2012 February Newsletter

What's Up With This New Gnusletter?
Welcome to the inaugural “issue” of our Free Geek's first blog-based semi-regular newsletter (or Gnusletter, if you want to get technical). Before you even have a chance to ask "what is a Gnusletter?", let us explain that it's a play on the word GNU, which many of you know stands for "GNU's Not Unix!" - a confusingly recursive name for the most widely used free software license and operating system. We're big fans of fun names and puns at Free Geek and figured our newsletter should also reflect that free-spirited approach to language.

We have traditionally offered a monthly or bi-monthly paper or PDF-based version of our newsletter to anyone who chose to subscribe by signing up to our mailing list at tabling events or the Free Geek front desk. This has served as one method to communicate with the many volunteers and regular donors who have a vested interest in keeping abreast of new developments at Free Geek. Although there are over a thousand people subscribed to the newsletter mailing list, we have had trouble assessing who actually takes the time to read the PDF document we would previously link to in our "it's published" emails. Also, the publication of this document ultimately fell on the shoulders of a single person, often creating a bottleneck that might delay publication by days, weeks or longer.

In light of these challenges, and out of a desire to create a more conversational community around internally-focused developments at Free Geek, the Public Relations Committee recently decided it was time to take a critical look at the many ways we communicate with our most important contingency, the "regulars" and volunteers who have made Free Geek a central part of their community. For many people, the first and only place they get news stories and important updates is our very public-facing website (http://www.freegeek.org/). We also currently maintain several email lists to share Free Geek-wide announcements and questions including the Regulars (http://lists.freegeek.org/listinfo/regulars) and Social (http://lists.freegeek.org/pipermail/social/) listervs. Along with those outlets, social media, including Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/FreeGeekPDX) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/freegeekmothership), play prominently as outlets we use to engage in public multi-party conversations.

We asked ourselves if, with all of these available communication tools, it was still necessary to maintain a newsletter. As should be obvious if you've made it this far into the article, we all agreed that it is important to offer a semi-regular newsletter that shines a light on the many wonderful changes, people and goings-on at Free Geek. After all agreed that it was a good idea, we then looked at how we could update our newsletter format to bring it to a wider audience and allow for more interactivity. We decided to use the already-existant open source software solution we're currently using to publish our website and created this newsletter-formatted website built on Wordpress. This change allows for more contributors to the final product and, for the first time, gives you a voice to react to our news items of interest via the comments system. Also, you are now able to see when we publish new content via our handy RSS feed (http://www.freegeek.org/newsletter/feed/) if you're so inclined.

Wihtout further ado, the Public Relations Committee invites you to enjoy this month's inaugural issue of the Free Geek Gnusletter. Read about recent changes in Free Geek governance, a short description of the Hardware Grants program and spotlights on Free Geek staff and volunteers. Respond with your thoughts on the content and ideas for future articles. Ready yourself for new content on a semi-regular basis.

And if you would like to write an article for the next Gnusletter, or have a comment you would like to send directly to us, please contact the Public Relations Committee at pr (at) lists.freegeek.org.

Happy reading!

Free Geek Governance 101
2011 was a big transition year for Free Geek governance. Here is a recap of the big changes, and an introduction to two major players in the changes we have made in order to better serve you, our volunteers.

In January 2011 the staff and board held a visioning retreat. Out of the retreat emerged an Advisory Study Group (ASG), tasked with proposing a new governance structure that would foster empowerment, focus, and accessibility. The ASG proposed the dissolution of Free Geek’s Council, a collaborative group which had been charged with electing board members, setting vision, and allowing volunteers to participate in the governance process. In its place, the board would take on these responsibilities. Additionally, the ASG proposed an annual Town Hall Meeting, in which volunteers would elect representatives to fill board seats.

The inaugural Free Geek Town Hall took place in September, and was a smashing success. Staff members, board, and volunteers were all in attendance. In the course of a very full day, attendees held discussions on achievements and transitions from the past year, and the future of Free Geek’s programs, finances, and place in the community. They also elected two new volunteer representatives: Jason Owen and Larry Lloyd. Jason and Larry dived right into their responsibilities, joining fellow new board members Katheryn Sutter and Dina Dickerson in bringing fresh energy and ideas to the table. You can contact the board with any questions, concerns or ideas by writing to board-discuss (at) lists.freegeek (dot) org. Alternatively, you can contact your volunteer representatives extraordinaire by emailing jason.a.owen (at) freegeek (dot) org or lmlloyd (at) freegeek (dot) org. Read on to find out more about Jason and Larry!

