LUCI: Linux/Computer Mentors

["Burke, Jason" <JBurke@lrs.com>]

Computer Mentors

Abstract
Computer Mentors is a program that is being designed to provide professional
level training for high school students who are interested in computers, but
are not able to attend college. Our main goal is to take young adults out of
dead end, low paying jobs, and give them the skills necessary to get placed
in a starting position in the IT field. Our reasons for providing this
training free of charge is to allow anyone with the desire to learn and
progress the opportunity to do so. 

Goals
Computer Mentors will provide training in the following areas:

1.)	Unix systems operation.
2.)	Computer  repair and troubleshooting (break/fix).
3.)	Linux systems administration. 
4.)	Networking essentials.
5.)	Installing and configuring Linux and networking services.
6.)	Programming with Perl.

The overall goal is to provide a solid foundation for the student to get
started in the computer industry, and we feel that the above topics will
cover a wide area of necessary knowledge.

Why Linux?
We feel that Linux has the potential to bring computing to low-income
families and students, and by teaching these groups to use and become
proficient with this system there is an opportunity for these people to
elevate their social and financial situation through the use of their
knowledge. Other reasons include it's technical superiority over competing
products, the community it has created, and the General Public License (GNU
GPL) under which it is distributed which allows students to really
understand what's happening in the background, and this is vital in our
opinion.

Schedule
Computer Mentors is currently working to pull together the resources for
getting this project underway. The resources that we feel are necessary are:
 
1.)	10 computers with at least a 486 processor, 8 megs of memory, a 1
meg video card, and a 300 MB hard drive.
2.)	A dedicated/semi-dedicated lab and library area.
3.)	A full library of Linux, Unix, computer repair, and networking
books.

We hope to have these resources in place by the end of May 1999.

Things to do
Currently, we are still short seven computers for the lab. Talks will be
going on this week and next with The Boys and Girls Club, and Big Brother,
Big Sister with the hopes of finding a dedicated lab area. Which only leaves
pulling together enough books to make a useable research library.

Contacts
If you are interested in helping build computers, donating books or computer
parts, contacting possible corporate sponsors, helping plan out the course
material, or mentoring students please feel free to contact Jason Burke at:

Jburke@lrs.com
Jburke@motion.net


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