Computers for Communities

I would like to tell you a bit about a new non-profit that I am really excited about being involved with.  It is called Computer for Communities.

In order to understand what C4C does, I'm actually going to lift something about the organization from its own website:

We believe that no one should be left on the wrong side of the digital divide. We believe that through volunteering and skills development individuals will learn about computer technology and thus build the potential of their community. We believe that we can help build the bridge across the digital divide in our National Capital Region.

According to Statistics Canada (2006) Approximately 54,000 households in the National Capital region are without access to a computer. Over 67,000 households are not connected to the Internet. We believe that by offering people opportunities to develop skills and earn a themselves a computer we can narrow this gap.

There were a few things that caused me to gravitate towards this organization over others that I had been looking to volunteer my time with:

1) This is a small but growing organization that is in need of assistance

2) This organization supports open-source software and creative commons licensing of intellectual property.

3) Computers for communities gives volunteers (usually youth) a computer for each 24 hours of volunteer work they perform.

4) This organization has lots of room for growth and is at a stage right now that I believe will be critical to its future.

The reason that I am telling you about C4C is that I hope that it inspires you to learn more about the challenges in your community so that you can start focusing on solutions to those problems and being a part of the movement to provide those solutions.