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| Low Income Networking and Communications | |
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| Low Income Networking and Communications | |
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Closing the Digital Divide: Integrating Computer Communications Capacity into the work of Low-Income Grassroots GroupContents A. Training and Technical Assistance Build Long-Term Group CapacityII. Creating a Communications Infrastructure for Low-Income Groups A. Build it and they will comeIII. Low-Income Groups Want LINC Project Technology Assistance IV. The LINC Project Fits into Broader Strategies for Increasing the Effective Use of Technology by Non-Profit Organizations V. Future Challenges for the LINC Project Appendix: Groups Receiving Individualized Technology Assistance Imagine an America where low-income grassroots groups fulfill their potential while they improve the debate over "welfare reform" and strengthen our democratic institutions. Where grassroots groups:
Important strides toward reaching this vision have been made by the Welfare Law Center's Low-Income Networking and Communication (LINC) Project. LINC empowers existing groups to be far more effective in pursuing the goals their membership seeks. Designed for and directed at low-income organizing groups, the LINC Project is a first-of-its-kind capacity-building strategy to integrate technology into low-income groups' advocacy work. Organizations served by the LINC Project have increased abilities to serve their constituents and to collaborate effectively with allied organizations. The Project's credibility is enhanced by its decision not to dictate from afar policies to be pursued or what communication should take place, and its determination not to do for groups what they can do for themselves. The LINC Project is therefore a key component in an emerging strategy to improve social welfare policy and program implementation by bringing low-income groups to the table, to the political arena, to wherever key decisions are made. For example, the groups can participate as policy is formulated in each state in light of the final federal TANF regulations granting states even greater discretion. They can be heard on other critical issues such as how to deal with unspent TANF funds, TANF reauthorization, public employment and job creation, and child care and transportation services. LINC also helps bridge the "digital divide" that separates low-income communities from the rest of America. Adults and children in low-income communities have far less access to and familiarity with computer technology than other Americans. This is a problem both in the political arena, as well-heeled groups exploit technology to communicate with members and the press and to track supporters, and in the job marketplace. The LINC Project, launched by the Welfare Law Center in 1998, combines a comprehensive mix of training and technical assistance with a quickly growing communications infrastructure:
The LINC Project was conceived by the staff of the Welfare Law Center, a national law and policy organization with established working relationships with low-income membership organizations around the country since 1965. The Center developed the Project to create a communications infrastructure that would bring low-income groups into the public debate over welfare policies in a meaningful way, thereby strengthening democratic institutions in the country as a whole. The Center received invaluable conceptual help from the Rockefeller Technology Project in designing the Project. RTP provided ongoing advice and support during implementation, in planning for the Project's expansion, and in integrating it into the broader community addressing technology use among the non-profit community. The Open Society Institute, with a history of commitment to using technology to strengthen democratic institutions, provided encouragement through funding for the planning and pilot phases of the Project. LINC has now reached a critical turning point. The Project has demonstrated its ability to strengthen groups' use of technology to promote the organizations' mission and, in the process, to improve the skills of members of these organizations. As critical debates take place in the states and Congress about the future of income support for low-income Americans, the LINC Project demonstrates that it is possible for the low-income community itself to take part in these debates - if sustained communication can be maintained. The next two years are a wonderful window of opportunity as access to computers and the Internet increases, the cost of technology plummets, and existing uses demonstrate to more and more groups that they too should get involved. 1. The Circuit Rider Enables Groups to Apply Technology to Advocacy The linchpin of the project is our Circuit Rider. Like circuit riders of old, our Circuit Rider evangelizes, but now it is to increase the ability of low-income organizations to use computer communications technology in their advocacy and membership building activities. LINC is at the vanguard of the Circuit Rider movement, now being joined by a growing number of foundations and collaborations, which is strengthening the capacity of nonprofit organizations to take advantage of technology in their work. Our Circuit Rider fully understands technology and organizing, and is the only one of the current roster of 50 Circuit Riders who is working with low-income groups on economic justice issues. A. Training and Technical Assistance Build Long-Term Group Capacity The Circuit Rider works systematically with groups that have themselves decided that they want to forge ahead with technology and that the LINC Project has determined have the potential to use technology to advance their current organizing and advocacy efforts. Our technology assistance thus complements and supports their advocacy. Strategic Analysis and Planning The Circuit Rider leads an organization's staff and leadership through a technology needs assessment. This includes analysis of:
For most groups this an extraordinary and exhilarating experience. They have never had the opportunity to conduct this type of analysis. Plan Development and Implementation The Circuit Rider then drafts a Technology Plan, based upon the organization's goals and the resources it already has in place or can reasonably acquire. The group then discusses, adopts, and implements a plan. The Circuit Rider is involved throughout as the plan is modified in light of experience and new developments. As part of the planning, the Circuit Rider also encourages groups to think about how to leverage local resources to support ongoing technical needs. The planning process has led to many creative and valuable innovations, such as set those out in the box that follows.