FG: What brought you to serve on the board, and what is your history with the organization?

Jason Owen: In 2009 I joined Free Geek for the free computer and stayed for the mission. I started attending Council meetings in 2010, where I was able to make a contribution, so running as a volunteer representative seemed like a natural transition. Larry Lloyd: I was approached earlier this year and asked if I would be interested in becoming a candidate. I accepted the nomination and was elected as a Volunteer Representative. I have been a volunteer since February of this year, and have volunteered almost 400 hours in that span. Most of the time has been spent as a Build Instructor, and I’ve done shifts in Advanced Testing and Laptops.

FG: What are you looking forward to accomplishing during your first term on the board?

JO: I think the first priority is to improve communication, and we’ve started taking the first steps in that direction. We also need to figure out how best to represent the interests of the core volunteers, how to keep them up to speed on what’s happening on the board, and how to gather feedback — in short, we need to gain an understanding of what being a volunteer representative means in practice. LL: After immersing myself in the archives of many, many of Free Geeks meeting minutes, I have the slightest beginning of an idea how things are conceived, planned and implemented here at Free Geek. What is perfectly clear, though, is an overwhelming sense of the quality of people with which we are blessed. From the oldest tenured Collective member to the newest volunteer, these people are our most precious assets, and we have to do a better job of providing them with an enlightening, engaging and gratifying experience.

FG: What do you do professionally, outside of Free Geek? In other words, who is your alter ego?

JO: I’m pursuing a bachelor of science in computer science at Portland State University. LL: My full time job is property management. I have a portfolio of properties that I oversee operationally and financially. I am also a member of the Portland Football Officials Assoc. and officiate high school football games each Fall.

Hardware Grants Spotlight – February, 2012
Every once in a while a person on their first tour of the fast-paced-world that is Free Geek, or a volunteer who has been here for months (or even years) stops me and asks, “so what happens to all of these computers that we're building? I know that I got to take one home after my twenty-four hours of volunteering (or the five that I already built) and I know that we sell some at a great price in the Thrift Store, but that doesn't account for that whole bunch of computers I see in the hallway near the classroom.”

Many people don't realize that we're not only building computers for ourselves, but also serving a much greater good in the community. Community-change and community-service organizations (like churches, schools, non-profits and activist groups) are invited to fill out a very short application to indicate how their organization might benefit from a hardware grant. While it usually only takes fifteen to twenty minutes to fill out a grant application, the benefits of becoming a grant recipient can continue to aide the organization for many years. These applications are reviewed and handled by a small team of volunteer Hardware Grant Shepherds (thank you Tom, Tony and Nate) with the support of Darren Heiber, the Hardware Grants Coordinator.

Just in case you've ever wondered who benefits from these free computers and computer equipment, here's a list of all of our grant recipients who received items since December 1, 2011. We would not be able to do this without the hard and dedicated work of our many volunteers. Thank you for your efforts in making the world a better place!

Organizations YOU have helped since December 1, 2011:
 * African Malaika
 * Agia Sophia Academy
 * Ballston Community School
 * Benson High School
 * Big Gay Warehouse
 * Bitch Media
 * Bradley Angle
 * Bridge to Independence Day Program
 * Cascadia Consumer Advisory Council/Cascadia Behavioral Health Care
 * City View Charter School
 * Community Cycling Center
 * Computer Action Team (CAT) at PSU
 * Congo Rescue Mission
 * Elders in Action
 * Escuela Viva
 * FearNoMusic/Young Composer's Project
 * Fort Vancouver Tapestry Project
 * Foster Family Care Network
 * Full Circle Family Church
 * Girls Inc.
 * Glencoe Oxford House
 * Goldendale Christian School
 * Hollywood Senior Center
 * JANE Theater Company
 * Josiah Hill III clinic
 * Kenilworth Presbyterian Church
 * L'arche Nehalem
 * Lake Oswego School District CNS
 * Leadership and Entrepreneurship Public Charter High School
 * Lents Little League
 * Lhun Gyi Grub Pa Padma -Gro -Dul
 * Literacy bridge
 * Love Inc of Greater Beaverton
 * Lower Columbia School Gardens
 * Metropolitan Learning Center
 * Montavilla Community Center
 * New Moon Productions Theatre Company
 * North Mason County Resource
 * Northwest Children's Theater and School
 * Oregon Hope Chinese School
 * Oxford House Harmony Park
 * Portland Actors Conservatory
 * Portland Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)
 * Portland Jobs with Justice
 * Portland Suzuki Project
 * Powers To Be Church of Christ
 * Red and Black Cafe
 * Refuse to Lose Inc.
 * Reynolds Arthur Academy
 * Reynolds Learning Academy: East Campus
 * Riverdale High School
 * SJM Autistic Center/Powerhouse Temple
 * SOLV
 * SPOON Foundation
 * Steve Baker Colorectal Cancer Alliance (SBCCA)
 * Stop Child Trafficking Now
 * The Giving Tree
 * The Portland Alliance
 * The Urban League of Portland
 * Tualatin Valley Oxford House
 * Ubuntu Oregon
 * Washington County Consumer Council
 * Wings of Love International
 * Young Minds of Awareness
 * Youth Empowered Action
 * YWCA Yolanda House

