Contact Information
Address:
124 E. Broadway
Tucson, AZ 85701
Why is your organization interested in increased broadband usage among your members and community:
Arizona's economy has suffered greatly during the Great Recession, recording absolutely stunning job (275,000) and economic losses. Those most basic of tools for success and prosperity in the 21st Century, a computer and internet access, are not available to thousands of people in Tucson, Arizona. The City of Tucson continually lags behind the state of Arizona in terms of prosperity and access to resources. The city’s per capital income is $16,322 compared to the state’s $26,838 and nearly 20 % of Tucson's one million metro residents live below the federal poverty level. In these homes computer and internet use are also low. While the 2009 Pew broadband report notes home broadband usage at 63%, the lowest income users stand at only 35 %. Access Tucson has provided media training to thousands of individuals and production services to hundreds of community organizations since 1984. In 2008, close to 200 producers/members created 2460 hours of original programming. Annually, approximately 500 people receive training and free access to digital production equipment to create content for cable television and internet distribution. Every aspect of Access Tucson's mission is geared to reaching and training underserved communities. We empower, through media, the community's multicultural (Native American, Hispanic, Anglo, African American, global refugees) communities and organizations to disseminate information in ways they could never afford to otherwise. Access Tucson operates three television cable channels serving Tucson and Pima County and since 1999 has streamed its channels on www.accesstucson.org. We've provided computer/internet access to the public for 14 years and in 2008 served more than 5000 citizens. Access Tucson proposes to increase broadband internet use in the following ways:>Increase the number of public internet computers from 6-12; add printers and CD/DVD burners; supply on site Q&A help. > Create Tucson.Org--develop a new centralized web service which includes; motion media, social networking, and ecommerce for non-profit organizations to help them reach their communities and audiences.>Continue and enhance technology and content creation classes.>Mobile Learning Service--In partnership with a local broadband access service provider, Access Tucson will reach underserved and geographically distant populations. Access to public computer centers is vital in the current economic and communications environment. Our most vulnerable citizens need admittance and training in areas that range from accessing e-government agencies and services to researching homework and jobs. They also need resources to organize for social activism and the means to be able to communicate in an media enriched environment. We would like to serve as an access point for the resources, training and distribution to serve this purpose.
Demographic Information
Service Area Congressional Districts:
Does your organization serve a federally recognized tribal entities? If yes, please identify:
Tohono O'odham Nation and Pascua Yaqui
Does your organization serve vulnerable population groups? If so, please identify:
Hispanic
Black/African-American
Asian
Native American or Native Alaskan
English as Second Language (ESL)
Disabled
Low Income
Senior Citizen (55 and over)
Youth
Other
If other, please explain::
Access Tucson has partnered with community service organizations to create direct outreach and information programming for Somali and Burundi refugee communities.
Number of hosehold subscribers:
Estimated population size of your service area:
Please provide demogrphic information for the population you serve:
Tucson, Arizona has a population of approximately 600,000 residents and in Pima County there are nearly one million people. A 2005–2007 American Community Survey estimates the city's population at 67.3% White (50.0% non-Hispanic White alone), 5.0% Black or African American, 4.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 3.2% Asian, 0.3% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, 23.5% from some other race and 3.3% from two or more races. 39.5% of the total population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. In the inner-city, the population has 24.6% under the age of 18, 13.8% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. Access Tucson is located in the heart of downtown, one block from a major urban transit center. Generally, the population we serve represents those Tucsonans left on the other side of the digital divide; those that are less educated, non-white and lower income members of the community. While located as an urban facility, Access Tucson serves the greater Pima County region of Southern Arizona as a community media and technology center. On Tucson’s hard-hit Southwest Side 83% of public school children qualify for free/reduced lunch program, 81 percent of the student population is Hispanic, 7% is Native American, 2% is African American, 9% is Anglo and 1% is other. The Tucson Police Department reports that gangs are rampant with gang members as young as 8 years old. Access Tucson has worked extensively with the Tucson Police Department creating video projects to reach parents and at-risk youth. The situation in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe is more severe. Federally recognized in 1978, PYT is located on a 1,152-acre reservation, southeast of Tucson. The unemployment rate in 2008 was 25%. Only 37% of the population has graduated from high school and 47 % of the population is below the age of 25. Access Tucson collaborated with the Pascua Yaqui Nation to provide training and tools for a youth produced tribal, oral history documentary.
Supporting Vulnerable Populations
Please describe the specific affirmative steps that your program will take to engage and serve the groups identified:
For the last 2 years, Access Tucson has focused on technology training for broadband internet use, providing instruction for both social networking and media distribution on the web. Access Tucson seeks to develop a web service for non-profit groups and organizations--Tucson.Org. Tucson has a vibrant non-profit sector that serves the needs of hundreds of thousands of citizens. These non-profit organizations aid the jobless, the uninsured, the working poor as well as advocate for the cultural and artistic requirements that feed our soul as a community.
