What problem are you trying to solve?

Only 25% of families with incomes under $25,000 have access to the Internet. Only 14% of Hispanic families who speak Spanish in the home have access to computers or the Internet.

There are many low income families here on the North Shore who are stuck in dead-end jobs and who are shut out from a wealth of information because of lack of access to technology and training.

What is the mission of Salem CyberSpace?

We want to teach people how to use technology to enrich their lives.

How do you plan to do this?

First of all, to give families (many of whom are first generation) access to technology in a culturally sensitive environment.

Secondly, to make people comfortable with technology by teaching basic PC skills in both a classroom setting and with one-on-one mentoring.

Thirdly, to show people how to access relevant online content that can help them organize and manage their lives like looking for a job, looking for healthcare information, scholarship opportunities, citizenship preparation, etc.

Lastly, we want to help develop job skills and entrepreneurship. By applying technology skills in the areas of web design, graphic design, PC repair, etc. we hope to be able to deliver income-generating services to the community.

Access to Computer and the Internet are already available at the local schools and libraries?  What makes you unique?

As stated above, we offer one-on-one mentoring with Spanish speaking support.

We plan on operating like a community center where individuals are members of a learning community, eager to improve themselves and the other members around them.

Also, we have formal instruction and plans to fund entrepreneurial ventures with the technology skills acquired.

Showing people how to use technology, as a tool to better one’s life, is our focus it is not the focus of either the schools or libraries.

How can you offer membership for free? How are you funded?

Because income is the single greatest reason for finding oneself on the wrong side of the digital divide, we decided not to charge for access to technology and one-on-one mentoring.  We will, however, charge a small fee for classes and our entrepreneurial programs will require a percentage of the income to return to the CyberSpace.

We received seed capital from the U.S. Department of Education, the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development and the Essex County Community Foundation.  In FY2003, we have received funds from the Boston Foundation, the Forest Foundation, Salem Rotary and many other donors.

What are your Programs Today?

We are open 28 hours per week. Right now, that is Monday to Thursday 3 pm to 8 pm,  Friday and Saturday 1 pm to 5 pm.  We plan on remaining extremely flexible and will adjust our times if our members require it.

We have a high speed DSL line to the Internet. We have 19 machines running state of the art XP software including all the Office applications.  We have other software applications including keyboarding, resume writing, and Learning to Speak English.

We have several classes for users at different levels. Please see our current schedule  We are exploring many ideas on other workshops and programs including the possibility of some youth programs with other organizations in Salem – more to come on this.

How is Salem CyberSpace managed and organized?

Salem CyberSpace is managed by Linda Saris who is the current Director.  Linda Saris has an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago and had an extremely successful career in the high technology industry as Senior Vice President of RSA Security in Bedford, MA.  Ms. Saris held many senior executive roles, taking RSA public in 1994 as its Chief Financial Officer and later managing IT, Technical Support, Professional Services and Operations.

North Shore Community Action Programs, Inc. (NSCAP) acts as Salem CyberSpace’s fiscal agent.  Beth Hogan, its Executive Director, chairs the Steering Committee that oversees the activities of Salem CyberSpace.  Beth Hogan has a 25 year career in teaching and non-profit management on the North Shore.

In addition to NSCAP, the steering committee consists of representatives from the following agencies: