Community Tech September Newsletter

September 2024 | {View as Webpage}

Hi Community Tech,

Happy Autumn! Unfortunately, it is also hurricane season, which has meant enormous devastation for many people, animals, communities, and lands. This month we saw the Digital Stewards in Bulbancha (unceded land of the Chataw, or New Orleans) deploy their SwampNet Portable Network Kit to be accessible as a community resource in the midst of Hurricane Francine's path into their region. Check out our Instagram post about Raul Enriquez's visit with the SwampNet crew. And read more below about our other partnerships using the Portable Network Kit as tools for community organizing and digital justice.

In service,

The CTNY Team

Program News

Image: Oscar Comunidad (L) with the members of EndStateATL (Ra'Niqua, Michelle, Meag, and Darcelle) in front of El Puente after they completed the PNK Training

CTNY and El Puente Digital Stewards Trained Two More Groups on the Portable Network Kit

This month EndStateATL of Atlanta and the Robert Redford Conservancy at Pitzer College in Southern California, respectively, participated in the 4-day PNK Training at El Puente's Community Tech Lab. This program, generously funded by the Internet Society Foundation, equips each group with a deployable PNK and a teaching version. The participants from each locale imagined the many ways they will implement the tools and techniques they learned, including the TreeHouse Net in Atlanta, which will support in enhancing digital security and community safety knowledge for community organizers.

Image: Pitzer College's Jessica (L), Rose, and Brandon, joined by Tiffany, configure routers in the Community Tech Lab at El Puente.

Staff News

Welcome Tiffany to CTNY!

Tiffany Lau Joa recently joined the CTNY team and has already hit the ground running, supporting PNK trainings and partnership development. We look forward to working together for one year during her Americorps fellowship.

As an AmeriCorps ACC member, Tiffany is dedicated to supporting educational and outreach programming at CTNY to enhance digital equity in underserved areas. With a background in political tech, she is passionate about fostering internet resilience in marginalized communities that can withstand emergencies, helping communities stay connected both offline and online.

Raised in the Dominican Republic, Tiffany has developed a profound appreciation for Afro-Latin culture, which has deeply shaped her worldview and identity. Growing up in a multicultural environment, she often navigated the intersection of her Chinese heritage and the vibrant Afro-Latin traditions she was immersed in. This unique blend of cultural influences has driven Tiffany to find common ground between the two worlds.

Shout Outs

Each month, we will highlight the work of our partners and collaborators

Solar Protocol Nominated for Ars Electronica S+T+ARTs Prize

Congratulations to our collaborator Benedetta Piantella and the rest of the Solar Protocol team - Tega Brain and Alex Nathanson - for their nomination! Solar Protocol is a web platform and network of solar-powered servers, pushing the boundaries of what is possible with alternative energy systems.

Image: Screenshot from Instagram, showing their installation at Ars Electronica in Austria

Community Tech NY (CTNY) believes that building community networks builds community power. CTNY works with community anchor organizations across New York City, Detroit, and other U.S. sites to create community-owned internet infrastructure and build digital justice initiatives. Our approach is grounded in the Digital Justice Principles of access, participation, common ownership, and healthy communities.

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