Parents learning how to monitor their children’s school progress and homework assignments online; people finding access to websites with useful health and weight loss information – these are just some of the 47 community members who are benefitting from their recent completion of the California Connects basic Internet training in Marysville.
CA Connects trainer Alejandra Beltran and the Sutter County Library, a program partner providing computers and class space, offer training in Spanish and Punjabi. They recently held a graduation ceremony for some of the students completing the training, which was featured in a recent article in the Marysville Appeal Democrat. Click here to read the article and see photos!
California Connects continues to expand – adding trainers and partnerships
The Great Valley Center recently hired bilingual community trainers in Tulare, Merced, Stanislaus, Placer Mariposa. A list of current trainers is available on the GVC website along with information on available trainer openings. Training will take place in 18 counties designated in the CA Connects grant through June 2013.
CA Connects, a digital literacy program targeted at increasing Internet use among low income and Spanish speaking adults, works through partnerships with local training sites. Four new partners recently signed on to assist. Hamilton Elementary School in San Joaquin County began hosting classes on February 14, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The Prusso Child Development Center in Merced County starts classes March 5, 1:30 to 4:30 pm.
New Stanislaus County training locations include Hughson Family Resource Center and Ceres Unified School District - Project YES, with training schedules yet to be determined for both sites. GVC welcomes additional partnerships with community agencies, educational institutions and governmental organizations in all 18 counties served by the grant. For more information on CA Connects or community partnerships contact Program Manager Desiree Holden at desiree@greatvalley.org or (209) 522-5103 x136.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Thursday, December 1, 2011
San Joaquin Valley Regional Broadband Consortium receives funding approval
The San Joaquin Valley Regional Broadband Consortium
(SJVRBC) has received final approval for funding from the California Public
Utilities Commission (CPUC). After CPUC finished its initial review of the 15
regional consortia grant applications filed in August, seven consortia,
including the SJVRBC, not only met the grant qualifications but earned the
highest scores. The full commission voted to approve a formal funding resolution
on December 1, 2011.
The SJVRBC is under the umbrella of the California
Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley and is being administered by the Office of
Community and Economic Development at Fresno
State, with assistance from the Great Valley
Center. The SJVRBC will
be working diligently during the next three years to focus on accelerating the
deployment, accessibility, and adoption of broadband within the eight counties
of the San Joaquin
Valley.
The SJVRBC requested California Advanced Services Fund
consortia funding of $150,000 in Year 1 with an intention to renew for the same
amount in Years 2 and 3. The San Joaquin Valley Regional Broadband
Consortium represents Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, San
Joaquin, Stanislaus and Tulare
Counties.
SJVRBC's goals are:
- Expedite the provision of broadband access in all areas of the San Joaquin Valley;
- Promote accessibility and adoption of broadband in targeted underserved communities and populations (e.g., develop and implement a plan to ensure high school students graduate with basic computer literacy skills);
- Expand and replicate successful model programs to increase broadband access and bridge the digital divide;
- Accelerate deployment of broadband infrastructure through Telemedicine and Telehealth technology (e.g., develop and implement a plan to connect health clinics with medical centers); and
- Work with neighboring regional consortia to ensure the development of cohesive infrastructure.
The SJVRBC is represented by members of the public-private
sectors including telecommunications providers and industry associations;
government, economic development corporations, and business development
centers; local educational agencies and institutions of higher education;
health delivery organizations, community-based and nonprofit organizations; and
accessibility advocates. The consortium membership brings years of experience
in a variety of areas that will enhance the ability of the SJVRBC to meet its
goals. Namely, that have successfully increased utilization by residents
through digital literacy programs, pursued funding for deployment, built upon
existing infrastructure for Telemedicine/Telehealth, and expanded digital
literacy programming.
The Consortium will convene in December to discuss
next steps, goals of the work groups, and develop a meeting schedule for the
next year.
For additional information on the SJVRBC, contact
Christine Nutting, Associate Director for the Office of Community and Economic
Development, California State University,
Fresno, at
(559) 294-2230 or cnutting@csufresno.edu.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
GVC is seeking bilingual trainers for Merced and Stanislaus Counties
The Great Valley Center is seeking bilingual applicants for two California Connects community trainer positions which have just opened up. A trainer is needed for Merced County, as well as an additional trainer for Stanislaus County.
