Girlstart, an Austin non-profit founded in 1997 to empower girls to excel in math, science, and technology, is proud to announce the first Project IT Girl graduation on May 22 from 6 to 9 pm at Austin City Hall.

Project IT Girl is an exclusive program for 60 high school girls throughout Austin, Texas to learn how to change the world through the use of Information Technology! Program participants apply technology to global topics they are passionate about to educate and persuade their peers.

Girlstart has enrolled 60 high school girls for this three year program. Participants remain in the program from their sophomore year of high school through their high school graduation in 2009. All participants are required to attend 120 hours of Girlstart meetings each year for three years and complete evaluation activities. Program meetings are held at Austin Community College campuses and the Girlstart Tech Center.

Year One: Project IT Girl participants created public service announcements to educate their peers about global issues such as “Animal Welfare”, “Teen Suicide, and “AIDS/HIV Awareness.”

Year Two: Project IT Girl participants created educational games using Python to be submitted to the One Laptop per Child for possible distribution to schools around the world!

Year Three: Project IT Girl participants will learn critical leadership skills, serve their community, and prepare for college all while using HTML and CSS to create personal online portfolios showcasing their academic and professional accomplishments. The IT Girls will also participate in a semester-long technology internship, gaining valuable hands-on experience to add to their resumes.

The girls will present their final projects to C3 Presents and Motorola at 6 pm and will graduate at 7:30. The ceremony will be followed by an hors d’oeuvres reception.

To RSVP for this event, please email first and last name to rsvp@girlstart.org with “May 22, 2009” in the subject line.

Parking for this event is free. The entrance to the garage is on Lavaca Street on the east side of City Hall. Upon entering the garage, look for signs directing you to the “public” parking area. Take your parking ticket inside to be validated.

Although the North American H1N1 flu pandemic appears to be a mild strain and its threat continues to subside, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended that organizations not shelve their contingency plans just yet as new flu strains tend to come in waves and the future of the virus cannot be projected with any accuracy.

A case of North American H1N1 was confirmed yesterday at a North Austin pre-k. While we do not think the virus will be a threat to our programs and normal activities, please read the following plan because of the proximity of the confirmed case to Skillpoint locations and CTTC’s campus partnership with Austin Independent School District (AISD).

In the event of AISD campus closures of our CTTC locations, CTTC will comply with AISD policy and will not hold CTTC classes in the evenings at these campuses. Instead, CTTC will try to accommodate the students of cancelled classes at the downtown location. We will add classes in the afternoons and evenings to ensure that the services you depend upon remain available to you, should any schedule changes become necessary.

We will spray our labs with disinfectant before classes. We will also hire additional custodial staff as necessary.

We ask that if you experience flu-like symptoms such as fever, muscle aches, chills, a dry cough, sneezing, vomiting or diarrhea to please stay home.

CTTC will continue to monitor the situation and will post any campus closures on our Website, www.skillpointalliance.org and our blog, www.skillpointalliance.wordpress.com.

While the “digital divide” of the 1990s has abated as more Americans own their own computer, a new digital divide threatens the rural and low-income to middle-class populations in the US.

The new divide separates the high-speed Internet connection haves from the have-nots. Some have-nots simply cannot afford the expense of high-speed Internet. According to the Communications Workers of America (CWA), “in the U.S., DSL generally reaches speeds of up to 1.5 – 3.0 megabytes per second (mbps) at a price averaging $30-$50 per month while cable modems generally reach speeds of 3-5 mbps for $40-$50 per month.” By contrast, “in Japan, an average connection with a speed of 26 mbps costs about $22 per month.” The expense of Internet, an invaluable resource, is becoming a luxury for many American families due to job uncertainty or unemployment who are forced to cancel subscriptions.

Another group of have-nots simply do not live in an area serviced by high-speed Internet providers. Typically, rural areas fare the worst. The CWA reported that “only 17% of adults in rural areas subscribe to high speed Internet compared to 31% in urban and 30% in suburban areas.” While it may seem like these rural areas are far-flung, out-of-the-way places, one may be surprised that this issue hits close to home. Bastrop, only an hour east of Austin, does not receive any broadband services.

So why does this matter? The Website SpeedMatters.org explains it well.

“High speed Internet is essential for economic growth and global competitiveness. The United States – the country that invented the Internet – has fallen from 1st to 15th in high-speed Internet penetration. High-tech innovation, job growth, telemedicine, distance learning, rural development, public safety, and e-government require truly high-speed, universal networks.”
Skillpoint Alliance and CTTC agree with SpeedMatters.org. The US needs national, universal high-speed Internet access. It is time to replace the hodgepodge networks built by obscure government programs and private service providers.

Please take time to learn more about this issue. Speedmatters.org is a wonderful resource to learn why this is so important and how to get involved, and you can read about how broadband access can bring job growth to rural towns in a recent article in The Washington Post.

The Annual Diversity Conference hosted by Pflugerville ISD and the University of Texas at Austin invites you to participate in this free community event on Thursday, August 6, 2009 from 8:30 to 4 pm at Connally High School.

We will have many voices presenting at our conference including parents, students, professors, graduate students, teachers, educational experts from local museums, and representatives from various religions in an effort to help us deepen our understanding of our differences so that we may celebrate our similarities.

  

To RSVP:

 

• Pflugerville teachers, K-12, need to register on Cornerstones
• Community members, teachers and administrators from other districts, and all others who would like to attend should RSVP to one of the following PISD Diversity Steering Committee chairs by July 15, 2009:
  • Rachelle Warren or Sara Lucas  at rachelle.warren@pflugervilleisd.net or sara.lucas@pflugervilleisd.net

Sincerely,

 

Holly Ingram, Coordinator

Guidance & Counseling Services

1401 W. Pecan Street

Pflugerville

(w) 512-594-0128

 

Austin mayoral candidate Brewster McCracken announced the winner of his advertising campaign contest, “Your City, Your Vision, Your Ad” earlier this month. The contest was judged by local filmmakers including Richard Linklater and Robert Rodriguez and allowed Austinites to create their own commercial outlining their vision for Austin.

