working with agencies
Rashidah Z. Hakeem (rzhakeem@mecca.mecca.org)
Mon, 31 Mar 1997 03:45:35 -0600 (CST)
The LeMoyne Gardens Educational Initiative which aims to reach the
"information have nots", depends solely on social service agencies and
community outreach groups in order to reach the targeted population of
the public housing development residents that we serve. Political
changes affect agencies and groups and the quality of services they can
offer their clients. Frequent personnel and political changes at various
levels of the housing authority administration, even the 1995 HOPE VI
revitalization grant, have negatively impacted on our program because of
the disruption in communications which, I should add, is not easy to
establish; the disruption in the lives of the clients in the form of the
uncertainty that comes with not knowing where or when they will be
relocated during the revitalization process.
Each agency has its own priorities and frequently do not see the need
for introducing computers to low income people. Many of these
administrators are themselves computer illiterates and fail to see the
connection between the demands of "Families First" which they are
responsible for implementing and/or imposing in the lives of their
clients; and the need for information literacy among the truly
dispossessed in the information age.
I would like to know if there are other projects working directly with
low income residents and the good, bad and indifferent experiences that
shape the relationship with the agencies involved.
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Rashidah Z. Hakeem, M L S rzhakeem@mecca.mecca.org
M E C C A
(Memphis Educational Computer Connectivity Alliance) http://www.mecca.org/
LeMoyne-Owen College voice: (901) 942-6227 fax: (901) 942-6272
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