Training Training of staff and members is the key to the success of the LINC Project. Non-profit groups tend to focus on acquiring equipment, rather than developing staff capacity to use the equipment effectively. The LINC Project emphasizes training, consistent with the recommendation of the Circuit Riders network supported by the Rockefeller Technology Project that 70% of an organization's technology budget be devoted to training, 20% to hardware and 10% to software. The training provided by the Circuit Rider is particularly effective since it focuses on how the technology promotes the overall goals of the organization and is immediately relevant to the participants.Staff is trained in:
Members are given an introduction to the Internet with basics such as understanding the world wide web and how to use browsers, search engines, and e-mail. This training is coupled with an application tailored to the organization's purpose. For example, CVH member training has shown low-income individuals how to use the Internet in their job searches. For another group, training might be directed at teaching members how to use the Internet to acquire information about public benefits and social services and engage in self-help advocacy. Assistance and training have been provided to groups all across the country (see Appendix). Our familiarity and contacts with groups has allowed us to direct our technology assistance to those with the potential to use technology to advance their current organizing and advocacy efforts. B. The Circuit Rider Also Engages in Broad Outreach The Circuit Rider reaches out to a much broader audience, and is now in great demand at the relatively few gatherings of low-income organizations that occur around the country. During the first year of the Project presentations on the strategic use of technology were made at the following:
The Circuit Rider also continues to develop and post on the web site user-friendly Tech Tips. Topics to date include:
II. Creating a Communications Infrastructure for Low-Income Groups A. Build it and they will come....The LINC Project web page, www.lincproject.org, is a unique resource for low-income groups, advocates, students and academics, and the media, and is visited by thousands of persons each month. The web site contains a constantly growing body of information on what groups are doing, their campaigns, and their issues, including:
Groups and policy think tanks are developing creative approaches to some of the most critical issues in welfare reform -- sanctions, time limits, public jobs, education and training, and workfare -- and LINC gathers these ideas and strategies and makes them available through its web site. The site will soon feature a topical listing of key issues on which low-income groups are working and will direct visitors to relevant information on the site. B. Reach out ... and speak with kindred souls all over the country The Project's moderated listserv promotes communication among and by low-income groups and their members that otherwise would not occur. Participants' own words tell it best: I regularly read the listserv . . . .I find the info extremely useful to my organizing work and love talking with others about our work . . . Hearing others facing the same problems in other states eases the stress that these situations produce. Mostly, there is no money in welfare organizing and it's very hard, intensive work. Just knowing there are others out there taking up the challenge helps to keep us going! All I know is I need and appreciate you and hope you will keep providing us with these wonderful resources." *** Great job. This listserv really keeps us connected to national issues, discussion, resources and important network. We live and work in an isolated, rural area and it's important for us to stay connected! Thanks for all the great work. *** It is important to maintain the activity of the list serve . . . . Your list serve is excellent and has assisted local groups in organizing low-income people. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK! MANY THANKS FOR YOUR HELP. *** Thank you for organizing this listserv. I truly believe it is a useful organizing tool, a necessity for advocates nationwide. The moderated email-based listserv has grown to more than 225 participants, including almost 140 low-income groups. Participants include workfare organizing groups in Canada, New Zealand, and Denmark. It allows dialogue that would otherwise not occur among current leaders of current low-income groups; former welfare participants who are now activists, authors, and educators; policy advocates; and media experts. This dialogue has strengthened the sense of community among the participants. Feedback from every conference and from individual participants tells us that low-income groups consider the listserv an enormously valuable tool. With two to five postings a day, the listserv is a forum for lively exchanges on a variety of issues. Organizations across the country coordinate planning for local events relating to issues of common concern, such as sanctions and time limits. Groups seek and receive advice on media issues from one another and from our online media consultant. They share fundraising tips. The Center posts time sensitive federal legislative alerts, opportunities to join sign-on letters received from Washington-based groups, news articles of interest, grant making announcements, and notices of significant upcoming events (from our web calendar). The listserv also promotes the development of self-help groups and self-empowerment. One welfare participant told her own story, sought and received advice on how to proceed with advocacy, and made contact with others in her state, started to advocate for others and ultimately was hired as a staff member for a low-income group. Excerpts from the listserv are published in the Center's newsletter to educate those without email about the usefulness of this technology. In addition to topics mentioned above, these excerpts have addressed:
III. Low-Income Groups Want LINC Project Technology Assistance The LINC Project has built a formidable reputation in the low-income community during its first year. Groups are already including consulting funds for the LINC Circuit Rider in funding applications, and asking funders to include the LINC Circuit Rider in meetings and projects. One group, WEEL, has recently received funding that will allow it to bring the Circuit Rider to Montana for a site visit. A coalition of groups in seven Western States and LINC have filed a collaborative funding proposal seeking funding to enable the groups to coordinate their efforts through technology. The value of the listserv has been shown by attempts to emulate it on the state level. It has already served as the model for creation of a statewide listserv among organizers in Colorado. Massachusetts advocates and advocates in the Northwest are planning similar listservs. The Circuit Rider is assisting in all of these efforts.The LINC Project and its Circuit Rider have been early leaders in a national movement to strengthen the ability of non-profit organizations to use technology. The Rockefeller Technology Project (RTP), which has led this overall effort, has been a technology consultant to the LINC Project. Our Circuit Rider was one of the early members of RTP's Circuit Rider network. His unique focus on low-income groups addressing economic justice issues has expanded the reach of RTP's work and has also contributed to the shared learning occurring in the Circuit Rider network. RTP invited our Circuit Rider to plan and present at the 1999 Circuit Riders Round-Up. For more information on the RTP initiative, see www.techproject.org. The LINC Circuit Rider has been sought out for presentations and demonstrations to other related advocacy communities. During the past year LINC made presentations at the following meetings:
V. Future Challenges for the LINC Project The Center considers the LINC Project an essential part of its program promoting economic justice, and is seeking resources to expand its work. The number of requests for assistance from the Circuit Rider grows faster than additional groups can be visited, and it is time that another Circuit Rider be added to the staff. At the same time, the LINC Project must enlarge the web site to help groups prepare for policy struggles, particularly over TANF reauthorization in 2001-2002, and must maintain the listserv to help groups sustain the sense of community. Accordingly, the Center is seeking funding from additional sources to enable it to continue and expand the LINC project. |
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