Aurora Lee, Star Volunteer
February’s Volunteer Spotlight shines on Aurora Lee, currently a Pre-build instructor for the Spanish Build program.

If Free Geek were the human body, the volunteers with their hundreds and sometimes thousands of hours of dedication and support would make up the thriving flexible spine. Today we get to know Aurora Lee, who heard of Free Geek through Computer Information Systems classes at Portland Community College, and joined as a volunteer during the summer of 2011. Aurora started out by volunteering in all areas of Recycling and Receiving, and then continued through the Build program. These days she gives her valuable time and talent by interning as a Pre-build instructor for the Spanish Build program.

Lee, a lifelong Portland resident, is proud to live with her parents, and enjoys helping people and learning web design at PCC in her free time. When asked what her favorite thing about volunteering at Free Geek is, she replied: “the fact that I have the opportunity to contribute to the prevention of much of our toxic e-waste from getting dumped into the back-yards of vulnerable people around the world.”

Aurora has a lot of great ideas about how she would like to see Free Geek grow. Noticing how much people seem to like the heat sinks re-purposed as business card holders at the donor desk, she proposes selling them for that use in the Thrift Store. In order to spread awareness about the dangerous effect of e-waste on the planet, she suggests setting up a monitor showing e-waste documentaries for knowledge, and Wall-E for fun.

When Aurora teaches the Hardware ID class, in either English or Spanish, it is easy to see that she has a skill and passion for connecting with people and making complicated information unfold in a digestible manner. Thank you Aurora for all the hard work and care you put in to Free Geek. You are truly a star volunteer, and we are lucky to have you!

Darren Heiber – Hardware Grants & Education Coordinator
February’s Staff Spotlight focuses on Darren Heiber, Hardware Grants & Education Coordinator

When did you start at Free Geek? Well, I went through the build program about two and half years ago, but was hired into the Collective mid-October…a perfect time to be really worried about what costume to wear for Halloween that would impress all these Free Geekians.

What were you doing before you came to FG? After getting a degree in English education, I went to Japan to teach English in Japanese public schools for two years (as part of the JET Programme). When I came back, I had a chance to teach students English in several American middle and high schools for several years. I soon realized that I was more interested in Library and Information Science, so I went back to get my degree. I have held jobs at several public and academic libraries, most recently Watzek Library at Lewis & Clark College, before taking on this role.

Why FG? I’ve loved this institution since I first came on in the build program (even though I had to deal with the the often inscrutable conversations that tend to take place in the Build room). When I saw that there was an opportunity to use my skills as an educator, while helping broach the digital divide, I knew I wanted to be a part of it. I also appreciate the die-hard commitment to open source software, equality within the community and a transparency-based model of governing.

Where do you see the education program heading? I would like to see us offer a lot more classes that focus on workplace readiness skills. To that end, we are introducing two new classes in February that focus on word processing skills, via resume and cover letter creation, as well as Internet use and security. Beyond introductory computer skills and concepts, I would also like us to expand into more of a focus on skilled technology training. This would include more advanced coding classes and may one day, hopefully in the not-so-distant-future, also include certification classes.

What about Hardware Grants? I think we’re already doing a great job of getting community-change organizations, schools, churches and non-profits much needed computers and other hardware. I would like us to do more to advertise these services and to make our offerings clearer. I am also looking at streamlining the grant process so that it’s easier for our amazing grant shepherds and grantees.

Last words? Other than “thanks for being an amazing, awesome, fun, special group of people”? Nah!