What do kids do with digital cameras? All kinds of things at Clickerz Summer Technology Camps. Thanks to our donated contribution of 100 digital cameras to Clickerz this spring, children attending the organization 's summer technology camps in the Northgate, Beacon Hill and Rainier Valley areas brought their photographic creativity to technology learning. The cameras were a donation from SBC to PSACT and Digital Promise; the City of Seattle Community Tech Program coordinated distribution.

Clickerz campers, ages 6-12, learned how to compose pictures, download them, enhance them for more clarity and add them to their projects. During Cooking Week, for example, campers at Northgate Elementary displayed on their personal websites "must have" kitchen gadgets along with their favorite recipes. Campers also used their cameras to digitally document their origami projects and to teach others by photographically illustrating each step in the complex folding patterns. At John Muir Elementary, instructor Ellen Earth and teen volunteers from the Lakeside School helped children create slide shows with flash added features, using campers' own photographs. Best of all, children could continue their learning at home as each child attending at least one week of camp received his or her own camera.

Clickerz is a Seattle-based, non-profit digital divide initiative that harnesses public elementary school technology labs during the summer months to bring greater technology learning to area children. Clickerz targets its programs to schools operating in low-to-moderate income communities, and has partnered to date with Northgate, Kimball and John Muir Elementary Schools. Clickerz plans to continue expanding its summer technology camps throughout Seattle in the coming years.

Supporters of media diversity recently won two partial victories, but the battle’s not over and your help is needed.

• On September 3rd, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals issued a temporary stay on the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) new media ownership rules. The new rules would allow a broadcast network to own local television stations that collectively reach 45 percent of the national television audience, up from 35 percent. The FCC also lifted a ban in most markets that prevented a company from owning a newspaper, television station and radio outlet in a single market. Additionally, broadcasters will be able to own two television stations in more markets.
• The new rules have sparked an outcry among consumer advocates, political activists of all sorts, and Democrat and Republican lawmakers who fear the new rules will cut the number of media viewpoints and curb local news reporting.
• On September 16, Senators from all parties voted to pass a resolution overruling the FCC, but the House and the White House threaten to prevent final passage.

A few details:

• A huge community response in Seattle and across the country argued against the rules and for diverse media ownership. Listen to the streaming audio of FCC hearings on this issue.
• In March, the Seattle City Council passed a resolution urging the Federal Communications Commission and the Congress to protect content diversity and press freedom by retaining and strengthening media ownership regulations. The resolution is available by searching for media ownership on the City Clerk’s site.
• The court ruling was made in response to a lawsuit brought against the rules by the Prometheus Radio Project and argued by the Media Access Project's Andy Schwartzman. The Third Circuit Court of Appeals decided to suspend the rules pending the case’s outcome.

Citizen action works and is encouraged.

• Contact your Congressperson in the House of Representatives in support of the media diversity legislation. Faxed letters may be most effective.
• For details on the issue and updates see mediaaccess.org. Also, reclaimthemedia.org is a center for information on media democracy and organizing around these issues. It includes a number of links to advocacy organizations.

ScienceQuest 2003 launched in Washington CTCs this summer. Students at one site, the High Point Career and Technology Center in West Seattle, spent the summer exploring scientific questions on fireworks, animal learning, and candy. The kids, ages 6-17, conducted experiments, did Internet research, went on field trips and created websites to document their findings. Check out their web sites here.

The Science Quest curriculum is free and easy to implement. It is designed for ages 10-14 and encourages students to formulate their own queries, develop research plans, investigate science questions, and design their own web sites to share the results of their investigations. It’s a great opportunity for volunteers. A half-day leadership training is required for participating centers. ScienceQuest is a project of Education Development Center (EDC) in Massachusetts and was funded by the National Science Foundation. The national staff provides tools and resources to support each center's projects.

Through PSACT, a cluster of Washington teams will be providing ScienceQuest this fall. If your organization is interested in participating, contact Meredith Blache at (206) 252-9480 or email her at mablache@seattleschools.org.

Deadline: November 3

3Com Corporation and AmeriCorps*VISTA have launched an innovative private/public collaboration in an effort to further bridge the "digital divide." Eligible recipients of new Urban Challenge grants will be able to draw on the talent and skills of AmeriCorps*VISTA members in addition to the technological solutions provided by 3Com. The next ten cities to win Urban Challenge grants will receive 3Com technology and be eligible to receive a three-person AmeriCorps*VISTA team at a reduced cost share amount. The three-person team is available to a public agency or nonprofit organization.

Deadline: October 1

The Mayor and Yvonne Sanchez, director of the Department of Neighborhoods, have announced a temporary freeze on new matching fund applications due to the worsening financial situation. Tree Fund of Small and Simple Projects Fund applications - submitted in either July or August of this year - will not receive awards because Neighborhood Matching Funds are not available for the remainder of 2003.

However, the freeze does not affect Neighborhood Matching Fund projects that are under contract, awarded or recommended for an award prior to July, 2003. The most recent awards for Race Relations/Social Justice projects are not affected by the freeze either. For more info see the Department of Neighborhoods web site. Updates are sent via their e-newsletter, Neighborhood News Online, a great resource.

Saturday, November 8th
5:00 p.m. Registration
5:30 p.m. - Silent Auction
7:00 p.m. - Dinner and Live Auction
Cost $50.00

A great time and a chance to support programs for kids, seniors and neighborhoods? What could be better?

The Rec-Tech Coalition of seven labs in public community centers are holding a dinner and auction with the theme, “Pathway to your Dreams.” They’re looking for donations and encouraging you to attend a great evening for a cause. The Rec-Tech Coalition of the seven community centers within the City of Seattle Parks and Recreation Department that have computer labs. They are looking for items to auction. If you have any items or monetary gifts you would like to donate for the auction, please contact Mary Pat Byington, (206) 684-4397. Volunteers are needed to help with the auction.