[Grassroots-l] NOW! Contributors Program Mtg (#olpc-meeting, 2PM Boston Time, Friday)

[Holt]

Please all join us right now reviewing the latest OLPC/Sugar community 
projects over IRC Live Chat:
http://forum.laptop.org/chat

Then type at bottom:
/join #olpc-meeting


AGENDA:

* Fast Review of the 5 latest (greatest!) HW/Project Proposals -- please
 join us advocating for, and/or reviewing shortcomings of these proposals:

 1. Low cost solar charger for the developing world - MIT, Cambridge, 
Massachusetts
 2. Developmentally Appropriate Technology in low income DC public 
charter school - Washington DC
 3. Continued Support Volunteer and Vung Vieng Vietnam (VVV) Project 
Work - Hanover, New Hampshire
 4. Jobortunity - Tanzania and The Netherlands
 5. OLPC-Rotary .. Honduras and beyond - Massachusetts

* Which projects might you enjoy Mentoring below?!
 http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Projects
 http://rt.laptop.org/Search/Results.html?Query=Queue=%27contributors%27

* New projects & libraries -- teaching them Community Outreach:
 http://wiki.laptop.org/go/XO_Laptop_Lending_Libraries


1. Low cost solar charger for the developing world - MIT, Cambridge, 
Massachusetts
   http://rt.laptop.org/Ticket/Display.html?id=57338
   http://www.affordasol.com/olpc
   [SPECIFIC SITE NEEDS TO BE POSTED OFF 
http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Projects ] 

   Requests 1 XO's over 12 months

   Project Objectives:
   Our goal is to develop a low cost solar charger for the developing
   world. By employing low-cost components and novel power electronics, we
   aim to achieve a price ($/Watt) that is at least half of what is
   commercially available today.


2. Developmentally Appropriate Technology in low income DC public 
charter school - Washington DC
   http://rt.laptop.org/Ticket/Display.html?id=57390
   [SPECIFIC SITE NEEDS TO BE POSTED OFF 
http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Projects ]

   Requests 5 XO's over 5-17 months

   Project Objectives:
   * To provide reliable, developmentally appropriate technology to
   self-guide my students free-choice learning. **To promote and advance 
early
   literacy skills by providing children with a set time each day to explore
   the digital activities XO latops provide.
   * To provide concrete examples of the technological benefits of
   having XO laptops in our classroom for administrators and visitors
   to observe.
   * The secondary objective will be to provide a foundation for
   student-directed collaboration in developing counties by exposing the 4th
   and 5th grade students at our school to a XO laptop lab.


3. Continued Support Volunteer and Vung Vieng Vietnam (VVV) Project Work 
- Hanover, New Hampshire
   http://rt.laptop.org/Ticket/Display.html?id=57448
   http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Projects/Vung_Vieng_Fishing_Vietnam
   http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog/nsevers/4/tpod.html
   [UPDATE/CLEANUP NEEDS TO BE POSTED OFF 
http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Projects ]

   Requests 1 XO-1.5 and 1 Serial Adapter over undetermined months

   Project Objectives:
   I use my original G1G1 XO 1.0 as my principal computer when traveling,
   including to the Vietnam Project site and for other OLPC activities 
and OLPC
   project follow-up in other locations; e.g. Thailand.

   The 1.5, faster and with more memory will help me with my OLPC volunteer
   work. In particular, I will put it through the paces and learn how to 
work
   around quirks as I do on the original XO, report bugs and continue the
   valuable PR work that happens when I travel with the XO. I have not 
used the
   XO 1.5. Unless I use one, I cannot speak about it's advantages over other
   tablets new laptop projects for children typically compare and consider.
   Learning the new equipment is important to my OLPC volunteer work 
with the
   support gang, for the development of OLPC Vietnam and the 
continuation and
   growth of the Floating Villages Project.


4. Jobortunity - Tanzania and The Netherlands
   http://rt.laptop.org/Ticket/Display.html?id=57920
   [SPECIFIC SITE NEEDS TO BE POSTED OFF 
http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Projects ]

   Requests 4 XO's over 12 months

   Project Objectives:
   The vision of Jobortunity is that vulnerable youth in Tanzania are being
   employed, self-reliant and contributing members of the community, and 
meet
   demanding employability criteria set by leading local employers in 
the local
   hospitality sector. The mission of Jobortunity is: to provide vulnerable
   youth a training focusing on development of life and employability skills
   including decision making, communication and essential employment 
skills, to
   enable them to get a job and keep a job.

   The specific objectives are:

   * To train 120 young people a year. The first year is a pilot year
   wherein the institute will start with 35-40 trainees. In the second 
year 80
   youngsters will be enrolled. After the initial three years, it is 
aimed for
   that the training institute will have trained 200 vulnerable youngsters.

   * In Kenya, 80% of the graduates of the Ujima training centre have
   found a job. Jobortunity strives for the same results in three years.
   However one has to acknowledge that the level of education in Tanzania is
   lower than in Kenya hence the results of the pilot year will give the
   organisation more insight into the achievability of the goals set.

   * The trainers are considered key for the success of the training
   institute as a good trainer makes good education. For this reason,
   Jobortunity will conduct two Training-of-Trainers courses of one year to
   build a high quality team resulting in eight Jobortunity master 
trainers in
   three years.

   * The Hospitality Mentor & Pupil Programme will train at least 20
   mentors of 20 different hotels/ restaurant to supervise the trainees 
during
   their internships.


5. OLPC-Rotary .. Honduras and beyond - Massachusetts
   http://rt.laptop.org/Ticket/Display.html?id=57984
   [SPECIFIC SITE NEEDS TO BE POSTED OFF 
http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Projects ]

   Requests (1 XO-1.5?) over 3-6 months

   Project Objectives:
   After discussing my fundraising request/proposal to a local Rotary Club,
   I was invited to attend the district meeting, scheduled for Friday, 
February 26, 2010.

   This meeting is used as a way to showcase projects that the many 
local clubs
   can decide to take on to provide grant money, etc. Therefore it would be
   beneficial to have a real XO Laptop to go along with my presentation.

   The Rotary International Organization performs many direct and indirect
   services throughout the world. It is quite possible that if the district
   likes the idea of XO laptops for my initial proposal of supplying 100+
   laptops to the Guadalupe Mission School in Honduras, there may be more
   XO Laptop projects in the future.

   After my initial presentation, I was informed by the head of the district
   (who happened to be at the club meeting I attended) that another club was
   retrofitting donated PCs @ $100/unit to then provide to others. She said
   to me that she felt that the XO would be a better way to go, since they
   are ready to go, along with being durable enough to withstand 
shipping, etc.

   I am requesting the extended period of time, in the event that I am asked
   to attend additional local Rotary Club meetings or other groups 
interesting
   in seeing the functionality of the XO.
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