Host: Osvalda Rodrigues

Present:

Introductions / New People

• New folks: Jennifer Lopez (Jumas.com) - educational coordinator, Kosall Deth (MRC) - marketing intern, Sophy Chan (UTEC) - project coordinator

Announcements

• Tech Planning Seminar - Kevin Mullen requested assistance from Consortium members to act as facilitators with NPOs in tech planning actions over the next few months. The Greater Lowell NonProfit Leadership Forum will be holding this seminar on November 9^th from 12-2:30 at Casey Family Services on Palmer Street.
• YWCA - 3^rd session of Project Yes will start on Monday. Meets 6-8pm on M/Th for 14-17 year olds. 12 week program will cover computer basics, web design, HTML, Javascript. Geared towards job skills. Call Chris at 458-9983
• CMAA - New lab has been setup and old lab standardized. 16^th year anniversary party will be @ the Doubletree from 7-12pm.
• UTEC - has program director position soon opening up.
• Pathfinders - has 4 hrs / wk of staff time to devote to equipment warehousing and cataloguing. Space donated by LATC. This could mesh nicely with Goodwill program Dan Toomey is setting up.
• LTC - Looking for Volunteers to develop and use graphic design skill. LTC programs for Fall have started. Also a Web Development forum will be held on Nov. 17^th from 12-2 at the Boot Mills. Geared towards arts and cultural organizations (NPOs in general) and gettig their information online.
• Jumsas.com - is launching a series of training videos in Spanish geared towards teaching basic computer skills to Spanish and bilingual audiences.

Current issues

• Human Resouraces - MAPS has hired a coordinator. New Beginnings has filled their P/T postion. CIRCLE has secured their VISTA. Pathfinders is about ready to make an offer on a VISTA.
• Speaker Series - Kate Snow from Codman Sqare Health Center in Dorchester is willing to come and talk with us about the Take Technology home program. Also, a representative from the community development program at Cisco would also like to join us for a brown bag lunch. Will schedule Kate for November and Cisco for January.
• Funding - Hope to have a good idea of a proposal together for Cisco by January to discuss the idea of a WAN project for the Consortium.
• Other - Group had some discussion about sharing information as a group and the group was content with monthly meetings, listserv and working group activities at this time.

Working Group Updates

Technology - needs to reschedule

Education - brainstormed ideas about creating curriculum that would support internal needs of each organization, afford staff development for other organizations, create a community-wide network, focus on career development. Group suggested first step would be to update survey tools and focus it on training programs and learning activities. Need to also draw in ESOL, ABE and other materials and make them available online. Education group sees itself as becoming a resource for other organizations and trainers. Eventually being a forum for ideas. Also, there needs to be dialogue about project-based learning and media content production to conform with DoE expectations.

Information - Group met to discuss community-wide information database. Will use IRIS as a web-based database for human and social service info initially. Will be sending out a survey once some general categories are created..

MAPS: An Overview

• Offers Social Service and Health programs for the Portuguese-speaking community
• Offers Citizenship, ESL, and other training programs
• Health programs focus on HIV/AIDS and Tobacco Control issues
• Is part of a larger multi-service organization with offices in Somerville and Cambridge as well as Lowell
• Have just added computer training as part of services they offer as a result of DoE funding

Tour of MAPS

Next Meeting

• Wednesday, October 15^th @12:30 / LTC - 246 Market Street
• Working group coordinators will convene meetings and let group know