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Our Blog-FriendsCalling all geeks. There is a new and amazing program that’s hoping to come to Savannah that could offer you, the geeks of this community, a great way to give back by donating your unused and unloved computers to at risk youth. The concept isn’t new and in fact has been replicated in communities around the country. It has a quirky name, Free Geek, which began as a non-profit community organization that was established in Oregon in 2000.
FREE GEEK recycles used technology to provide computers, education, internet access and job skills training to those in need in exchange for community service. In the eight years since its formation, Free Geek has recycled over 1,500 tons of electronic scrap and refurbished over 15,000 computer systems that are now in use by individuals and organizations in the community.
Free Geek does most of this work with volunteers. The volunteers disassemble the donated equipment and test the components, which are either recycled as electronic scrap or recycled into refurbished systems. These refurbished computers are then loaded with Open Source Software, such as GNU/Linux, Open Office, and other Free Software.
The whole Free Geek program was discovered by DaVena Jordan with All Walks of Live (AWOL), which hopes to apply for a Free Geek franchise and combine the idea with the tech-based projects that AWOL already runs. This hybrid AWOL-Free Geek project could accomplish two very awesome, techalicious feats.
One is the actual refurbishing of computers. AWOL would accept donated computer equipment which will be stripped down. Parts that couldn’t be used or aren’t functioning would be recycled. Then the machines, in a thousand parts, would be given to an area at risk youth who, with the help of a tech volunteer, would learn how to reassemble the computer. After a youth has assembled between 6 and 8 computers they’d be eligible to keep their own.
The second feat would be to link this new program to the new MLK wi-fi corridor. In case you hadn’t heard, in January of 2008 the Georgia Technology Authority (GTA) awarded the City of Savannah a $600,000 grant to help construct the infrastructure and programming for the MLK Wireless Project. AWOL wants to potentially marry the new Free Geek program to serve in an ancillary outreach capacity for the wi-fi project.
The computers built through Free Geek by AWOL at risk youth would be distributed to citizens living within the MLK corridor to maximize use of the new wireless capabilities. The AWOL students, newly trained in IT, would be available to educate the community on their new computer equipment and help with repairs when needed.
What the heck do we have to do with all of this? First of all, TCCa is slated to manage and help market the free tier of wi-fi service. Secondly, once the AWOL program got up and running (January 2009), TCCa would match at risk youth in the Free Geek program with IT-related internships within the community. We believe that the children are our future (enter Whitney Houston tune here). It’s as vital to us to promote the role of area youth in tech-based businesses as it is for us to promote the businesses themselves.
What can you do? We’ll keep you posted on the progress of Free Geek application status and the wireless corridor. If all goes well, AWOL would need your tax-deductible computer donations. More importantly, they would need your IT expertise. If you know how to successfully disassemble and reassemble a computer, give them a call. The success of Free Geek in Savannah would hinge on volunteer outpouring from the tech community. And, well, that’s us!
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This is truly an excellent program and I sincerely hope the Savannah tech community gets firmly behind it. If you watch the video, you will realize just how many fronts this works on. Combine this with the sterling work that Tony and DaVena Jordan do at AWOL and this has to be a ‘hit’. C’mon Savannah - get involved!!!
Thanks for the heads-up.
I agree, this is an excellent project for both TCCa and Savannah’s at-risk youth.
Very cool. I’ll have to go through my stash of parts.
I don’t know if they reject computers past a certain age, but if not, don’t hesitate to give even the oldest computers! I started learning programming at age 11 on a Commodore 64 hooked up to a spare TV. Kids don’t need to be wasting time on hi-res games, anyway!
Recycling at its absolute finest. Cheers to AWOL for having the vision to bring this stellar program into our community.
Commodore 64 baby! I love me some 5.25 inch floppies. Ahh, to be young again and playing Pitfall.
This is a GREAT program and something I hope the community can get behind. Count me in!
I am so excited to have this in the works in Savannah - like others, I’ve been a fan of the idea for a while! I look forward to helping out and you should too!
Wow! This groups sounds like they are on the ball! lol.
Thanks Summer for the post. We will need every “geek” in town to get on board asap. For starters it would be cool to create a link on TCCa site or AWOL for interested Geeks to start signing up and telling us what they are interested in teaching, that way in Jan we can hit the ground running! AWOL and TCCa rocks! I’m super excited and glad to have so much good energy on board.
Hot damn! Good idea, DaVena. And, consider it done. We’d love to host the sign-up form on our site/blog/whatever, just say the word. I could also whip up a form for the AWOL site that dumps into the same database. Maximize those eyeballs.
You the bosslady, just tell me what we need to do.
Hay, I must set the record straight on one other thing, by no means am I the brainchild of this whole free geek movement. We have King Miller to thank for moving us all in the right direction, but hay, thats just what Miller does. Big Ups to Chris!
Ok folks, look for Free Geek AWOL interest link coming soon to a website near you.
I’m looking forward to us (AWOL) getting this thing going. We’re making lots of progress and this is something that Savannah has always needed. Kudos to Chris, Davena and Tony, for keeping this idea alive!