December, 2010

2011 marca un año importante para Microsoft Community Technology Skills Program (CTSP) en México. En colaboración con varias ONG locales, el equipo del país está creando nueve Centros Tecnológicos Comunitarios (CTC) para ayudar a mejorar las oportunidades de empleo y aumentar la productividad de más de 11.000 personas en las comunidades marginadas en Chihuahua, Coahuila, Distrito Federal, Estado de México, Guerrero, Oaxaca y Puebla. Estos se suman a los 125 Centros Tecnológicos Microsoft ya existentes en el país.

Este proyecto de colaboración se inició en septiembre con un taller dirigido por Microsoft México, donde Fundemex - CTSP socios sin fines de lucro - y representantes de las organizaciones beneficiadas por CTSP colaboraron para sentar las bases para la creación de los centros. Este proyecto fue único y creó un modelo de trabajo que asegurará que los centros cumplan las metas comunes de los socios de poder proveer ayuda a las comunidades meritorias.

En el mes de Octubre, Microsoft y Fundemex anunciaron a los beneficiarios seleccionados para hacer el proyecto realidad. Además, el gerente general de Microsoft México, Juan Alberto González Esparza, compartió noticias sobre una donación de la empresa de $ 1 millón de pesos en fondos, programas y cursos de alfabetización digital para impulsar el proyecto.

Con la construcción de los centros se creará un recurso comunitario muy necesario en los siete estados seleccionados. Las ONG son socios fundamentales para ayudar a alcanzar a las personas que más necesitan capacitarse en tecnología, pero no tienen mucha oportunidad de participar o beneficiarse de otros programas, especialmente en algunos lugares en las ciudades fronterizas que son difíciles de alcanzar.

Alejandro Ramírez de la "Fundación Ayú", una de las organizaciones que creara un centro tecnológico, describe el impacto de la tecnología en la comunidad: "El desarrollo social es clave para mejorar las oportunidades para las familias y sus comunidades y la capacitación laboral es esencial para ayudar a poder lograr explorar todo su potencial. "

Ramírez agrega que Microsoft ofrece productos fáciles de utilizar y que no sólo ayudan a desarrollar habilidades de tecnología, sino también ayudan a proporcionar herramientas para que las comunidades rurales beneficiadas puedan promover y vender los productos que crean.

Estamos muy contentos de seguir este proyecto hasta su finalización y de proporcionar información actualizada sobre los avances y logros del mismo en el futuro.

Karla Solís, Licenciada en Mercadotecnia y Coordinadora de Asuntos Comunitarios en Microsoft México

Note: English version of this post

2011 will mark an important year for the Microsoft Community Technology Skills Program (CTSP) in Mexico. In collaboration with several local NGOs, the country’s team is busy creating nine Community Technology Centers (CTCs) to help improve job opportunities and increase productivity for more than 11,000 people in underserved communities in Chihuahua, Coahuila, Distrito Federal, Estado de Mexico, Guerrero, Oaxaca and Puebla. This adds to the already existing 125 Microsoft-supported CTs in the country.

This collaborative project kicked off in September with a workshop led by Microsoft Mexico, where Fundemex a CTSP nonprofit partner-- and representatives from organizations that benefit from the CTSP program participated in laying the groundwork for the creation of the centers. This project was unique and created a working model that will ensure that centers comply with the shared goals of partners and make a meaningful use of technology to provide assistance to deserving communities.

In October, Microsoft and Fundemex announced the grant recipients. In addition, Microsoft Mexico’s general manager, Juan Alberto González Esparza, shared news about a company donation of 1 million pesos in funding, software and digital literacy courses to support the project.

Building the centers will create a much needed community resource in the seven selected states. NGOs are critical partners in helping to reach people who need technology training the most, but don’t have the opportunity to participate or benefit from other programs, especially in hard-to-reach border towns.

Alejandro Ramírez from “Fundación Ayú”, one of the organizations who will create a CTC, best describes the impact of technology in helping communities: “social development is key for improved opportunities for families and neighborhoods and skills training are essential for helping them realize their potential.”

Ramírez adds that Microsoft’s easy to use products not only help build technology skills, but also help provide tools so that rural communities like the ones they serve can promote and sell the products they create.

We are very excited to follow this project through completion and will provide updates on progress and achievements.

Karla Solís, is a Marketing Specialist and Community Affairs Coordinator at Microsoft Mexico

Note: Spanish version of this post.

Microsoft Canada, Children’s Miracle Network and the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) recently celebrated the fifth anniversary of the Child Life Interactive Computers for Kids (CLICK) program.

For a child, being in a hospital can be a frightening and isolating experience. The CLICK program reaches over two million children each year and aims to address those issues by allowing patients access to wireless networks, tablet PCs, software, digital cameras, printers, webcams, Xbox 360 consoles and now Kinect for Xbox 360.

Mrs. Laureen Harper watches CHEO patient Olivier Ulysse play with one of the new  Kinect™ sensors for Xbox 360® donated by Microsoft Canada.

At an event held at CHEO and attended by Mrs. Laureen Harper, the wife of Canada’s Prime Minister, Microsoft announced an expansion to the program with the donation of 200 Xbox 360 consoles and Kinect sensors to the 14 Children’s Miracle Network member hospitals that participate in the CLICK program.

Excited members of the CHEO family, including many young patients, gathered at the event to try out the innovative new Kinect units.

