What do you guys think of a computer outreach program?

[nixnerd]

Hey guys,
As some of you may know, I live in Denver. Now, on the whole, Denver is a very clean, very well-educated city, located right up against the mountains. Pretty awesome.

There is however one section of our city that has been largely forgotten. I’ve lived here for 10 years… and I’ve never even heard of it. You can read all about it here.

This neighborhood is located in a highly industrial area, where no one would expect people to live. The median household income is $8,000 a year. It’s the only neighborhood in Denver where kids outnumber adults. That means, there are a lot of single moms.

These kids don’t really have access to computers and even if they do, they don’t have a lot of knowledge about how to use them. Yes, I’m sure they’re capable of jumping on YouTube and watching a few videos, but they don’t really have marketable computer knowledge.

I’m going to meet with the director of the Youth Center there to discuss possibly starting a computer outreach program. The way this would work is that we would supply each kid between the ages of 14 and 21 with a Raspberry Pi and an $10 keyboard. The reason I like the Pi is because it can be connected to any TV with an RCA input. While these kids might not have monitors, they probably at least have a tube TV.

We would then get into the nitty gritty of how to install a Linux system from scratch on the Raspberry Pi. By the end of this class, they will have learned quite a bit about ARM computers and Unix-like systems. These are both extremely marketable skills, should they choose to continue learning. If not, at least now they have a computer to look for a job, type papers, whatever.

The reason we will be working with Linux is threefold:

1. It’s not easy. Part of the goal of this program would be to actually teach these kids something and boost their confidence. We need to show them that they don’t need to be afraid of technology.

2. It’s free. There’s no software to buy, keeping the cost per kid low. Also, it’s good that these kids know they can always piece together a computer on the cheap.

3. Unix jobs pay a lot. Windows systems administrators are by comparison very easy to find. Unix ninjas are not. Consequently, Unix/Linux jobs pay a lot. ESPECIALLY embedded Linux jobs… which these kids will get a taste of.

Now, I’m not claiming that this program will make these kids professionals at anything. It’s not designed to do that. But it will be a solid foundation that they can build on. And again, if nothing else… they get a free computer.

I want to know what you guys think of this idea and if you have any pieces of advice for me on things I should/shouldn’t do.

Any input is greatly appreciated!

[nixnerd]

The only thing you’ll need to really watch out for is the sustainability part of it.

Oh I completely agree. I basically want to make it an open-source project if that makes sense. I want to have a website that has the learning materials available for download. That way, anyone that wants to run with the idea can… they’ll just be responsible for raising their own money.

I want it to be a “franchise” if you can call it that. Think of an organization like Toastmasters. I hope to see these popping up all over!

[Paulie_D]

I want to have a website that has the learning materials available for download.

It’s a lovely idea and assuming that these kids have access to a ‘tube tv’ at the least you are now assuming they have internet access in order to start / continue their educations.

Given the income limits you describe…is this realistic?

‘A laptop in every lap’ is an ideal to be sure but without internet access it’s like having a ‘chicken in every pot’ without a stove to cook it,

[nixnerd]

‘A laptop in every lap’ is an ideal to be sure but without internet access it’s like having a chicken in every pot without a stove to cook it,

This is a very good point and something I’ve definitely given some thought to. If these kids don’t have computers… they DEFINITELY don’t have Internet. However, I think there are some ways around this. All the public libraries in Denver have free wifi, as do many business establishments. Equipping the Pis to use wifi is definitely an option and that will at least give them the ability to use the Internet if they need it.

I myself didn’t have Internet for most of my college days (I lived off-campus). I managed to use wifi hotspots to get everything done. While this is not ideal and a professional could never live without high-speed Internet, it is possible to function without it.

Plus, I kind of feel like NOT providing computers because they won’t have Internet is almost like throwing the baby out with the bathwater. It’s undeniable that it puts them one step closer to their end goal, whatever that may be.

To go back to your analogy:

it’s like having a chicken in every pot without a stove to cook it

Building a fire is always an option :) Not the best option… but it’s functional. Chasing down wifi hotspots is not ideal and I would liken it to making a fire to cook. That said… it’s an option and it does work.

Edit: BTW, having the materials available for download isn’t necessarily for the students, though I suppose they could use it. The teaching materials will mainly be for other teachers and people who want to start a similar outreach in their city.

