Partnerships between Academia and the Community

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Partnerships between Academiaand the Community

• June 29, 2000
• HUD Regional Technical Assistance Project
• Richard OBryant, MIT Department of
• Urban Studies and Planning
• Randal D. Pinkett, MIT Media Laboratory

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Agenda

• I. Why Partner with a College/University?
• II. Examples at MIT
• III. Camfield Estates-MIT Creating
• Community Connections Project
• IV. Recommendations

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Academic-Community Partnerships

• Professors, undergraduate, and graduate students
• Technical assistance and consultation
• Volunteers
• Resources (e.g., computers, network
  administration, etc.)
• Research and Evaluation
• Grants and fundraising

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Potential Partners

• Urban Studies and Planning
• Public Policy
• Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Library Science or Information Science
• Office for Community Service
• Education or Educational Technology
• Information Technology

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Examples at MIT

• Center for Reflective Community Practice
• Boston Youth and Community Connections (BYCC)
  Program
• Computer Clubhouse
• Camfield Estates-MIT Creating Community
  Connections Project

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Project Overview

• The role of a Neighborhood Network CTC, and
  technology in the homes of a low- to
  moderate-income housing development, for the
  purpose of building community and
  self-sufficiency
• Infrastructure Computers, high-speed Internet
  connectivity, community-based web-system

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Project Support

• Camfield Tenants Association (CTA)
• W.K. Kellogg Foundation
• Hewlett-Packard
• RCN Corporation
• MIT Media Laboratory
• MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning
• MIT Laboratory for Computer Science

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Project Site

• Camfield Estates, Roxbury, MA
• Predominantly African-American (75)
• 102 units and 400 residents
• All residents classified as very low income
  according to HUDs guidelines
• Neighborhood Technology Center (NTC) on the
  premises

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Project Methodology
ASSESSMENT AWARENESS
GENERAL ASSET-MAPPING
Broad Community Boundaries
Surveys, Interviews Marketing
SPECIFIC ASSET-MAPPING
COMPREHENSIVE TRAINING
Targeted Community Needs
Basic Specialized Skills
ASSET MOBILIZATION
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Creating Community Connections (C3) System

• Community Intranet
• E-mail, listservs, bulletin boards, calendar of
  events, chat rooms, announcements
• Community Extranet
• Asset-maps (GIS), browse/search/update asset
  (resource) records, customizable web portals,
  security restrictions

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Recommendations

• Identify your needs first
• Determine what kind of support you need
• Seek an appropriate academic partner
• Do your research!
• Consider drafting an memorandum of understanding

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Partnerships between Academiaand the Community

• June 29, 2000
• HUD Regional Technical Assistance Project
• http//www.media.mit.edu/rpinkett