Proposal talk:Funding of Free knowledge centers in poverty areas

From Strategic Planning

I've thought about doing something similar in our city eventually with meta:Wikimedia New York City. But I would think such centers would be better set up as part of existing public libraries, who are likely to be quite welcoming, rather than as independent entities.--Pharos 14:28, 14 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

a library can be a good option (and easier one), as long as the library doesn't limit you in anyway, and as long as you succeed in creating enough publicity and "buzz" in the community, which would be more difficult if you are part of a library and not and independent entity. Odonian 22:55, 14 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Is this related to the Proposal:Audio/visual Presentation Competition which seems to intend delivering information to underdeveloped regions by some redistribution of Wikipedia information? Otherwise I like the idea and think it suits the charity and information "business model" of Wikimedia foundation. Rursus 19:37, 18 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Seems something like w:en:OLPC... Nemo 01:08, 20 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I have some qualms about this approach, if only because it is putting a software foundation into the business of keeping and upgrading computer labs. However as someone who lives in poverty, I have to say that not every impoverished person lives in a so-called poverty area. Remember that Poverty areas are determined statistically from median incomes not from the lowest incomes in the community, as a result of concentration of resources in statistically specified communities you are actually adding to ghettoization because the poor people often follow the resources, and so you overpopulate depressed areas with marginalized people, when what you wanted to do, was make information available regardless of income. Work with other groups such as libraries and charities to offer computers and internet connections to poor people, much of this work is already started and just needs the added punch that joining the project might give it. I am currently working with a charitable organization trying to convince unemployable computer geeks to refurbish used computers for people in poverty. How much e-waste is being generated each year, and yet many people in poverty don't know where to go to get a free computer.Graeme E. Smith 06:51, 20 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I agree that the concept of "poverty areas" might be of limited usefulness to us here, especially when thinking about cities in the developed world. If we can establish a "free knowledge center" at a library in New York City, for example, I don't think it will make a huge difference whether the immediate surrounding neighborhood is impoverished, because a good public transportation system would make it accessible to a broad range of people.--Pharos 04:16, 23 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Impact?

Some proposals will have massive impact on end-users, including non-editors. Some will have minimal impact. What will be the impact of this proposal on our end-users? -- Philippe 00:09, 3 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]