Understanding FaithBased CTCs

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Understanding Faith-Based CTCs

• Presentation 2 of
• CTC Partnership Grant

www.techmission.org 617.282.9798
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Outline

• Presentation 1
• Part 1 Program Models and Resources
• Part 2 Steps to Developing a Partnership
• Presentation 2
• Part 3 Understanding Faith-Based CTCs
• Part 4 Additional Resources

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Part 3 Outline Understanding Faith-Based CTCs

• About TechMission, AC4 and AC4 Member CTCs
• Other National Faith-Based CTC Initiatives
• Unique Aspects and Issues of Faith-Based CTCs
• Suggestions for Partnership Between FBOs and
  CBOs

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About TechMission

• Mission to support Christian community computer
  centers across the world as they address the
  Digital Divide by providing others with computer
  skills to make a living and a spiritual
  foundation to make a life

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TechMission Programs

• TechMission, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) with the goal of
  supporting Christian computer centers through
  three program areas
• Association of Christian Community Computer
  Centers (AC4) providing technology training over
  500 Christian organizations serving at-risk
  communities (funded by HHS)
• TechMission Boston Program supporting Christian
  Community Technology Centers (CTCs) in the
  greater Boston area (Funded by DoE)
• TechMission Corps provides 20 FTE AmeriCorps
  members to programs using technology to serve at
  risk youth

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Locations of AC4 Members
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AC4 Member Site Statistics

• Combined Technology Program Budgets 16,551,798
• Participants Served in Tech Programs 108,865

Numbers reflect annual budgets and number of
participants each year and are based on self
reporting of AC4 member sites.
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AC4 Members

• 564 organizations as members and 122 individuals

122 Individuals
358 Christian Nonprofit Organizations
87 non-Christian Nonprofit Orgs
119 Churches
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Program Area Activities for AC4 Member CTCs
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AC4 Members in Other Organizations
AGRM
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AC4 Members
Youth UYWI Compassionworks
Salvation Army
30
??
CCDA
HUD NN
92
60
CTCNet
HLIC
93
??
World Vision
??
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TechMission Boston DoE Program

• TechMission is the lead agency with six sites
  (HERCs and BWM) and one coordinating agency
  partner (Emmanuel Gospel Center)
• Provides at-risk high school students with
• SAT preparation class to over 200 students
• MCAS preparation class to 175 students
• Academic tutoring and support to 300 students
• College planning and preparation to 300 students
• Provides computer classes to over 350 adults

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TechMission Corps

• Provide 20 FTE AmeriCorps positions in Boston
  (14) and LA (6) metro areas
• Staff after school and teen programs in at risk
  communities and integrate tech into existing
  programs
• Proposed to grow to 60 FTE in three years and
  expand to Chicago, which could be 60 half-time
  staff and 30 full-time staff

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National Faith Based CTC Initiatives
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Jewish Vocational Services

• Jewish Vocational Services was founded in 1939
  and has served over 16 million people (currently
  350,000 each year)
• Has 24 centers providing job training in the US
  and many focused on technology

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Muslim CTCs

• No Identified National Muslim CTC Initiative
• Local Muslim CTC Initiatives
• Inner City Muslim Action Network
• Others

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Christian CTCs

• In the past 15 years, we estimate over 2,000
  community computer centers have been started in
  Christian organizations in the USA
• Over 500 of these sites are now members of the
  Association of Christian Community Computer
  Centers (AC4), which is the largest association
  of faith-based community technology programs in
  the world
• We estimate that there will be over 5,000
  identified Christian community technology centers
  by 2010 and probably more than twice that
  including unidentified centers

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Salvation Army

• Salvation Army has 3,000 centers of operation,
  50,000 employees and services 20 million people
  each year in the USA
• e-Quip for Success Initiative will address the
  digital divide
• 160 technology centers started this year
• 1,000-2,000 technology centers in next four years
• Providing tech programs in homeless shelters,
  multi-service centers, seniors and rehab programs
• TechMission is in final discussions with the
  Salvation Army to work as a consultant to provide
  training and to have their sites join AC4

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World Vision

• World Vision is one of the largest non-profit
  organizations in the world with about a 650
  million annual budget and over 20,000 staff
  serving millions of individuals globally
• World Vision USA operates regional hubs in 10 US
  cities involving 9,200 churches and ministries
• TechMission Partnership
• WV applied for grant with large training
  component including TechMission
• WV-LA co-sponsored our West Coast Regional
  Conference
• TechMission is providing two TechMission Corps
  members to World Vision LA sites

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Catholic Charities

• Catholic Charities together has a combined global
  budget of over 2.5 billion with over 51,000 paid
  staff and over 168,000 volunteers and serves over
  9 million people each year
• Catholic Charities currently does not have any
  organized national initiative around CTCs