These are full time positions that pay $15 per hour and applicants must be able to speak and write fluently in both Spanish and English. Trainers provide free Internet classes targeted at area residents who are not currently connected online and Spanish is the primary language for many of these community members.
Trainers positions are still available in several other counties covered by the program grant. A California Connects community trainer job description is available on GVC's website.
California Connects' hands-on trainings cover basic use of Internet search engines, email, Facebook and broadband access. The training helps participants understand how they can use the Internet as a valuable tool to search for a job, get health information, learn English, apply for college, or connect to friends and family. The goal of the three-year, federally funded California Connects program is to provide Internet understanding and broadband access to over 61,000 California residents.
The Vida en el Valle newspaper featured the California Connects training being conducted in Riverbank on the front page of the November 16th Modesto edition, with the article appearing on their website in both Spanish and English as well. The Riverbank News also covered these training opportunities in October.
The success of the classes in Stanislaus County has been made possible though a partnership with CASA Del Rio Family Resource Center and Riverbank Unified School District. Stanislaus County community trainer Jose Urzua, pictured here with participants Maria Uristu (L) and Dora Fierro (R), has completed several classes with more scheduled in December and January.
Additional information on California Connects is available online or email Desiree Cervantes Holden, Program Manager.
These are full time positions that pay $15 per hour and applicants must be able to speak and write fluently in both Spanish and English. Trainers provide free Internet classes targeted at area residents who are not currently connected online and Spanish is the primary language for many of these community members.
Trainers positions are still available in several other counties covered by the program grant. A California Connects community trainer job description is available on GVC's website.
California Connects' hands-on trainings cover basic use of Internet search engines, email, Facebook and broadband access. The training helps participants understand how they can use the Internet as a valuable tool to search for a job, get health information, learn English, apply for college, or connect to friends and family. The goal of the three-year, federally funded California Connects program is to provide Internet understanding and broadband access to over 61,000 California residents.
The success of the classes in Stanislaus County has been made possible though a partnership with CASA Del Rio Family Resource Center and Riverbank Unified School District. Stanislaus County community trainer Jose Urzua, pictured here with participants Maria Uristu (L) and Dora Fierro (R), has completed several classes with more scheduled in December and January.
Additional information on California Connects is available online or email Desiree Cervantes Holden, Program Manager.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Green Communities program concludes successful first round
The Great Valley Center’s
Green Communities program, a collaborative effort with Pacific Gas and Electric
Company (PG&E) and ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability USA, has
completed greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventories for ten local governments
in Stanislaus and Merced
Counties. During the
first round of the program, Great Valley Center (GVC) staff and interns were
trained and sent to local governments to essentially measure the “carbon
footprint” of each government. Results were delivered individually to the
participating local governments as a starting-point for reducing GHG emissions
in future operations.
Green Communities is funded by California utility customers and
administered by PG&E under the auspices of the California Public Utilities
Commission. The program is intended to provide support to local
governments and communities in pursuing their energy efficiency and
GHG emission reduction goals. It is clear that many local
governments find it difficult or impossible to achieve such goals
alone.
Donna Kenney, Community Development Director at the City of Livingston stated, "As the only Planner employed by the City of Livingston, I had neither the training nor the time to conduct a local government operations (LGO) greenhouse gas emissions inventory for the city."
The Green Communities program provided the City of Livingston with the tools, training, and resources necessary to complete the inventory, as well as GVC staff and intern support to limit impacts on city staff-time.
"The experience was painless and cost-free and I would recommend it to all cities in the Central Valley," Donna Kenney concluded.
The nine local governments from Stanislaus County that partnered with the GVC during this first round of the Green Communities program have since obtained funding through Proposition 84 to continue with GHG emission reduction efforts at a regional level. Proposition 84, also known as the Safe Drinking Water, Water Quality and Supply, Flood Control, River and Coastal Protection Bond Act of 2006, authorizes over $5 billion in general obligation bonds to fund a variety of environmental and infrastructure improvements in California, including a Sustainable Communities and Climate Change Reduction element.
Donna Kenney, Community Development Director at the City of Livingston stated, "As the only Planner employed by the City of Livingston, I had neither the training nor the time to conduct a local government operations (LGO) greenhouse gas emissions inventory for the city."
