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PugetSoundOff
budget hearingsThe Mayor will present the 2009-2010 proposed budget to City Council on Monday, September 29, followed by a week of departmental presentations. On Wednesday, October 8 and Monday, October 27 the Budget Committee will take testimony from Seattle residents on topics including the Mayor’s proposed budget, proposed revenue sources, and several capital projects. Some email messages received between 4:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. will be read aloud in Council Chambers, so send your comments to Jean.Godden@seattle.gov. All email messages are retained in a comment file included in the public record. The hearing start at 5:30, but sign-up begins at 5:00, if you would like to speak. Visit their site for detailed information. security brochureIs your home computer safe? Are you plagued by viruses, pop-ups, and ugly email? There is a solution! The City of Seattle Community Technology Program, with assistance and expertise from the Office of Information Security, has put together a brochure which includes tips for protecting your computer and your security. View and print the brochure. [PDF] c.a.l.e.n.d.a.rHome Computer & Internet Security Workshops Home Computer & Internet Security Workshops Sound Off for Action Forum digital inclusion
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free internet hookups
Free cable broadband Internet service is available for organizations providing technology training to community members. The free service is offered within the Seattle city limits, based on the City's cable franchise agreements with Comcast and Broadstripe (Millennium). For more information and to download a short form to make application, go to our tech web. If you have questions, email Derrick Hall or call (206) 233-5061.
sub/unsub
To subscribe or unsubscribe to Brainstorm, please email us, and we'll add you to our email notification list, or subtract you per your request. If you have ideas for future stories, please let us know and we'll try to accommodate them. We encourage you to visit the City of Seattle's Community Tech pages, seattle.gov/tech.
archives
Back issues of Brainstorm including techtips and linkage are now available in our online archives. Previous TechTips and Linkage are also available. Click to revisit all previous issues.
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Greg Nickels, Mayor Department of Information Technology BILL SCHRIER chief technology officer GARY GIBSON director, office of electronic communications DAVID KEYES manager, community technology program staff  D.H. CASS MAGNUSKI editor |
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puget sound off is
launched at bumbershoot
Pugetsoundoff.org, a new Seattle area web hub for those ages 13-21, was launched over Labor Day weekend at Bumbershoot. Puget Sound Off was created by youth for youth to blog about what matters, share videos, events, photos, and art, create groups of interest and post polls! A blog/video/music competition with prizes is kicking off the site.
Youth Council members and staff volunteered at the Puget Sound Off booth, distributing bracelets, postcards and posters promoting both the competition and web site. Hundreds of youth visited the booth to find out more about this great opportunity to showcase their talents and sound off where they'll be heard.
Puget Sound Off is a civic engagement, digital literacy, leadership and community building project sponsored in part by the City of Seattle with cable franchise fees. The Metrocenter YMCA is managing the Youth Council and the UW Center for Communications and Civic Engagement has been the third partner developing the program and contributing media literacy curriculum. The Seattle Times Newspapers in Education Program is co-sponsoring the Sound Off for Action competition. Additional support has come from One Economy. The site was built by Digital Aid on a Drupal open source content management platform.
Sound Off for Action Competition guidelines:
- Contest Deadline: October 17
- Contest: Create a blog post, video, or music about a civic issue you are involved with and submit it on PugetSoundoff.org. Top 10 finalists for each category will be judged by a panel made up of local media personalities and youth with expertise in each category. Winners will be announced at the Sound Off for Action Forum on October 30, at the University of Washington Kane Hall.
- Awards: Mini Laptop, Flip Camera, and iPod Shuffle awarded for each category. Mini laptop, iPod Shuffle.
- Get more details on Sound Off for Action at their web site.
The Beehive’s Financial Coach provides resources and advice for people who are struggling in today's economy. Visitors to this section will find:
- Free Credit Counseling: Consumer Credit Counseling Services will provide housing delinquency and foreclosure prevention assistance, budget and credit counseling, and debtor education. This online or telephone counseling service is conducted around-the-clock by licensed NFCC-certified credit counselors in both English and Spanish.
- Financial Quick Fixes: Simple steps that build confidence and help reverse bad habits like debt payment delinquency, unnecessary expenses and negative savings.
- Better Budgeting: A budget framework encourages responsible spending and saving that allows users to enjoy life, contribute to savings and address their financial needs.
- Overcoming Financial Challenges: Shared space where users can contribute and read stories of how real people have tackled a difficult financial situation.
- Ask an Expert: Financial experts respond to readers' questions and post responses to benefit all users.