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Association of Gospel Rescue Missions (AGRM)

• AGRM was founded in 1913 and is a group of 265
  Christian homeless shelters
• 34 AGRM members are also members of AC4
• AC4 also regularly has workshops at their annual
  conference.
• Stats
• Over 90 of these centers provide job training
  with focus on using computers for Adult Basic
  Education and GED classes
• Last year over 85,000 people enrolled in AGRM
  educational programs
• 5,000 graduated with a GED or other diploma
• Nearly 15,000 formerly homeless individuals
  completed training programs and moved on to
  become productive members of society

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Heres Life Inner City

• Heres Life Inner City is the urban ministry
  branch of a Christian campus group
• Heres Life Inner City operates
• 18 regional hubs covering thousands of churches
• 70 community centers with over 20 CTCs
• TechMission is working with HLIC to
• Develop a refurbishing center in Los Angeles
• Provide two TechMission Corps members to sites

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Christian Community Development Association (CCDA)

• CCDA is an association of over 500 member
  Christian non-profit organizations serving
  at-risk communities
• CCDA holds an annual conference with over 800
  attendees
• AC4 was founded by CCDA member organizations and
  maintains very close ties
• Many CCDA members with computer centers are also
  members of AC4
• CCDA and AC4 are co-sponsors of the others
  national conference

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Other Christian Organizations

• Volunteers of America
• YMCA/YWCA
• National Association of Street Schools
• Cristo Rey Network

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Unique Aspects of Faith-Based CTCs
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Unique Aspects of Faith Based Groups

• Holistic Approach
• Majority (over 75) of faith-based groups provide
  technology as one part of a holistic program
• In contrast to independent technology programs
  which may provide tech training without meeting
  basic needs
• Examples
• After School and Teen Programs
• Homeless Shelters
• Rehabilitation Programs
• Jobs Programs
• Adult Basic Education, GED or ESL Program
• Micro-lending Programs

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Understanding Christian CTCs

• Most sites to not identify themselves as CTCs,
  but identify as other program with computers
• i.e. After School programs, Jobs Programs
• Over half of Christian CTCs are very small (less
  than 10 computers)
• Most CTCs primarily affiliate with a holistic
  faith-based network rather than a network for
  tech programs
• Our estimate is that 70-80 do not have an
  organizational culture where they ever join any
  secular networks
• Result is that many Christian CTCs are
  essentially invisible to secular networks

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Why an Association for Christian CTCs?

• Why any Christian association?
• Create a community of a like group to share
  learning and resources
• Christian associations exist for Community
  Health, Jobs, Housing, etc
• Christian CTCs have unique needs
• Holistic program model
• While they do provide Computer skills to make a
  living like other CTCs they put an emphasis on
  spiritual foundation to make a life
• Discussing role of faith in CTC
• Enables CTC movement to grow overall
• When we started there were only 20 Christian
  groups in CTCNet, now we have over 500 groups,
  with over 90 AC4 Members in CTCNet
• Opens up CTC movement to more funding

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Strength of Faith-Based Social Service Agencies

• Faith-based organizations hold five of the top
  ten national spots in charity size
• Churches are primary source for volunteerism in
  the country with the faith-based community
  providing over 125 million hours per month to
  non-religious charitable activity
• Faith based organizations give more than 41
  billion per year to non-religious social services

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Strengths of Faith Based Organizations
Individual Donations
From Giving and Volunteering in the United
States 1999 national survey from the Independent
Sector
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Four Aspects of Addressing the Digital Divide

• Physical Resources Computers and Connectivity
• Digital Resources Content and Language
• Human Resources Literacy and Education
• Social Resources Communities and Institutions

From the Book Technology and Social Inclusion by
Mark Warschauer, University of California, Irvine
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Untapped Resources of Faith-Based Groups in
Addressing the Digital Divide

• Physical Resources
• Have more locations globally than any other
  network
• Digital Resources
• Have potential to translate content into local
  delivery and culture better than any other
  network
• Human Resources
• Have potential of more human resources available
  globally than any other network (although
  majority is still at a low skill level)
• Social Resources
• Have the largest community in the world and
  ability to act globally in local language and
  culture

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Research on Foundation Restrictions on Faith

• Survey of the 50 largest independent foundations
  showed the following restrictions on faith
• Restrict giving for activities with an expressed
  religious purpose (16)
• Restrict giving to church or religious
  institution (12)
• Restrict sectarian activity (8)

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Issues with Restrictions by Faith

