“The Oakland Digital Inclusion Summit”
On February 15, 2008 Oakland is hosting its first Digital Inclusion Summit (a.k.a. ODIS) at the Laney College Theater. ODIS will bring together community members, policy makers, industry professionals, educators, and nonprofit agencies working across the digital inclusion and government sectors to discuss policy direction, strategies, new partnership opportunities, and how best to utilize emerging technologies to provide affordable technology and internet access throughout Oakland. Particular attention will be given to neighborhoods and areas with minimal coverage and low-income communities.
A direct implementation of Mayor Dellums Citizen Task Force on Universal Access to Technology and the Internet, the summit will also feature the launching of Digital Inclusion Oakland – a network of service providers and resource centers with a broad range of technical and educational offerings. ODIS aims to thoughtfully develop policies that comprehensively address issues of ownership, hardware, content, and training in a community-focused environment.
The key objectives of ODIS are to raise awareness, especially among policy makers, of the issues surrounding digital inclusion in Oakland, assess the effects of the digital divide in Oakland, identify appropriate strategies to tackle the digital divide, showcase Oakland digital inclusion projects and technologies, network with the various players in digital inclusion, such as service providers and community organizations, and begin to develop digital inclusion policies for underserved and low-income communities in Oakland.
A snapshot of the ODIS sessions includes an overview of current perspectives on Oakland’s digital divide, an analysis of case studies where technology was used to achieve digital inclusion, and break-out sessions for service providers, policy makers, and other community stakeholder to brainstorm next steps in making community internet and digital inclusion a reality for Oakland. Oakland organizations and community groups will also showcase examples of how they are using information and communication technologies (ICTs) in creative ways that benefit underserved communities in the area. Live performances from Bay Area artists will also be featured!
The current lineup of ODIS speakers include Esme Vos, the founder of muniwireless.com; Craig Settles, author of, “Fighting the Good Fight for Municipal Wireless“; Sascha Meinrath from the Champaign-Urbana Community Wireless Network (CUWiN); Laura Valdez, Executive Director of Caminos Pathways Learning Center in San Francisco, Xavier Leonard, Director of Heads on Fire in San Diego; and Josh Breitbart, Policy Director of the People’s Production House. As we approach the February 15th ODIS date, we will go into more detail on how these and other speakers, sponsors, and participants play an important role in BUSTING the digital divide in Oakland…and beyond!
In the next post, we’ll talk about the Eastmont Computing Center (ECC) and their innovative programs in technology literacy and training to the residents in East Oakland. Directed by Tony Fleming, ECC is partnering with Bay Area community development groups to create state of the art learning centers serving community and residential stakeholders in East Oakland. Imagine, “digi-smart” (yes, MA’s outreach team has coined a new term) affordable housing complexes in what was infamously known as “6-9 Village” (the actual site that was the subject of the movie New Jack City)!
Exciting things are brewing out here in Oakland! Read more about ECC and other digital inclusion (DI) stories on our next post. Also, feel free to share your DI stories by posting it on our community forum!
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