No centralized information hub currently exists in an on-line format to serve these organizations. Tucson.Org would be developed to provide social networking tools, on-line video illustrating the services of the organizations and to improve fundraising. The Tucson.Org site also offers community organizations the capacity to provide additional in-depth programming, on-demand, on the web and on cable. Tucson.Org would be an agent for enhancing community awareness, establishing a dynamic public resource and creating a forward-looking tool to assist these organizations with their missions. This in turn, helps the individuals whom they serve. Access Tucson currently assists organizations in creating representative media. The target populations for Tucson.Org would be defined by and begin with our strongest partner organizations. To create the content for Tucson.Org, Access Tucson would expand its current organizational production services. Recently, Access Tucson was awarded funding from Every Voice in Action Foundation to develop youth programs and training. Youth would be employed alongside staff and volunteers in developing content. Our organizational history in working with youth ensures a stolid base for this dynamic project component. Youth organizational partners would provide the pool for youth talent. Youth participants and volunteers would receive media production, web development and broadband utilization training. In addition to the technical skills the participants will develop, they'll work in a team-oriented environment and utilize writing and communication skills. Production of organizational media would be produced with staff supervision. The training component would teach those involved in-demand technology skills and offer them a unique advantage for entering or re-entering the workforce. We envision expanding the reach of Tucson.Org. to rural and tribal areas through Mobile Media Services. This includes training for broadband utilization, digital media production and distribution.
Please describe the ways your center will be accessible to people with disabilities and technologies will be used:
Access Tucson endeavors to make all of its services, programs, facilities and employment opportunities available to, accessible for and usable by qualified individuals with disabilities on an equal basis as for any other individuals, in accordance with applicable state and federal laws including the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Arizonans with Disabilities Act. Access Tucson has created adaptive technology to assist physically disabled producers to utilize equipment. Access Tucson also provided the longest running community access educational program for developmentally disabled volunteers.
Do you offer, or plan to offer, multilingual training and outreach? If so, please describe and identify languages it will be in:
Education and outreach will be provided in both English and Spanish. Our organizational partners will produce web and media content in the relevant languages for their clients. Access Tucson also provides services and programming for the African refugee populations in Tucson.
Local Drupal Development Commitement In addition to what the OMF will provide through this grant, we
estimate that a successful implementation will require a minimum of 80
hours of local drupal support (through trained staff, contractors, or
volunteers).
How many hours of professional drupal development support can you commit to securing between Oct 2010 and Oct 2012:
What is the estimated Cost (or value, if volunteer) of this commitment:
Current Capitial Equipment Commitment If your organization already has some or all of the equipment
required to implement the Open Media Project, or the capital budget
necessary to acquire it, that value will be included as part of your
match. If not, grant funds will be used to acquire the equipment you
require.
Current Digital Broadcast Server(s):
Current Dedicated RAID Storage:
Other Current Equipment Value:
If other, please explain:
Access Tucson's current facilities, equipment and services would be utilized to support the Open Media Project. Our mission aligns directly with the goals of this project.
Future Capital Equipment Commitment If your organization already has some or all of the equipment
required to implement the Open Media Project, or the capital budget
necessary to acquire it, that value will be included as part of your
match. If not, grant funds will be used to acquire the equipment you
require.
How much Capital Equipment budget could you devote towards the
acquisition of the following equipment:
Future Dedicated RAID Server:
Future Digital Broadcast Server(s):
Other Future Equipment Value:
Technical and Administrative Support We estimate that a successful implementation of the OMP will require a minimum of 80 hours of technical and administrative support
(through involvement of your ED, bookkeeper, engineer and other staff). Any time contributed will count towards your in-kind match.
How many hours can you commit to securing between Oct 2010 and Oct 2012:
List each staff member, position, number of hours committed, and hourly wage (or equivalent, if salary):
Engineer - 10 hours @ $60 per hour
Information Technology Support - 10 hours @ $100 per hour
Administrative - 20 hours @ $35 per hour
Training Director - 40 hours @ $35 per hour
Video Content Commitment Partners will be supporting Sustainable Broadband Adoption by
addressing the primary hurdle identified by non-adopters: a perception
that broadband is not relevant to life, especially in low-income and
minority communities.
What is the value of the staff time and resources you are willing to
devote to supporting the production of video content that will address
'broadband relevance' from the perspective of members from
disconnected communities"?
Broadband Training Program
If you intend to provide training or education, how many people in total will your program(s) reach:
How many hours of training do you expect to provide per person on average for your program(s), through completion of training:
How many Full Time Employee (FTEs) will you employ for broadband and digital literacy training purposes:
Describe the qualifications and training of full time employee instructors of broadband and digital literacy training:
Instructor/Facilitators will be employed for broadband training in the Access Tucson facility. One position would be an Access Tucson youth training specialist who would also help to administer this program. This project coordinator has over 15 years of youth education experience and has worked extensively with youth in many programs including projects in Ecuador and Brazil as well as on-going youth projects at Access Tucson. The project coordinator also worked on several media literacy projects in partnership with the University of Arizona and Arizona State University and helped conduct media literacy training for teachers throughout the state. Additionally, there would be an instructor/production specialist who is a graduate of UCLA film school and holds a Masters degree in Media Arts. They have also acted as a media educator for over 15 years for both adult and youth education. 2 PT positions would assist users of the broadband access computer center. The full-time staff member for broadband and digital literacy training is currently an Access Tucson employee receiving salary and benefits. This would be considered an in-kind match for the project.
Job Creation
How many indirect jobs will be created from this project:
How many direct jobs will be created from this project:
