[Ccil-user] (no subject)

[tswain@ccil.org]

I've been a help desk volunteer for about 2 (maybe three?) years answering 
messages on one day a week. I do this out of my feeling and commitment to the 
vision I sense CCIL has to provide “free ISP” access to residents in Chester 
County. When it is coupled with helping residents find information and 
communicate with each other, this is a powerful vision – that has basic 
religious and democratic rights.

One of the things that has surprised me is the hidden nature of CCIL’s board 
(and this might not be intentional, maybe an oversight). I am not aware of 
minutes being published on the web, I am not aware of who the board members 
are, nor am I aware of meeting times of the board, nor whether board meetings 
are open and where they are held. I have heard comments and concerns only 
accidentally, like finding myself on this listserve, (by nature of my 
volunteering with our help desk) about the current CCIL crisis.

What moves me to make comments at this point are the two young people who have 
offered to volunteer to help out. I am a high school librarian in a public 
vocational-technical school and I know the creative input young people can make 
if the doors are opened and support and encouragement is given. They can be 
astonishing workers for the cause. And it is obvious to me that CCIL is 
important to them to step forward at this time in offering help. This is an 
opening that I encourage.

I am glad for CCIL. Its vision is still good and there are people living in 
Chester County who can be pulled together to support the goals of the 
organization. I might be naïve enough in believing that there are financial 
sources available if we can find the goals these granting organizations are 
willing to support – like enabling young people to develop further vocational 
skills, like offering technical and practical skills for community agencies, 
and like encouraging democratic principle’s between citizens. 




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