• Activities with a religious purpose or No
  religious institution creates an issue for some
  organizations of whether they will deny their
  faith
• eliminates thousands of sites including the
  Salvation Army (the largest non-profit in the
  world)
• Will not fund sectarian religious activities
  does not create issues for most religious social
  service agencies
• Serve people without discrimination also much
  less restrictive, but creates issues for some
  rehab programs
• Language excluding exclusively religious
  purposes could be viewed as ambiguous and open
  to multiple interpretations
• Salvation Army example
• Hiring based on faith

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Faith Based Organizations and Effects of
Discrimination

• African American Culture has a long history of
  church-based social services and movements
• Civil Rights Movement, Abolitionist Movement
• The Black Church is still arguably the most
  significant and widespread Black-led institution
  serving the Black community in the USA
• Discrimination against faith based groups has the
  secondary effect of discriminating against the
  African American community
• As an example if half of all Black-led social
  service programs are faith-based, then
  eliminating funding to faith-based organizations
  excludes them
• Also has implications for the Latino community,
  particularly those with ties to the Catholic
  church

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Facts about Charitable Choice

• Charitable choice laws were a bi-partisan
  initiative passed under and strongly supported by
  President Clinton
• These are the main legislative provisions for the
  faith-based initiative
• Focused on ending discrimination against
  faith-based groups
• Unified laws across government agencies with
  regards to faith
• Supreme court ruled that FBOs can use faith as a
  factor in their hiring practices

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Distinguishing the Faith-Based Initiative from
Charitable Choice Laws

• While the Faith-based initiative is viewed as a
  partisan issue
• Charitable choice laws are bi-partisan
• Reaction to the Faith-Based Initiative led to
  some increased hostilities toward FBOs resulting
  in discrimination
• Violating charitable choice laws are just as
  illegal as other forms of discrimination

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Specific Strategies for FBOs

• Go to Where They Are
• Most FBOs affiliate with national FBO
  organizations like Salvation Army, etc
• Need strong partnership strategy with National
  FBOs
• Need workshops at existing national conferences
• Sharing faith builds trust for more in depth
  partnership
• Build on holistic framework with tech as a
  component rather than emphasizing starting a new
  program
• TechMission provides unique strengths in
  implementing these strategies

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Suggestions for Improving Partnership

• Value Diversity
• It is helpful to have some contexts that are
  primarily for secular organizations and some that
  are primarily for faith-based organizations
• Communicate Trust
• TechMission to FBOs to build trust to CTCNet and
  ATA
• CTCNet and ATA to build trust from CBOs to
  TechMission

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Additional Resources
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Getting Free Software

• Visit TechMissions Software Donation Page
  http//www.techmission.org/resources/software.php
• Register your site with TechSoup at
  www.techsoup.org to get discounted donations
• Download letters and modify for your site to get
  free software from Knowledge Adventure the
  Learning Company and Voyetra
• Apply for extra copies to give to other sites

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Benefits of AC4 Membership Training

• Training through our national and regional tech
  conferences, workshops and conference calls
• TechMission Manual 60 page manual for operating
  Tech Programs including curriculum and capacity
  building materials
• Information and curriculum available to members
  only on our Website
• Free electronic subscription to Christian
  Computing Magazine

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Benefits of AC4 Membership Community

• Conferences regional and national
• Regional Chapters for regional collaboration
• Volunteer Network recruit volunteers for members
  through AC4s website
• E-mail List with over 700 participants
• Contact List of Christian Computer Centers

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Benefits of AC4 Membership Resources

• Subgrants and Intensive Technical Assistance
  totaling 750,000 (through the C4T Project in CA,
  IL and MA)
• Discounted Gifts in Kind Membership providing
  access to over 800 million in product donations
• Advocacy for members to foundations, corporations
  and government initiatives
• Equipment Assistance in securing computer and
  hardware donations
• Consulting on starting and growing a computer
  center and Web Design

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How to Join AC4

• Sign up for membership at www.techmission.org
• Membership cost
• 20 per year for organizations with budgets under
  500,000
• 50 per year for organizations with budgets over
  500,000

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TechMission Conferences

• TechMission National Technology and Ministry
  Conference October 27-28, 2004 in Atlanta
• TechMission Northeast Regional Technology and
  Ministry Conference March 2005 in Boston

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Helpful Sites for Youth Ministers in General

• http//www.uywi.org
• http//www.youthpartnersnet.org/
• Sponsors of the Compassionworks Urban Youth
  Ministry Conference
• http//www.youthpastor.com
• Provides good material for youth pastors
• http//www.xxxchurch.org
• Good Christian anti-pornography educational site
• http//www.youthbuilders.com
• General Youth Ministry Website
• http//www.reach-out.org
• Purchase materials for youth ministry
• http//www.funattic.com
• Get ideas for games for youth ministry

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Appendix
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Digital Divide
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Computer Literacy and Jobs