Lone Eagle Update May 2006
by Frank Odasz, frank@lone-eagles.com
Update Summary:
This update is for those interested in International trends related to Rural and Indigenous Internet applications and benefits. In short, major interest is ramping up for Alaskan Native village projects, the new Canadian government is creating a national ICT adoption strategy, and the Montana Choice Ecommerce demonstration project is coming to an end due to Federal funding cuts attributed to Katrina and Iraq. There is interest on many fronts for an International Indigenous Portal and Trade Network.
The Montana Choice Ecommerce Project Ends
The Montana Choice Ecommerce demonstration project for the U.S. Dept. of Labor has generated extensive resources to support individual and community strategies for participating in the global digital economy. 60 rural community presentations have been delivered statewide including presentations for the Governor’s Economic Development Council, Montana’s Telecommunications Companies Association, and the Small Business Development Center directors. Suggestions for the Governor are at http://lone-eagles.com/montana-suggestions.htm
The Alaskan Whole Village project and E-RAVEN Ecommerce Portal (referenced below) are likely to adopt many of the best practices and resources generated through the Montana Choice project as well as the many USDA-funded Ecommerce curriculum projects created in partnership with Idaho State University’s College of Technology Workforce Training Office. Related resources http://lone-eagles.com/future-proofing.htm
Two Emerging Alaskan Native Projects
The Alaska Whole Village Project
(Abstract is online at http://lone-eagles.com/wholevillage.htm )
In late January 2006, Carl Knudsen called Lone Eagle to request a presentation for Bill Allen/USDA in support of funding initiatives for Alyeska Worldwide (a project of the Yukon Koyukuk School District). The Whole Village team presented for 45 minutes, and Bill said we blew his socks off and would we please return the following week to present for new Council for Economic Policy for Rural Alaska (CEPRA) and the Denali Commission (distributes $180 million for infrastructure per year). At 5pm after a long day of meetings the commission gave us 60 minutes to present and the reaction was enthusiastic.
Then, Wes Keller, aid to Senator Fred Dyson, invited us to present for the Alaska Alberta Bilateral Council which is dedicated to sharing best practices and world class expertise on energy, environment and Indigenous Internet Applications. So, we returned to Juneau a third time where our group again presented for 60 minutes with Senator Fred Dyson attending. Senator Dyson became an enthusiastic supporter and invited the Whole Village Team to present for the State Senate Health, Education, and Social Services (HESS).
The Whole Village Team returned a fourth time to present for the Senate HESS committee and separately for representative Mark Neuman who had asked us to present for the State House of Representatives’ Education Committee for one hour which was televised statewide on the “Gavel to Gavel” program. (State CSPAN). Carl Rose co-presented on how the AASB Digital Consortium and partnership with Apple computer can dovetail with the Whole Village and AMEP E-RAVEN initiatives.
E-RAVEN Ecommerce Portal for Alaskan Native Art
Lone Eagle Consulting is working directly with Alaska Manufacturing Extension Partnership (AMEP) www.ak-mep.org regarding development of rural Ecommerce curriculum associated with their current 18 ecommerce centers, projected to expand to 36 centers next Fall. AMEP’s new Village Ecommerce web site is under development at http://e-raven.com with project descriptions and Lone Eagle Resources currently posted at http://lone-eagles.com/e-raven.htm In partnership with the Alaska Native Arts Foundation over 722 artists have signed up and $450,000 of art has been sold over the last two years.
April, 2006, Lone Eagle attended an Ebay workshop in Hooper Bay, and delivered a Lone Eagle Ecommerce presentation in Anvik.
June 19-23, 2006, Lone Eagle will attend the Youth and Elders Denakkanaaga conference in Koyukuk to present on cultural digital storytelling and to assist youth in digitally recording oral histories of elders and creating other digital cultural web sites and demonstrations. http://www.tananachiefs.org/client/yes/youth%20delegates/Denakkanaaga.htm
July 6-7, 2006, Lone Eagle is scheduled to present with AMEP at the Alaska Federation of Natives Leadership Forum conference in Anchorage. The presentation will include youth-created multimedia of elders' wisdom, the Whole Village Vision as well as E-RAVEN's Fall 2006 village workshop plans. http://www.nativefederation.org/events_preconf.php
AMEP has asked Lone Eagle to help them establish partnerships and to coordinate with Alyeska World Wide and TAMSCO/TCC regarding future project planning and coordination.
CTC VISTA Project
Lone Eagle’s work with the Community Technology Centers VISTA project as community networking coordinator is reflected by the following two articles and updates in the Spring CTC VISTA project newsletter.CTC VISTA Report Spring 2006
http://www.cpcs.umb.edu/vista/digest/Peer-to-Peer Social Networking; The Next Big Thing
http://www.cpcs.umb.edu/vista/digest/?q=node/67
Includes kudos for Canadian innovations.Empowering Americans: CTC VISTAs in Community Networking
http://www.cpcs.umb.edu/vista/digest/?q=node/64
Past article: What is Community Networking; And Why You Should Care
http://www.comtechreview.org/fall-2005/000347.html
Many related links are listed in the overall publication. Many indigenous photos and projects are referenced.
