Organizational
Background
In urban and rural Minnesota communities alike, hundreds
of libraries, parks, community centers, churches and non-profit
organizations provide computer facilities and beginning technology
training to low-income residents and those unfamiliar with Information
Technology (IT) tools and resources.
While most of these organizations do not consider themselves “community
technology providers”, they have none-the-less stepped forward to
provide these critical services where technology literacy and access gaps
exist. Out-state, such gaps exist primarily in rural areas and on Indian
Reservations. In urban centers and within smaller cities and towns, low-income
and traditionally underserved neighborhoods experience this continuing “digital
divide”.
C-CAN provides support for community-based technology
programs that address the “digital divide” in Minnesota communities
in the following ways:
1) C-CAN convenes an annual statewide conference
bringing together professionals working in the field of Community Technology
to exchange “best practices”, develop new partnerships, and
explore ways to share technology resources
2) C-CAN acts as a “clearinghouse” for
distributing community technology resources, including grant information,
software and hardware donations, and information about technology resources
gathered from national sources
3) C-CAN is the Minnesota regional affiliate
of CTCNet, a 501c3 organization representing over 1000 community technology
centers internationally
4) C-CAN runs the Twin Cities Community
Technology Empowerment Project, an AmeriCorps program placing
25 full time AmeriCorps members in CTCs throughout the metro area
5) Volunteers at C-CAN serve as community
technology advocates, working to increase funding for community technology
projects through cable and WI-FI franchise fee negotiations
C-CAN's mission is to “bridge the digital divide” in
Minnesota by providing advocacy, services and resources to community technology
centers and technology literacy programs statewide.
