Call for Partners

[andrea mayr]

(apologies for cross-posting)


YOUTH
 
Netbridge, located in Vienna/Austria, is a coordination agency for IT
and CT in youth work. We are a non-profit organisation, physically and
organisationally hosted by Austria's Center for Social Innovation. Our
aim is to help youth workers to deal with computer technology. We try to
generate competence by offering training courses, inform about
individual project-relevant issues or simply offer advice on their
specific problems related to new media.
 
We are looking for partners in order to apply to a European union
program called "YOUTH"(action 5). Our intention is to bring together
partners to work on solutions that should make it easier for youth workers
to use
Linux in their work with kids. As our experience clearly shows, youth
workers are in general attracted to Linux but fear unexpected problems
(i.e. configuration, compatibility) when using it on a daily basis. 
There exists a need for specific information as well as for specifically 
configured setups or tools.
 
We are looking for people who are interested to cooperate in working on
solutions that can help to reach this goal.

We are looking for people/institutions that: 

- have experience in working with kids or youngsters, on professional or
  simply private levels and do use Linux to support the kids computer
  skills.

People who do not have specific background in youthwork but: 

- do have the technical qualification as well as the motivation to work
  on solutions for this project
- do have experience in other relevant fields, like organizing support
  scenarios, or promoting/sponsoring concepts that are compatible with 
  the idea of free software in general, etc


emphasized questions we will keep track of:

- What's the motivation of using free software in youthwork?
- Which steps need to be taken in order to facilitate the first contact
  with Linux? (on a technical basis i.e. offering bootable cd-rom's)
- What meassures need to be taken permanently in order to
  support a long term use of Linux?
- Which initiatives have got to be set locally, which ones are
  predestined to be done world/nationwide.
- In which ways does the initiative gain publicity?

 

There are two meetings planned. 

A preparatory visit, 22.-24. of May 2002
This should enable us to discuss the project based idea and
corresponding to everyones qualifications allowing us to prepare and
conceptualise the upcoming event. The visit will involve one
representative per partner, who will receive 100% of travel cost as well
as about 50 Euro per day.

The Main Event, 21.-27.July 2002 (alternatively: 25.8-1.9.2002)
Goal of this event will be to get sustainable solutions in answer to the
above questions. Solutions, in this context may be conceptual,
as well as technical ones. Discoursive exchange of experience
should help us to reach conclusions for specific problems. These results
are intended to be applied by producing new, or improving already
available utilities. The outcome of the project should be useable
as an information pool and a platform to explain concepts
of exemplariy realisations of using Linux in youthwork. Up to 25
people can attend and will get 100% of travel cost as well as about 50
Euro per day.

If you want to participate in this common efforts, please contact:

Andrea Mayr <andrea.mayr at netbridge.at> 

Netbridge - Coordination Office 
for New Technology and Youthwork in Vienna/Austria,
Koppstrasse 116/11, 1160 Vienna, Austria
phone.: +43 (1) 4950442/75, fax.: +43 (1) 4950442/40


Please feel free to pass this invitation on to people who might be
interested in attending. Thanks.