Six Canadian Conferences in four provinces over a six month period
Oct ’05-May , West to East, including Vancouver and Osoyoos, British Columbia, Calgary, Alberta, Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Ottawa, Ontario. Note links to extensive Canadian innovations are included in the article
Peer-to-Peer Social Networking; The Next Big Thing
http://www.cpcs.umb.edu/vista/digest/?q=node/67
Background
Industry Canada – In 1995, a Community Access Point (CAP) program began a ten-year mission establishing computer labs in rural and urban communities to help everyone learn about the benefits of Internet (bridging the digital divide.) Half a billion was spent over a ten year period. Since govt. funding ended March 06, 2006 half of the 8800 CAP sites have shut down.
Industry Canada is very interested in sustainable Ecommerce-related CAP models for future funding. While Ecommerce growth was part of the original mission, the growth never materialized and will now be central to whatever funding is provided for the next ten years. Canada has a three billion dollar surplus, in addition to the booming economies of BC and Alberta.
Dec. 2005, Mexico City, Mexico, the Microsoft Telecenter Support Network www.telecentre.org paid for Lone Eagle to present at the First International Indigenous ICT conference in Mexico City sponsored by the International Telecommunications Union, the Mexican Govt., the Canadian IDRC, and several Latin American ICT groups. http://www.indigenas.gob.mx/taller An interim International Indigenous commission was formed. Descriptive documents are available on request. Lone Eagle had dinner March 14, 2006, with the director of the new Microsoft Telecenter Support Network. They have recently published new book on the Evolution of the Telecenters Movement.
The Navajo and OnSat communications have an MOU and new resolution with the International Telecommunications Union regarding deployment of solar-powered satellite systems for Latin American Indigenous Telecenters.
Circuit City and UPS have funded $8 million to the Telecenters of the Americas Partnership (TAP) www.tele-centros.org for an IMALLs project to instigate Ecommerce and trade between South and North American latino telecenters. TAP has recently partnered with the Euro-telecottages Assoc. totaling 20,000 Telecenters and the Pacific Community Networking Association of British Columbia..
October 2005, Vancouver, British Columbia, Lone Eagle presented a full day workshop to 22 rural network directors representing 600 CAP sites in BC, with the top CAP director from Ottawa attending. Background http://lone-eagles.com/industry-canada-talk.htm Canadian Innovations http://lone-eagles.com/canadian-links.htm
February 24th-26th 2006, Vancouver, British Columbia, Lone Eagle presented four Ecommerce presentations at the British Columbia Pacific community networking conference and First Nations Summit.
Schedule and descriptions at www.2006summit.ca1. Empowering Rural Entrepreneurs with Ecommerce Support Systems
2. An Executive Overview on the BEST Rural Broadband Applications
3. Creating an Entrepreneurial Culture in Alaskan Native Villages
4. Join us for a Ecommerce Entrepreneurship Web-Raising! All attendees will create a Free Ecommerce Web Site and Learn About Affiliate Programs, E-marketing, and new opportunities
March 13-14, 2006, Ottawa, Ontario, Lone Eagle participated in the Aboriginal Women’s Roundtable full-day event in association with the 2006 National Aboriginal Connectivity and E-services Forum “Sustainable Connectivity as an engine for Social and Economic Growth” in Ottawa. Lone Eagle participated in a session discussing international strategies for the Aboriginal Canada Portal and Connectivity Working Group.
March 15th, 2006, Ottawa, Ontario, Lone Eagle presented a full two-hour Executive Overview to the Director of Policy, Information Hwy Branch, Industry Canada, and his staff in charge of determining the future of CAP, Broadband, and Aboriginal Internet empowerment goals.
April 21-22nd Osoyoos, British Columbia, At the recent British Columbia Rural Summit conference www.bcruralsummit.ca the emphasis was on ‘Strengthening the Links Between Our Rural Communities.” The purpose of this conference was to address the issue that despite dozens of networking advocacy organizations and significant broadband deployment - provincial attitudes restrict the willingness of many community leaders to actively share information with each other – thus limiting the growth potential of all concerned. Realizing the “Promise of Broadband” requires we all learn to knowledge sharing tools routinely.
Two two-hour sessions:
1. "E-Commerce and Rural Community Opportunities -
Making the Living You Want Living Wherever You Want"
2. "Creating People-Centered Community Knowledge Networks -
Promising Practices for developing rural leadership strategies to
initiate wide spread community skills transfer"
April 23-26, 2006, Calgary, Alberta, At the recent Asian Pacific Economic Council (APEC) conference, www.apectel33.ca representing 21 Nations, the telecommunications working group (APEC TEL) http://www.apectelwg.org/ shared Indigenous broadband applications, the newest telecommunications technologies and focused on how best everyone can work together to evolve standards and liberalize trade – for mutual benefit. APEC TEL has recognized the need to share applications success stories across national borders, as on-demand videos, video web logs, podcastings, and portals of all types. Lone Eagle presented “An Executive Overview on the BEST Indigenous Broadband Applications”
May 5, 2006, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Keynote "The Power of All of Us" for Manitoba Distance Learning Conference “Co-operation in Learning: Putting the WE in I.T.” http://www.madlat.ca/conference2006/ sponsored by the Manitoba Association for Distributed Learning and Training (MADLaT).
Lastly, International trends are articulated in this full-length version of the article published by the CTC VISTA Report linked above:
Community Networking Best Practices and Global Citizenship:
A Knowledge Management Trend Report
http://lone-eagles.com/global-citizenship.htm
NativeHeart Concept Paper
http://lone-eagles.com/nativeheart.htm A work in progress.