Education Coordinator Grant Proposal
Summary
Free Geek Community Technology Center is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit corporation that uses hundreds of volunteers to recycle or rebuild older, donated computers that would otherwise end up in landfills as toxic electronic waste. The National Safety Council estimates that 250 million personal computers will become obsolete within the next 5 years, contaminating our landfills with 3.2 million tons of e-waste. Over the last six years, we have recycled approximately 1000 tons of computer scrap and rebuilt over 6400 internet-ready computer systems. These systems were given to volunteers in exchange for 24 hours of work in the recycling operation (the 24 Hour Adoption Program), or after they built 5 computers from parts the still worked (The Build Program). Refurbished computers are also donated to other non-profits, or sold in our thrift store.
Free Geek was also founded to address the “digital divide” between wealthy and low-income households. The Commerce Department has estimated that low-income households are 20 times less likely to have internet access than those whose income is $75,000 or higher. An essential part of our mission is to provide free computer education. Free Geek is uniquely situated for this as we already attract volunteers that have extensive hardware and programming knowledge as well as volunteers with personal initiative and a desire to learn. We also have the benefit of our location in Portland Oregon, an important hub of the Linux/Unix free software community.
We are seeking funding for the first year of an expanded educational program. We will hire an education coordinator who will create teaching materials and facilitate formal classes with an emphasis on topics relevant for the workplace and careers in programming. The education coordinator will also oversee the Computer fo Kids program and facilitate ongoing staff training and education. An expanded education program will help defray its own costs by attracting more volunteers, which increases our recycling capacity as well as our donation base.
Proposal/Statement of Need
Free Geek’s Build and Recycling programs are designed to reward the initiative of people who lack the resources to buy a computer, but are willing to work for one. Similarly, many people come to Free Geek who have little or no prior computer knowledge, but a deep desire to learn the basic architecture of a computer system.
Although informal education has always been a part of the FREE GEEK culture, we have found that there is a high demand for more formal, structured learning. We formalized the Build program in 2003 by creating manuals and training procedures for builders and volunteer build instructors. We began offering a command line class (navigation in a non-graphic environment) and a basic use class for our 24 adopters. Word spread that Free Geek was a place not only to get a free computer but also free hardware training. We saw a dramatic surge in interest in the Build program. By 2005 the number of participants increased from 768 to 1400.
Soon after the formalization of the Build Program in 2003, financial circumstances forced us to make changes. We decided to focus on becoming self-sustaining in our basic operations. It paid off in that Free Geek now funds its own recycling operation (please see included annual report). We are now in a position to expand our operations. We are applying for funds to renovate our facility and purchase a steel/cardboard baler, which will nearly triple the value of the recycled materials we sell.
Ironically, although an education coordinator was instrumental in growing our nonprofit enough to ultimately be self-sustaining, we were forced to cut the position after the Build program was formalized in 2003. We are asking for $20,000 to fund an education coordinator for the first year until operations grow enough to defray costs.
Goals and Measurable Outcomes
Goal 1: The education coordinator will increase both the number and range of our free computer classes.
Objectives:
1.Recruit volunteer teachers.
2.Develop curricula , including web-based teaching resources. This will include:
- An increased number of basic command line and 24 hour adoption classes.
- A class on basic concepts for computer use; concepts and vocabulary, hardware/software installation, permission and file types.
- E-mail and internet use class; plug-ins, downloading, how to find resources on-line.
- Word Processing.
- Self-sufficiency in a Linux/Unix environment.
3.Organize all classes according to the timetable (see below).
4.Work with teachers and students to evaluate and refine teaching materials in the same way materials in the build program are now refined.
Outcomes:
1.The classes will enhance the Build and 24 Hour programs, which will attract more participants. At least 50% of new volunteers will also register for classes. Success of the program will be partially evaluated by the effect on revenue. As recycling capacity increases with a growing number of volunteers, the costs of the education coordinator position will be defrayed.
2.Free Geek will become an even broader resource for computer education for the community at large and our donation base will expand. We expect that students who are able to make a donation will likely do so. The level of donations made by students will help evaluate the program’s success, as well as defray the cost of an education coordinator over time. Voluntary donations made by people dropping of computers now comprise a significant proportion of general operating revenue, so people are likely to chip in for the classes. At the same time, the classes will remain free so that we are sure to reach low-income participants on the wrong end of the digital divide.
3. A number of older children in the Computers for Kids program will graduate into the new classes, and at least some people taking the “Self Sufficiency in Linux/Unix” will move on to the “Advanced Linux” classes. There will be a charge for the advanced classes and they will not be organized by the education coordinator, however the free classes will prepare students who are interested in careers as coders to move forward.
Goal 2: The Education Coordinator will will co-facilitate Computers for Kids (CFORK), a modified version of the Build and 24 Hour Adoption programs for elementary students. This will be an after school program for children 10 and up.
Objectives:
1. Conduct outreach with schools and youth organizations.
2. Help create age appropriate building procedures and training materials.
3. Recruit voluteers to lead groups of kids through the programs. This may include the development of a paid internship. Volunteers may also be recruited through the Portland State University Capstone. The Capstone is an opportunity for college seinors to earn credit through community service. The education coordinator will be responsible for the initial phases of the program (see time table).
4. Coordinate transportation to Free Geek with schools and youth organizations.
Outcomes:
1. At least 80% of kids starting the 24 hour adoption program and at least 50% starting the Build program will finish and take home a computer.
2. Students will receive early exposure to computer hardware and architecture, as well as Linux/Unix language and environments.
3. Students will have a positive, educational and fun after-school activity option.
Goal 3: The education coordinator will facilitate ongoing staff education.
Objectives:
1. Pair students with teachers. The education coordinator will connect staff who need training with staff who can train them. This could include anything from using new software to operating the forklift.
2. Conduct workshops on how to run meetings effectively, concensus building and other organizational and business related skills. Volunteers could also bennifit from training in these areas.
3. Develop staff training resources for new or modified positions.
Outcomes:
1. Current extra demands on staff time will be greatly reduced.
2. Organizational training will also increase efficiency.
Budget
All 15 FREE GEEK staff are coordinators and all receive the same salary and benefits:
· Salary is based on a rate of $10.38 per hour. · 3.4 weeks paid time off per year (combined vacation and sick time). · Healthcare, dental, and vision plan
Time Table
I think we allso we need time tables for when the classes would start, maybe even a tentative schedule, the number of students we expect to have etc.
(This is sort of a dummy eval section, but I wanted to have something down on paper.)
Evaluation
The success of the education program will be measured by the number of participants with particular attention to the number of new builders and adopters that continue on in computing and programming. We will evaluate how participation rates are matching up to our targets in the included timetable, and how the education program is working with our other expansion plans. In addition, the education coordinator will work with the volunteer trainers to refine classes and materials as we move forward. The financial stability of the position, in terms of the indirect effect it has on revenue and the donation base, will guide us in determining how well we meeting the community's needs.