Foundation Journal

During a recent vacation to England and Ireland we stopped in Salisbury UK during which the Salisbury Arts Festival was going on. We chose the place because of its relatively small size and proximity to the notable Stonehenge site after spending time in London. On June 3, 2013 as part of the Salisbury Arts Festival the Castellers of Vilafranca  performed outside the monumental Salisbury Cathedral where the an original copy of Magna Carta is kept. The Castellers shared their ability to build human towers outside the cathedral. A four-piece band comprised of three oboe-like instruments and a drummer played music with a traditional sound during the performance. My family found the arts festival during our trip research and noticed several events focused on the Catalan culture and arts. It seemed odd that we chose activities focused on a seemingly foreign culture to England and Ireland, but festival curators at some level connected Catalonia and Scotland's quest for independ

In conversations with employees of Metropolitan Community College (MCC) over the past few months I learned that Federal grants used to build and resource Public Computer Centers in the area will dry up, and no funds to replace the grants have been identified. These centers not only provide a classroom setting for residents to learn computer and job-search skills, but also a mobile training facility for organizations serving people without reliable transportation. MCC devised a digital literacy series which includes Computer Basics, Internet and E-mail, Computer Security and Privacy, Social Media, Microsoft Office software, Digital Devices and Career Opportunities. The centers also provided technology certification training used by students to boost skills and opportunities for high-demand jobs in information technology. In three months from January through March 2013 2,723 participants took one of the classes, amounting to over 15,000 classroom hours, though mainly in the certific

In an effort to bridge the "digital divide" Metropolitan Community Colleges and Harvesters have teamed up to provide a series of free classes on basic computer concepts. These classes provide a digital literacy framework for individuals in the area, focusing on basic computer skills, Microsoft Office, job searching and social media networking. The next class on Social Media Basics will be held August 14, 2013 from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. at Harvesters food bank, 3801 Topping Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri. For more information contact Matt Quinn via email mquinn [at] harvesters [dot] org or call 816-929-3030.