Cultivating Sustainable Communities: Kids on Computers in Oaxaca, Mexico

Kids on Computers is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization setting up computer labs for underprivileged kids around the world. Our mission is to provide increased access to educational content so kids can better their own lives and eventually the lives of their communities. We currently have 20 labs in 5 countries including 12 in the region of Oaxaca, Mexico.

From our seven years of setting up and maintaining labs, recruiting local volunteers, and providing training, we have cultivated ideas and processes of what works (and what doesn't) in setting up a sustainable lab model so that a small organization, such as ours (~20 active volunteers, ~100 people on our mailing list), can succeed and scale effectively.

I'll share stories of our experiences with different communities and how our organization leverages local resources so that communities can determine, for themselves, what methods work best for their labs.

I will cover:

• Cultivating offline and online communities and melding of the two worlds

• Leveraging accessible technology in order to enable communication

• Selecting lab locations

• Planning and acquiring lab equipment

• Setting up a lab

• Empowering local volunteers and communities

• Providing access to local technical expertise

• Providing access to training

• Follow-up and maintenance