[Linux-aus] Computerbank Victoria Inc Grant Request - Free End User Linux Training

[Kylie Davies]

Date: 29th September, 2005

Project: Free end user Linux Computer Training sessions at Computerbank
Victoria

Aims: To ease the training bottleneck by increasing the number of free
group Linux training sessions to recipients of our computers. To
continue to provide our printed Linux desktop guide free of charge.

Request:

- Up to $1500 to increase the number of free training sessions we run
over the next 6-8 months. We would use this money to pay honorariums to
trainers to deliver and help support the delivery of training sessions
through 'train the trainer' workshops. The focus of these sessions is to
teach our volunteers to sensitively introduce computers and Linux to
people new to computers. We feel this will ease the training backlog as
well as provide opportunities for more volunteers to become skilled
trainers. 

The payment to trainers would be $50 for a three hour session. 

- $300 to help cover costs (paper, toner, and staples) of printing the
Linux guide provided to all recipients of our computers. The cost of the
22 page guide is around $1.20 a copy (double sided). This will allow us
to print 250 copies. We would include a 'printed with the help of a
Linux Australia grant' acknowledgment in the guide and have plans to
approach businesses for sponsorship to print the guide in the future. 

Total Request: $1,800

Background: Computerbank Victoria is a not for profit organisation
distributing donated refurbished computers to disadvantaged individuals
and community groups. Our inhouse Debian Knoppix distro has been
designed to run fast on low end computers. These computers come with
approximately 50 programs to help disadvantaged communities bridge the
digital divide.

Computerbank Victoria has distributed around 1400 Linux computers and
placed 1600 more. We have been providing free Linux training since 1999.
People who have used our service include the elderly, youth, unemployed,
single parent families, people with disabilities and people from
non-English speaking backgrounds as well as under resourced community
groups. See http://vic.computerbank.org.au/for more information about
our work.

We have computers and plenty of people wanting our Linux computers.
However we have a bottleneck distributing these computers because we
don't have enough trainers to deliver our three hour end user Linux
group training sessions. The current waiting time to receive a computer
is around 3 months. If we had more trainers and training sessions we
could considerably shorten the waiting time.

Linux training and education is an important part of Computerbank's work
to bridge the digital divide. The people we train are often computer
newbies and/or new to Linux. Our three hour training session launches
them into the world of computing. The training focuses on the
development and application of generic computer skills while using a
friendly and simple desktop. 

In addition to training individuals we also provide 'train the trainer'
and 'basic network admin' training to community group leaders and
representatives who receive public access networks .This training
enables the representatives to manage their network and train other
community members. 

Computerbank has several thin client public access networks successfully
operating in Melbourne and we have plans to deploy another 3-4 over the
next three months. We have two sites that are used by residents of an
aged public housing estate in the north of Melbourne with a third on the
way. We have another site in the west of Melbourne that provides access
to low income residents of Altona North. More recently we placed a
network in an organisation that provides media services to under
resourced community groups. We are in the process of determining the
computer needs for a project that aims to setup computer networks to
teach basic computer and internet skills to newly arrived Sudanese
people for the Sudanese Australian Integrated Learning (SAIL) Program. 

By being able to provide more training we increase the amount of
computers we distribute to disadvantaged communities. Through this we
create greater awareness and wider use of FOSS in the community.

Person/s Responsible for the Request: Kylie Davies (President,
Computerbank Victoria Inc) and Jan Smith (Vice President, Computerbank
Victoria Inc).

If any further information is required we are happy to provide it.

Thanks,

Kylie 

-- 
Kylie Davies
Coordinator/President
Computerbank Victoria Inc 
http://vic.computerbank.org.au