CHEO patients (L to R: Tyler Preston, Tyrone Henry, Jacob- Emanuel Doyle, and Kadija Mohamed) play with the new Kinect™ sensors for Xbox 360® donated by Microsoft Canada.

(L to R) John Hartman, Children’s Miracle Network, Maureen Jones, CHEO, Gavin Thompson, Microsoft Canada, and Mrs. Laureen Harper.

Although Microsoft has donated technology to CLICK, the program would not be possible without the inspiring commitment of staff like CHEO’s Maureen Jones. As a child life specialist, Maureen leverages the power of play in the treatment and recovery of young patients, and over the past five years she has been at the core of the CLICK program’s success.

In addition to patients and partners, media also joined last week’s event including Metro, Ottawa Citizen, Ottawa Sun, CBC radio and EMC news.

Microsoft CLICK brings smiles to the faces of hospitalized children from Microsoft Citizenship on Vimeo.

For more information on the CLICK program, please visit www.citizenship.microsoft.ca.

Gavin Thompson leads Microsoft’s Citizenship programs in Canada

Typically, helmets, riding suits, gloves and goggles that are the best way to keep motorcyclists safe on the road.

It’s time to add PowerPoint to the list.

Motorcycle-related accident statistics are sobering. Motorcycles represent 4% of the United Kingdom’s road trips, yet make up a staggering estimated 40% of traffic casualties.

In West London, the all-volunteer charity Middlesex Advanced Motorcyclists (MAM) helps train bikers in advanced riding and road awareness techniques to keep them out of harm’s way.

Software donated by Microsoft through its global nonprofit donations program, which is operated by TechSoup Global and in the UK by the Charity Technology Exchange (CTX), has quickly become an invaluable tool in the charity’s training armory.

“PowerPoint is very good for what we need,” says Paul Brown of MAM. “We use it to produce presentations for the courses, including instructional videos. There are a lot of theory-based sessions, and now we can present information from the police riders’ manual more effectively.”

PowerPoint has made a noticeable difference in how the charity educates motorcyclists. Paul further explains, “We run courses that raise the riders’ skill levels and aim to make them more aware of their surroundings on the road. In this way, we aim to reduce casualties and save lives.”

In addition to classroom training using PowerPoint, practical training is carried out using Observed Rides. The Associate rides out with an experienced Observer, usually on a one-to-one basis. An Observed Ride is two to three hours riding between 50 to 80 miles. More information here.

Photo Credit: Middlesex Advanced Motorcyclists

Bonus link: Becky Wiegand at TechSoup has published her five favorite PowerPoint features.

When tough economic times hit, it’s often those on the lowest rungs of the income ladder who suffer the most. They’re the ones whose jobs are eliminated first; who suffer the most from cutbacks. And all too often, they’re La Comunidad Hispana’s clients.

Last year, La Comunidad Hispana proudly moved into its own permanent home after 36 years. Until the move, all the organization’s IT needs had been met by its parent organization. Now in its own facility, it needed to rebuild its IT infrastructure from the ground up. Staff worried that the organization’s mission — empowering immigrants and low-income residents of Southern Chester County, Pennsylvania, to stay healthy, build strong families and lead productive and fulfilling lives — would receive less attention during this time-consuming move and IT migration.

What would that mean for people like Maria and her three children who had no health-care coverage?

Or for Juan, whose passport was destroyed by a police officer who assumed it was forged?

Or for Maria and Jose, whose nine-month-old daughter needed surgery for a congenital condition and who had no car?

Or for Pedro, who was being disrespected at his job because of his poor language skills?

They were thrilled to discover the Microsoft software donations program. Operated by TechSoup it provided a straightforward way for them to request donations of the software they needed to outfit their new office. Following a donation of Windows Remote Desktop Services, Microsoft Office, Windows Server, and Small Business Server, executive director Margarita Queralt Mirkil wrote to: “As you know so well, access to IT resources is vital to a nonprofit organization’s success. Everything we do — to serve our clients and advocate on their behalf — depends on having up-to-date computer software. And for a small organization, it’s a daunting expense. The amazing contribution we received from Microsoft allows us to redirect the equivalent of a large grant where it’s needed most — to meeting our clients’ needs.”

With that, La Comunidad Hispana’s focus was turned back toward its mission of restoring hope and providing support to those who needed it most.

Like Maria: La Comunidad provided treatment for her severe kidney disease and arranged medical assistance for her and her three children.

And Juan: La Comunidad secured him new passport documents by working directly with the Mexican consulate.

And Maria, Jose, and their daughter: La Comunidad not only arranged a referral to A.I. DuPont Children’s Hospital for the surgery, but one of their family care specialists also drove Maria and Jose to and from the hospital for pre-surgical tests, their daughter’s hospital stay, and post-surgical follow-up visits. In just over a month after the surgery, this beautiful girl blossomed and began speaking.

And Pedro: An ESL teacher at La Comunidad encouraged him to leave his job and helped him find work at a large horse farm where he improved his language skills and eventually became the farm’s manager.

La Comunidad Hispana believes that with access to high-quality, culturally welcoming services, immigrants and low-income residents of Southern Chester County are able to contribute more fully to the social vibrancy and economic prosperity of the region.

At Microsoft, we’re excited to support an organization like La Comunidad Hispana. For more information about how other great nonprofit organizations are benefitting from technology, visit the Microsoft Local Impact Map.

For more information about the resources Microsoft provides for nonprofit organizations please visit our site.