and multimedia components.
VISTA volunteers serve for a year in the centers, a term which is renewable, and receive a stipend for their service. Five VISTA volunteers have been sworn in and began their training and service immediately. UMass Boston students are encouraged to apply and help spread the word to recruit others.
With the aid of the federal grant, CPCS and CTCNet will work together to create a distance learning program that will foster the recruitment, training, and support of VISTAS serving in CTCs throughout the country.
"This partnership strengthens our local and national community technology initiatives," said CPCS professor Reebee Garofalo who has been spearheading the project.
Founding director of CTCNet Peter Miller has joined CPCS as project director. "The relationship between CPCS and CTCNet is mutually reinforcing. CPCS has the community media program and CTCNet can assist with the centers and learning process."
Garafalo is developing the new proposed certificate in community media and communications and will be examining how the CTCNet centers can be used as training and placement areas. For more information about the initiative, please see www.cpcs.umb.edu/VISTA and www.ctcnet.org.