tutormentor1
Fri, 21 Sep 2001 18:44:40 -0700
I support what Jim has said and go a step further. We need to use our technologies to help bring enabling resources to those areas that most need help and through those agencies who are doing the best, most creative work in providing help. At <www.policylink.org> a new digital divide report has just been placed on the publications list. This report calls on policy makers to go beyond connectivity to content and to providing the resources that innovative non profits and social service agencies need if they are to find and implement strategic uses of technology. This report has a section focusing on the use of GIS technology. With computerized databases any group can build maps showing where the "need" is and where "service providers" are located, along with contact information that would enable anyone in the world to send help (dollars, technolgy, etc). This is not a strategy that requires a world consensus. There are probably thousands of folks on lists like this who have the talent and technology to be serving as intermediaries that connect one side of the digital divide with the other. My non profit is doing this in Chicago, USA. We've built a database of organizations that mentor inner city youth to careers and we've created a variety of events that draw visitors to our web site and this database. We've built this with the help of volunteers because we've found it so difficult to find dollars to innovate with. Yet, it works and it is a model for bridging the divides between us. As others do similar work we have the potential to link our web sites and create new traffic for each other at much lower costs that we'd have to do to build new traffic for ourselves. There is much that can be done as more and more people take on the responsibility to be leaders. Daniel F. Bassill President Cabrini Connections Tutor/Mentor Connection 800 W. Huron Chicago, Il. 60622 www.tutormentorexchange.net ------------ ***GKD is an initiative of the Global Knowledge Partnership*** To post a message, send it to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd Archives of previous GKD messages can be found at: <http://www.globalknowledge.org>