The Green Communities program provided the City of Livingston with the tools, training, and resources necessary to complete the inventory, as well as GVC staff and intern support to limit impacts on city staff-time.
"The experience was painless and cost-free and I would recommend it to all cities in the Central Valley," Donna Kenney concluded.
The nine local governments from Stanislaus County that partnered with the GVC during this first round of the Green Communities program have since obtained funding through Proposition 84 to continue with GHG emission reduction efforts at a regional level. Proposition 84, also known as the Safe Drinking Water, Water Quality and Supply, Flood Control, River and Coastal Protection Bond Act of 2006, authorizes over $5 billion in general obligation bonds to fund a variety of environmental and infrastructure improvements in California, including a Sustainable Communities and Climate Change Reduction element.
Government partners sought for second round of Green
Communities
Of course, with the successful close of this round of the
program, GVC is now actively looking for other local governments to assist over
the next several months. You can expect to see us working in the following
Central Valley regions in the near-future: San Joaquin
County area, Merced
County area, and west Kern County
area.
To learn more about the Green Communities program accomplishments or how to get involved
please contact Bryce Dias, Program Associate, at bryce@greatvalley.org.
please contact Bryce Dias, Program Associate, at bryce@greatvalley.org.
Friday, October 28, 2011
California Connects offers community trainer job opportunities!
The Great Valley Center is seeking full time, bilingual trainers for the California Connects program. A community trainer is needed for each of the following counties:
Please help us spread the word on these job openings!
The full time positions are paid $15 per hour. Applicants must be able to write and speak fluently in Spanish. Specifically targeting the Spanish-speaking community, trainers provide hands-on training on how to use the Internet. This can dramatically impact the lives of those they train, opening their eyes to the world of learning and services available through use of the Internet. This free training can help members of the community learn to search for a job, get health information, apply for college, or connect to friends and family.
- Amador
- Colusa
- El Dorado
- Mariposa
- Nevada
- Placer
- San Joaquin
- Tulare
- Yuba
Please help us spread the word on these job openings!
The full time positions are paid $15 per hour. Applicants must be able to write and speak fluently in Spanish. Specifically targeting the Spanish-speaking community, trainers provide hands-on training on how to use the Internet. This can dramatically impact the lives of those they train, opening their eyes to the world of learning and services available through use of the Internet. This free training can help members of the community learn to search for a job, get health information, apply for college, or connect to friends and family.
For more information on the CA Connects program and community partnership opportunities visit www.greatvalley.org/caconnects or www.caconnects.org.
The Great Valley
Center looks forward to
bringing you additional news on California Connects in the near future!
Friday, October 21, 2011
California Connects is underway!
The program is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration for Broadband Technology Opportunities Program and administered by the Foundation for California Community Colleges in partnership with the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office.
The Great Valley Center is responsible for the implementation of community trainers on the ground in 18 counties: Amador, Calaveras, Colusa, El Dorado, Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Nevada, Placer, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tulare, Tuolumne and Yuba.
We are accomplishing this through hiring, preparing and equipping each for success. These trainers work in their designated county, showing residents how to use the Internet and set up an email account. They explain broadband and where to find public access computers.
Additional community partnerships are still available!
The success of this program is dependent upon leveraging existing resources in the Valley and establishing mutually beneficial partnerships. We are seeking community agencies, educational institutions and governmental organizations to partner with in this initiative. Partnership may consist of providing a location with computers for holding trainings, helping us reach targeted audiences or publicizing the digital literacy training opportunities. For more information on community partnerships contact Desiree Holden, at (209) 522-5103, ext. 136 or desiree@greatvalley.org
For more information visit www.caconnects.org and www.greatvalley.org/caconnects
The Great Valley Center looks forward to bringing you additional news on California Connects in the near future!
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Video: UC Merced's National Parks Institute Executive Leadership Seminar - 2011
Twenty seven executives in park and protected area management from around the world convened in April 2011 for the second National Parks Institute, a 12-day intensive seminar on leadership, innovation, and organizational renewal.
View a video created by UC Merced about the 2011 National Parks Institute.
The National Parks Institute was created by University of California, Merced, with help from the Great Valley Center the National Park Service.
View a video created by UC Merced about the 2011 National Parks Institute.
The National Parks Institute was created by University of California, Merced, with help from the Great Valley Center the National Park Service.
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