Northeast Addison Television (NEAT)

The Open Media Globe
Submitted by NEAT on Mon, 08/10/2009 - 20:32
Contact Information
Individual Applicant Name: 
Mary Arbuckle
About the Center
1. Does your organization currently have a public computer center?: 
Yes
2. What is the goal of your public computer center? If it currently is not set up do you have organizational capacity for one?: 
Media literacy, media & technology training, community involvement, with a particular focus on high-risk youth and their families, to provide them with new skills that will empower them and connect them in new ways with their community; and the elderly, to give them increased access to local information.
3. What percentage of content submitted to your station is posted online?: 
0
4. Will your organization's public computer center be available to all members of the general public or a specific population?: 
Yes, although we do have a particular focus on the area's youth and the elderly. Our current studio space is in the middle of town, on Main Street, on the ground level, easily accessible. The only limitation is size. With our expansion plans, we are looking into moving to a new building in the future, in partnership with a new educational initiative (Pathways) that provides an alternative to youth who are disengaged from the traditional high school experience. This new model connects family, school, and local community, and involves people of all ages, working together.
5. Do you charge membership dues or other fees to the population you are proposing to serve?: 
No
6. What is the disabilities status for members in your area? Check all that apply.: 
A condition that substantially limits one or more basic physical activities such as walking, climbing stairs, reaching, lifting or carrying.
A physical, mental or emotional condition lasting 6 months or more.
Center Capacity
7. For the following questions regarding your center's capacity, are the values current or proposed?: 
Current
Public computer center name and type.: 
NEAT Media Center
How many broadband-related equipment units (e.g. computers, wireless devices) have you/do you intend to purchase overall?: 
20
Center's Broadband Connection Speed (MBps): 
5
Number of Persons served per 120-hour business week?: 
3000
Number of Persons served per 48-hour weekend?: 
900
Center Demographic Information
8. What is the estimated population size of your service area?: 
12000
9. What is your service area identifier?: 
Addison 4
10. What age distribution(s) will your center serve?: 
5 to 19 years
20 to 29 years
29 to 39 years
40 to 49 years
50 to 59 years
60 to 69 years
70 and above
11. What ethnicity(s) will your center serve?: 
Non-Hispanic White
Non-Hispanic Black
Non-Hispanic Asian
Non-Hispanic Other
12. What gender(s) will your center serve?: 
Male
Female
13. What is the median household income for the population your center will serve?: 
$35,000 - $44,999
14. What education levels will your center serve?: 
Elementary - Kindergarten to Grade 5
Middle - Grade 6 to Grade 8
Secondary - Grade 8 to Grade 12
College
Masters
15. What is the unemployment rate for your service area?: 
8
16. What describes the language preference of your service area?: 
English - Primary
17. Please describe your center's outreach strategy and how can you reach communities lacking broadband access. : 
NEAT is located in Bristol, Vermont, which serves the surrounding 5-town region. Established in 2002 by parents and teachers, NEAT's mission is to use media to strengthen community life for all of its members. It has a particular focus on the area's youth. The high school has had a high dropout rate, and a Vt. Risk Survey reported the highest use of tobacco, marijuana, and drugs in the state. As an alternative, NEAT offers an exciting opportunity for teens to get involved in local media, empowering them with new skills and making them feel more connected to their community. Easily accessible in the center of town, NEAT's studio provides an inviting drop-in space for media enthusiasts of all ages. It offers an active production training program, it sponsors media events around town, and it puts originally produced work on the air and into the schools and libraries. It works closely with many local organizations, particularly the Bristol Rec. Department, the Teen Center, and the local high school. NEAT is also part of a new educational initiative underway that will provide an alternative for disengaged youth, enabling us to reach more young people and their families. By providing a public space where young people feel at home - our studio - and providing training and support in this and other community spaces, we can bring broadband to those who don't have it or who are intimidated by it. We can also reach them by going to where they are, making connections between home, student, and community. NEAT has become a part of the fabric of community life; we want to expand our capacity to meet the community's needs and interests. Upgraded equipment and more use of the internet will enable us to do much more.
18. If you provide a computer checkout or giveaway program, how many users do you expect to provide equipment or computers?: 
40 users, with computers that can be both mobile or can stay in the studio. The Pathways model encourages students to connect their media projects with their home, which will involve other family members as well.
19. How will you measure the program's impact in reaching disconnected communities and increase broadband adoption?: 
The impact is easily measureable. I get direct feedback all the time - at the bakery, at the dump, in the park. People like seeing teens behind cameras on Main Street and familiar faces on the screen, and they talk about it. Teens also sign an Equipment Use form when they use station equipment. They sign forms when attending workshops and classes. We keep count of the number of students attending various media events that NEAT sponsors. We keep record of projects produced through the studio.
20. Please describe your primary training and educational programs, including curricula, student certification programs, etc.: 
Run by an experienced filmmaker, NEAT offers an active production training program. This includes summer movie camps for kids, teen internships, weekend workshops for adults, courses for teachers, on-the-job training for teens, and ongoing individual production support to whoever needs it. Internships and Independent Studies are offered for high school credit; teacher courses are taught for college credit. NEAT puts original work by young filmmakers on the air, and sponsors media events like the popular summer-in-the-Park film series. Training encompasses camera, editing, audio, narrative, animation, video reporting, and documentary production skills. Bristol is a dynamic, diverse community and NEAT is a great tool for community involvement. Our budget is modest, but we have managed to do alot with a little. NEAT has established itself as part of the infrastructure of the town and wants to do more. We've gone as far as we can with what we've got. Our next step is to expand our media services to the internet. It's time for us to upgrade equipment, which will increase efficiency, free up staff time to do more coverage and more training, and hugely expand the means of disseminating local information and services, via the internet.
20a. How many hours of training do you/expect to provide per person on average through training programs(s)?: 
15 hrs/weekend workshops; 3hrs/wk x 16 weeks per semester;
20b. How many full-time instructors/facilitators do you/will you employ for broadband and digital literacy training purposes?: 
2
Other Information
21. Is there evidence that less than 40% of your service population has broadband web access?: 
Yes
22. How will your center provide a $10,000 match of funds?: 
equipment purchase - upgrade to a server system (Telvu and Webus)
23. Does your center currently have an online component or plans for an online component?: 
Yes
24. How do you plan to maintain a public computer center?: 
We already have one, have plans to expand to a larger space.
25. How do you plan maintain a website for your station or for the public computer center?: 
Upgrading equipment will free up staff time to maintain website. We also have an active Board who will get involved in this.
26. Are you interested in enabling your community to directly schedule any portion of your programming schedule?: 
Yes
27. Are you interested in sharing content with other public access TV stations?: 
Yes
28. How many total new home subscribers (households) to broadband do you expect to generate over the entirety of the program?: 
500
29. How many total new business and/or institutional subscribers to broadband do you expect to generate?: 
75