Neighborhood
Technical Assistance Center
East
St. Louis Action Research Project - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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DigitalESL
Collaborative
a coalition devoted to bridging the digital divide
Mission
of the DigitalESL Collaborative
The DigitalESL
Collaborative sees digital technology as a means for empowering all East St.
Louis metro area residents to build and sustain a healthy, livable community.
We see a team of technology-savvy people who are well connected to each other
and to different kinds of opportunities in the region and around the world.
Through technology, all citizens will have easy access to learning opportunities,
economic opportunities, and resources for better living. Information technology
will become part of daily life and expand peoples’ thinking and their awareness
of these possibilities.
Contact
To join the DigitalESL
Collaborative or for more information, contact: Cathy Klump at the Neighborhood
Technical Assistance Center, 348R Collinsville Avenue, East St. Louis, IL 618-271-9605
Background of the DigitalESL
Collaborative:
The
DigitalESL Collaborative was formed in October, 2000. There are a number of
exciting technology related efforts underway in the East St. Louis metro area.
The DigitalESL Collaborative is a way to coordinate the efforts of all partners,
maximize the shared resources and create a common vision for the impact technology
can have on our community and on individuals. Our partners are committed to
bringing the information age OPPORTUNITIES to RESIDENTS of the East St. Louis
metro area.
Recent Accomplishments:
Each
of the partners in the DigitalESL Collaborative has an impressive list of recent
accomplishments. As a Collaborative, we have made the following progress since
October, 2001:
- Enhanced the
Mt. Calvary and New Beginning Out Reach Ministry by adding workstations to
their existing systems. Their computers are now networked and the Internet
is now an option.
- Installed community
technology centers at the Bride of Christ Community Outreach Mission and Adventures
in Motivation. All computers are networked and have access to the Internet.
- Submitted
a $5 million proposal to the Hewlitt-Packard “Digital Village” program for
technology funds. Although, the proposal was denied, the DigitalESL Collaborative
did rank in the top twenty proposals out of over 800 applicants.
- Developed an
email listserve so those partners in the DigitalESL Collaborative can regularly
exchange information, share ideas and stay connected.
- Submitted proposals
to the Department of Commerce and Community Affairs and the Illinois Community
Technology Fund. If funded, the Collaborative would be able to provide low
or no-cost Internet access throughout the community via community technology
centers.
Goals of the DigitalESL
Collaborative:
- Create community
technology centers within walking distance of most people who live in the
community. Equip these sites with state-of-the-art technology to enable residents
to learn both applied and back-end technologies.
- Create an Internet
point-of-presence in East St. Louis to deliver broadband wireless connectivity
to community technology centers.
- Promote a system
of household ownership of computers tied to incentives for upgrading skills
and volunteers to support community technology.
- Create central
capacity to manage the infrastructure, provide tech support, create training
programs, and coordinate different programs.
- Create an information
dissemination mechanism to share community technology resources.
- Connect the
business community to the community technology efforts so that residents can
access the economic opportunities of the region through employment and entrepreneurship.
- Create a number
of attractive educational opportunities for alternative learning for all ages.
- Use computer
clubhouses to cater to the needs of latchkey children that are based on play
and learning using technology.
- Develop telemedicine
systems that deliver preventive medicine health care information and monitoring
for seniors, expecting mothers and young children.
- Develop systems
for citizens to be more engaged with local government and to alter the way
in which public information is dissemi-nated and used to make decisions.
Last modified: 18 October 2001, Deanna Koenigs
