Community Action, Inc. of Haverhill (CAI) is developing their information technology capacities by "growing their own."
Technology Coordinator Tom Ellis first came to Community Action roughly a dozen years ago as an intern while attending Bradford College. While that was a time-limited experience, it was not to be his last with CAI. Tom graduated and continued in the human service field. He received a 30-hour Mediation Training at CAI and eventually landed in the Haverhill public school system as a mediation and violence prevention specialist. At the end of the 1996-97 school year, Tom came to work for CAI as a Summer Youth Counselor.
Not long after his return to CAI, someone from CAI’s Education and Training Program approached him and asked him if he had any computer experience. "I told them I had an AOL account, but that was about it." Apparently that was enough, because Tom was asked and accepted the role of the Tech Coordinator for Education and Training. Clearly an e-mail account was not quite enough background, so Tom embarked in an intensive process of training himself, taking courses in hardware, networking, and various software programs. CAI paid for much of his training.
Tom’s role has expanded, in that he now serves as the agency Tech Coordinator in the morning, then works with Education and Training, as well as the after-school programs in the afternoon. One project he is particularly excited about is the Cyber Team project.
"We’re teaching ‘at-risk’ youth who are interested in computers html web design skills. Then they’ll work on updating and fixing faltering web pages. It’s very cool."
The agency’s goal is to have Tom become their full time Tech Coordinator by January 1, 2000. His goal is to continue to strengthen the IT capacities of CAI, and to pursue his own development. Tom is now enrolled in a two-year computer science program....
It will be interesting to see what will grow in Haverhill. u