[nixnerd]

Plus… should they want to learn programming and not necessarily web stuff, they can download Python when they are connected and code all they want with no Internet!

[__]

I’ve thought about this before too. I’m part of a local tech group that has interests in doing a program like this, but hasn’t yet been able to. It would be great to get it going.

We have the advantage that our city has free wifi everywhere (though it works a lot better in certain places—basically, if you stand underneath one of the routers, it works pretty well).

You’ll definitely need a place that has monitors and internet access (and a projector?) to do your workshops. For the initial programming you’ll need actual ethernet cables, too. I’ve done thinking about this before, and come to the conclusion that the pi should probably stay with the teacher until some programming/attendance milestone is passed; but of course that’s up to you.

Might I suggest xbmc? You’ll still need the skilz, plus it’s something that kids (probably parents too) will be excited about, and it can be used at home even without internet access.

[nixnerd]

Hey @traq, I’d actually like to discuss some logistics with you if you don’t mind. If you’re interested, please send an email to [email protected].

I DEFINITELY would like to talk to other Linux people about this. Perhaps you know where I can find more people that want to get involved or maybe we can combine efforts.

[nixnerd]

Oh,
And apparently there’s this initiative in Denver to give all kids K-12 Internet access. My wife just told me about it today. All you have to do is be in school and meet an income requirement (which all these kids do) and you get Internet.

[nixnerd]

I had my meeting with the director of the Youth Center today. Went AWESOME! She’s totally on board, so I’m definitely moving forward with this.

[Anonymous]

@Joe_Temp

I totally admire you for your dedication and willingness to improving the lives of others. My wife and I support various charities around the world that help others in some form or another.

Also, congrats on living in Denver! Beautiful city to be sure and Colorado on the whole is a beautiful state.

[nixnerd]

Thanks @michael1961. I think it will be really cool. There are definitely some challenges associated with this project but overcoming them will be half the fun.

Denver is an awesome city that I think will play a huge roll in the tech world over the next decade. There are a lot of ingredients here that make for a great startup scene. Giving these kids a foundation of knowledge that will allow them to make a good living in their home city is huge. I really, really hope its successful.

[nixnerd]

I just got the sickest domain name for this program: sudoii.org

Many of you might be thinking: “Why is that an awesome domain name?”

Linux users are thinking: “Holy s*** that is awesome.”

See here:

sudo !! or “sudo bang bang” is what you type when you don’t have the right permissions to do something in a Linux system and the system warns you of that. Type sudo !! and Linux will run the last command you typed as the root user… who does have the right permissions, allowing that task to actually happen. Now, granted, you have to put in the root password or have put it in recently… but still. It’s like Jedi Mind Trick powers.

It’s important for two reasons:

1. We’re trying to elevate these kids’ privileges in life. We’re giving them the skills to type sudo !! to the entire world and create a better future.

2. This program will be built around hacking and taking things that aren’t all that cool on their own and turning them into something incredibly cool. The domain name sudoii.org is a hack itself. Domains can’t have exclamation points, so we’re using the lower case ‘i’ to circumvent that.

Just thought I’d share.

[nixnerd]

I just got the sickest domain name for this program: sudoii.org

Many of you might be thinking: “Why is that an awesome domain name?”

Linux users are thinking: “Holy s*** that is awesome.”

See here:

sudo !! or “sudo bang bang” is what you type when you don’t have the right permissions to do something in a Linux system and the system warns you of that. Type sudo !! and Linux will run the last command you typed as the root user… who does have the right permissions, allowing that task to actually happen. Now, granted, you have to put in the root password or have put it in recently… but still. It’s like Jedi Mind Trick powers.

It’s important for two reasons:

1. We’re trying to elevate these kids’ privileges in life. We’re giving them the skills to type sudo !! to the entire world and create a better future.

2. This program will be built around hacking and taking things that aren’t all that cool on their own and turning them into something incredibly cool. The domain name sudoii.org is a hack itself. Domains can’t have exclamation points, so we’re using the lower case ‘i’ to circumvent that.

Just thought I’d share.

[nixnerd]

Duplicate… sorry. Please delete this comment and one of these ^

[__]

Duplicate… sorry. Please delete this comment and one of these ^

lol, got carried away, did we?

sudo !! !!

Yeah, cool domain name. sudoitagain. You’ll need to make a point of teaching the kids to use that.

I just realized that you called me out in this thread, like, two months ago. I completely missed it.

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