TEAM Americorps

TEAM AMERICORPS - TEAM INITIATIVES

The TEAM Americorps IT Asset Map Database is no longer available.

The TEAM AmeriCorps IT Asset Map Database is a reference database to information technology resources and programs located throughout the state of Michigan. The purpose of this database is two fold:

to inform the activities of TEAM AmeriCorps Site Leaders and
to get TEAM AmeriCorps members "up to speed" about the digital divide needs and resources of their particular communities and the number and nature of their potential collaborators and partners.

ABOUT THE DATABASE

A survey of Michigan’s residents, conducted by Public Sector Consultants for CyberMichigan in November 1999, indicated that 40% did not have home access to information technology and 8% reported having no access at all. This “digital divide” between those who have and know and those who do not has become the source of increasing concern by government, education and corporate leaders in Michigan. However, there is not a single solution. Rather, we know that local community awareness and participation are key components to achieving a sustainable approach to ensuring technology equity and literacy. Our local regions need help in developing meaningful action plans and taking steps to address their community digital divide. They need the leadership that the AmeriCorps members can provide to galvanize community leaders to action.

Creating a detailed profile of the digital divide and a technology asset map in the state’s eight geographical regions. These are the City of Detroit, Metro Detroit, Southern, Western, Central, Thumb, Lower and Upper Peninsula.
Developing a plan to achieve community-wide awareness of the Internet; and,
Stimulating immediate and longer-term actions to reduce and eventually eliminate the divide.

With a working group of regional volunteer community leaders, the TEAM AmeriCorps member will collect information about existing information technology resources and programs in the region. These will include physical, financial and human resources as well as any other capabilities unique to the area. Working from the data about the region’s digital divide which cyberstate.org has already collected, the member will develop a more detailed profile of the information technology characteristics and needs of the residents.

Our challenge is to identify the specific location, type, and level of information technology and human resources available in each region of the state and to engage the region’s citizens, through their community leaders, in developing strategies and specific actions that will build awareness of and optimize existing resources and acquire additional one.