The winning ad, entitled “Weird Dream,” is described by The Austin Chronicle as a “slickly-produced clip hewing closely to McCracken orthodoxy – green jobs, digital entertainment…” It boasts some of Austin’s many fetes, such as being a leader in “the green revolution” and encourages Austin to continue to “dream weird.”

Skillpoint’s Digital Media Council (DMC) was excited to hear about this competition, which encourages local film makers to participate in the dialogue and create new projects.

“It’s exciting to see politicians using their campaign as a platform for local artists and filmmakers to show off their work,” Kristy Bowden, director of the DMC, said. “All of the submissions were fabulous and I can’t wait to see the winner’s ad air on TV.”

And in case you’re wondering how all of this fits into and is allowed in a political campaign, a press release issued by the McCracken camp at the launch of the contest explained that “because the airtime will be purchased with campaign funds, finance rules require the campaign to add disclosures to the winning ad before it is aired. However, this is not a “Brewster for Mayor” competition.  It is a creative competition.  Entries should not include mentions or visuals of any candidate – including McCracken.”

Be sure to check out all of the finalists at McCracken’s Web site.

Launch Pad Job Club (LPJC) is a networking, support, and job lead sharing organization that aids and supports jobseekers in their search for The Perfect Job.  A federally recognized nonprofit organization, LPJC presents free weekly meetings that provide job search information, motivation, programs, speakers, networking opportunities, door prizes, bananas, and grins.  Looking for a job is way too scary to do by yourself.  By joining LPJC, you will benefit from the combined resources of other interesting, intelligent, supportive, talented, and good looking professionals as everyone helps each other survive the challenges of the job hunt. 

 

LPJC meets from 10-11:30 a.m. at 1016 La Posada, suite 280, behind the Doubletree Hotel on I-35N.

 

Afternoon meetings will be held in addition to the regular Friday morning meetings on the 1st and 3rd Fridays of every Month.  These meetings will cover the same content as the morning, just at 1:30 pm. 

 

Attending for the first time?  Come at 9:30 a.m. for new member orientation, or if it’s the 1st or 3rd Friday of the month, there is an additional orientation at 1pm in Room #290.

   

Next Meeting – 10:00 am Friday, April 10th. Top Guns at Noon!

Skillpoint wants to pass on this letter from partner organization, The Nobelity Project!

—-

Dear Friend,

Five continents, 20 countries and 1 broken leg later, The Nobelity Project is very excited to announce the World Premiere of One Peace At A Time on Tuesday, April 14th at the Paramount Theatre in Austin, TX. Please join us in celebration and support of their work at a pre-screening reception and photo exhibit at the Austin Museum of Art. This wonderful event will honor five global heroes featured in the film, including Miracle Foundation founder Caroline Boudreaux.

All proceeds will go towards The Nobelity Project’s education work in the U.S. and abroad. You can support The Nobelity Project and One Peace at a Time in a few different ways:

• Click here to purchase $25 general admission tickets for the film
• Donate $250 to The Nobelity Project and you will be able to attend a pre-screening reception at the Austin Museum of Art; have reserved seats at the world premiere of the film; and attend the film’s after-party at Ruth Chris’ steak house
• Visit The Nobelity Project’s blog for more information about the great work that they do.

Thank you for supporting The Nobelity Project’s work for a more peaceful and sustainable world!

Join us tomorrow, April 3, at 11 as 12 individuals take the next step in creating a better life for themselves and their families.

After five grueling weeks of construction training at ACC Riverside, these individuals will walk across the auditorium tomorrow signifying their commitment to finding employment and being self-sufficient.

Graduation will begin at 11 at ACC Riverside, Bldg. G Lecture Hall. A luncheon will follow.

CTTC wants to thank everyone who came out and supported the program last Thursday evening!

At least 60 people attended the party and represented a diverse group of CTTC supporters. Attendees included state representatives, Skillpoint board members, program funders, staff (past and present!) and clients (past and present!).

Thistle Cafe chef Herman provided the delicious food and drinks and deserve a HUGE round of applause for going beyond the call of duty!

CTTC Business Advisory Council member Arin Gray was of great help in the planning of the party, as was Vice Chairwoman Alison Barnes, who presented awards to the new computer lab’s funders and was a staunch believer in the need for CTTC’s own computer lab for many years.

We’ll post pictures as soon as possible, so stay tuned!

Microsoft Corp., the multinational software development company best known for its Microsoft Windows operating system and the Microsoft Office Productivity Suite, has contributed $96,000, plus software valued at $350,000, to Skillpoint Alliance. The cash award supports the Austin organization’s Community Technology Training Centers (CTTC) new downtown computer lab, the third location for classes. Software is used for instruction in the lab as well as by Skillpoint staff for the non-profit’s other programs.

 

CTTC, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary, will offer more than 50 classes this spring, from basic keyboarding to courses in database design. Participants are adults who are primarily under- or unemployed.

 

The lab, housed in Skillpoint’s offices, 201 East 2nd Street, Suite B, is accessible by public transportation and has served more than a hundred clients since opening this fall. Job search assistance also is offered upon request.

 

“The ability to expand our technology training programs truly benefits the community,” says Jon Betcher, Skillpoint Board president, “and it would not have been possible without this grant from Microsoft.”

CTTC will recognize Microsoft’s wonderful contribution at their 10th Anniversary party this Thursday, March 26, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.