OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS

Issue #7 - May 2008

IBM Corporate Service Corps Program in Turkey

DOT has been selected as one of only 3 NGOs worldwide to implement IBM's new Corporate Service Corps program in 6 countries in Europe, Africa and Asia; DOT will be implementing the Corporate Service Corps program in Turkey.

The Corporate Service Corps program is a corporate leadership initiative designed to help enhance global economic opportunity, provide more access to education resources, and to work on environmental issues.  IBM's Corporate Service Corps program will gather teams of IBM volunteers with a diversity of skills, drawn from different countries and business units, and place them in emerging markets to tackle urgent issues in collaboration with NGO partners from around the world.

The IBM volunteers will work on projects of significant value in developing countries, in four-week assignments. These teams will tackle real societal, educational and environmental challenges, while at the same time experiencing a diverse cultural perspective and enhancing their skills and leadership competencies.

DOT, in partnership with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), will be managing the deployment of 4 groups of IBM executives to Turkey over the next year.  The first and second deployments will be located in Mersin, with the IBM team working on assignments with the Mersin Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Cukorova Development Agency (one of two pilot regional development agencies in Turkey), and Regional Innovation Strategy and Mersin University, Techno Park and Innovation Centre.  The first deployment is set for October 18 - November 16, 2008, the second deployment will be in January 2009, and the remaining two deployments will also be in 2009.

The Corporate Service Corps program was recently featured in the Ottawa Business Journal.

To learn more, click here to access Janet Longmore's IBM Podcast...

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DOT USA Luncheon Awareness Event

From left to right: Josh Thomas, Nuria Arias, Horacio Zambrana (Cisco), Janet Longmore, Bill Fowler (Cisco), Patricia Fowler, Beth Bellemore (Cisco), Marna Owen (Cisco), Mary de Wysocki (Cisco), Deanna Stewart

-Photo courtesy of Greg Mintel, Cisco Fellow

More than sixty people attended the DOT USA Awareness Luncheon held on May 2, 2008 at the Lake Terrace Convention Center in Hattiesburg. The keynote speaker was Bill Fowler, Senior Director of Global Education Initiatives in North America for Cisco Systems. Fowler spoke about the need and importance of technology integration in education for the 21^stcentury and how DOT USA - through Cisco's 21^st Century Schools Program - is helping create a model for those types of initiatives in Mississippi and Louisiana schools.  Four TeachUp! Interns also gave presentations about the projects that they have been working on in their schools.

After the luncheon, business and foundation leaders had the opportunity to learn more about expanding the program to other schools across Mississippi and Louisiana. Many left the luncheon excited about the results and impact of the TeachUp! Program, and the potential for growth and expansion to other areas.  In addition, The 'Hattiesburg American' newspaper has recently featured two articles about DOT USA: 'TeachUp! brings technology to classrooms' and 'Latest technology helping area teachers'

Click here to learn more about the event...

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ReachUp! Intern Training
                                           

ReachUp! Interns and Trainers

Fifteen Kenyan Interns and five Ethiopian Interns participated in the ReachUp! Intern training from April 9-25th in Nairobi.  The training consisted of 2 days of online training, followed by two weeks of face-to-face (F2F) training.  During this intensive period of training, the Interns were introduced to job skills and leadership competencies, and acquired coaching, facilitation and project management skills.

The training was very well received by the Interns and the Interns feel well prepared to deliver the ReachUp! curriculum to communities in Kenya and Ethiopia.

ReachUp! Interns practicing their ICT skills

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 DOT USA Donates Computer

The students in Patricia McCarthy's first and second grade class now have a new tool when it comes to learning about the continents, animals, and the solar system. On January 18, 2008, DOT USA donated a desktop computer to McCarthy's class at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Elementary School in Picayune.

The DOT USA Team

Click here to read more...

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Mother's Day Celebrations

This year, thousands of families around the world celebrated Mother's Day.  In Turkey, the US and Canada, this special day was celebrated on May 11th, 2008, the second Sunday of May.  In Egypt and Lebanon, Mother's Day is celebrated on the first day of Spring - March 21st.
                        
                            
                         

 Message to Our Readers

Thank you for your ongoing support and contributions to the success of Digital Opportunity Trust.

If you would like to share your feedback, or if you are a DOT Intern or alumni and would like to share your success story, please contact me.

I look forward to hearing from you.

 
  Sincerely,
  Emily Marks
  Newsletter Editor, DOT


  email: newsletter@dotrust.org
  website: www.dotrust.org