The Beehive is One Economy’s multilingual self-help web portal that provides resources and information about the things that matter most: health, money, education, jobs, and family.
neighborhood matching fund
hosting celebration events
The City of Seattle's Department of Neighborhoods is celebrating 20 years of Neighborhood Matching Fund (NMF) projects with a series of events. Kicking off the celebrations is an event on Saturday, September 6 from 10 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. at the Phinney Neighborhood Center. The celebrations continue throughout Seattle, every Saturday through October 11, the date of their culminating celebration. Go to their web site for the dates and locations for all these fun events.
All of these events are free, open to everyone, child-friendly, and include food, music, free 20th Anniversary reusable bags, and scrap booking activities for NMF project participants. If you or someone you know has been involved with NMF projects, we encourage you to bring copies of your project photos, news clippings, stories, and other project-related memorabilia so you can create your own project scrapbook page. The events are an opportunity for people to reunite with old friends and meet new people in great community gathering spaces throughout Seattle.
For more information, call any Neighborhood Matching Fund project manager at (206) 684-0464.
first state community tech grants awarded
Washington State University has announced the first grantees for the state Community Technology Opportunities Program (CTOP). The following 10 grantees will receive a total of $350,000: Literacy Source, A Community Learning Center; Neighborhood House; New Futures; Northwest Learning and Achievement Group; Save Our Country's Kids; Street Youth Ministries; Tacoma Goodwill Industries; Tincan; Yakima Interfaith Coalition; and Youthcare. Please visit their web site for more information about these innovative programs. CTOP received 35 complete grant applications requesting a total of $1.296 million and Washington State University used a five person external review committee to evaluate the proposals. The number of proposals demonstrates that there is greater need than the state funding enabled; this will be good information for the legislature and state government when it considers refunding the program.
The Community Technology Opportunity Program (CTOP) was created by an act of the 60th Washington State Legislature to support and advance Community Technology Programs that provide "digital inclusion" activities for Washington's under-served and low-income residents. One part of the CTOP is the creation of a grant program for organizations that provide hands-on technology access and training in serving residents of Washington. Awarded community technology projects must be completed by 15, 2009. Grants are awarded and administered by Washington State University Extension.
s.e.c.u.r.i.t.y
new cyber security mailing list
New Cyber Security Mailing List is now available. Sign up for this free newsletter with tips and stategies to stay safe. The City of Seattle's Office of Information Security (OIS) has set up a new computer security mailing list. They will post a periodic newsletter with cyber security tips and strategies to keep you safe on your work and home computers. They'll also send out notices of critical new threats and information on how to protect yourselves.
If you would like to sign up for this new service, please click on the link and then create a New User account.
d.o.l.l.a.r.s
MacArthur Foundation's Digital Media and Learning Competition
Deadline: October 15
Will provide $2 million in awards for 1) Innovation in participatory learning projects that demonstrate new modes of participatory learning in which people take part in virtual communities, share ideas, comment on one another's projects, and advance goals together; 2) Young Innovator awards designed to encourage young people aged 18-25 to think boldly about "what comes next" in participatory learning and to contribute to making it happen.
Nordstrom
Deadline: November 1
Provides support in the form of cash contributions, community partnerships and volunteerism. Areas of focus are health and human services, community development, education and cultural enhancement.
Advanced Micro Devices
Deadline: Ongoing
Provides support that includes technology and other in-kind donations, corporate grants, and employee volunteers. Charitable giving focuses on: education (math and science, teacher development, college and career awareness) and basic needs (food, shelter, basic medical care).
l.i.n.k.a.g.e
back to school
Heading back to school can be difficult for kids, but parents and other care givers may also be having some anxiety as well. Here are some links to help you through that first week of school and beyond.
Homework Hotline
Homework Hotline has scoured the Web to find thousands of great websites and information to help you learn everything your mind desires. A multitude of homework help in basic subjects like math, science, history and social studies, language (English and Spanish), and resources for students of all grade levels. Assistance is provided in completion of necessary work and to integrate classroom work with homework to assure passing grades and to promote high achievement geared for graduation. Homework Hotline is the best place for any student.
Public School Emergency Communication System
Provides a report of school schedule changes due to adverse weather conditions and other emergency situations for member school districts, colleges, and private schools. Sign up to receive instant email messages from your school. You can also customize My School Report to receive instant notification via email when school schedules change due to inclement weather or other emergency situations.
Get Involved with Your Child’s Education
National Education Association is a great site to read up on how you can be more involved in your child’s education, as well as how that involvement will impact your child’s success in education.