So...What goes on at the SNAP, anyway?

Free Public Access Computer Center

The SNAP's computer center is a 12 workstation computer lab available for use to participants free of charge on an as available basis. All computers have access to the internet, and have popular software -  word processing, spreadsheet, database, presentation, games, typing tutor, specialty printing (like greeting cards, invitations and newsletters), instant messaging, and internet access to free email services.

• Free internet and computer access to all our participants
• Instructional courses and free self paced learning program in popular software
• Instructors on hand to answer questions and provide assistance
• Free workshops on computer basics, Internet, and email topics

We also offer some fee based services to our participants...

• Black and white printing: $.10 per page
• Color printing: $.35 per page
• Floppy disk: $1.00 per disk
• Copies: $.25 per sheet
• Faxing: $1.50 per local phone number (up to 5 pages), $2.00 per long distance phone number (up to 5 pages). Ask about overseas faxing.
• Online and in-house workshops for certification in computer use, word processing, spreadsheet use, and typing - cost depends on the class (see our schedule of classes)

Fees are due at the time of service.

Other Projects at the SNAP

Life Long Learning:

• SNAP Online - our partnership with Education to go allows us to offer more than 100 instructor facilitated online college level continuing education courses. Courses are in computer literacy, web design, digital photography, personal finance, writing and publishing, entrepreneurship, sales and marketing, career development, Child care and parenting, Healthcare, nutrition, fitness and many other topics.
• STEP - Run in conjunction with Pratt Institute, the Science and Technology Education Project provides academic support for as many as 35 high school students in the ninth and tenth grades, while he parents of our STEP students participate in our financial literacy and computer workshops.

Self-Determination:

• Grandparent Caregivers Support Groups - This year our Grandparent Caregivers Project held meetings and workshops ant six public school sites where sixty grandparents participated. Our meetings are held twice a month at each site, with four events supported by the Brooklyn Grandparents Coalition.
• Infant Mortality Reduction Initiative - In all of New York City, the community of Fort Greene has the highest rate of deaths in babies before their first birthday. It's been determined that a lack of the right information is the largest contributor to this situation. In a project funded by the New York City Department of Health, the SNAP is working in coalition with the Brooklyn Task Force on Infant Mortality Reduction in an effort to battle this circumstances by providing information workshops and referrals to residents about parenting, health care and other crucial services.

Economic Development:

• Employment - Participants receive free help in job search, cover letter writing and resume writing at SNAP. This year through a performance-based contract with the Consortium for Worker Education (CWE) the SNAP's Employment Services Program worked with public assistance recipients, where they participate in our workshops on interviewing, finding a job, writing resumes, financial literacy and computer basics.
• Understanding Personal Finances - This year over 30 participants attended seminars on topics such as establishing savings accounts, starting a small business and the ins and outs of checking accounts.

Civic Participation:

• Community Advisory Partnerships (CAPS)- Our Community Action Partnerships are committees of neighborhood residents who advise our board of directors on issues of concern to the community and appropriate plans of action. Current issues of priority are housing, healthcare, education and economic development. The first CAP was established to focus on housing issues in the neighborhood. With the Wallabout Community Association, we helped to develop a community response to a profiteering housing developer in Fort Greene. With twenty concerned neighborhood residents, elected officials, tenant association presidents, and members of other community-based organizations, we formulate a sane housing policy for our community. Starting in September 2003, we are working to form our second CAP around issues of health care.
• Newsletters- Our newsletters, news releases and web page all reflect our commitment to communication with the neighborhood. Our quarterly newsletters were distributed to more than 1,500 people. News releases chronicling the SNAP's latest happenings were sent to our local media outlets. Our Web page went live in August 2003.
• Fort Greene Speaks- Fort Greene Speaks is our "e-organizing" effort. This email listserve has disseminated information about neighborhood activities and issues. We welcome and encourage anyone who wants to keep up with what' happening in our neighborhood to sign up and participate.

Accomplishments

450 of our neighbors joined the center this year, to bring our total membership to approximately 3,000 . The computer lab is used by at least 50 people per week. Residents decide which computer programs they want to learn, acquiring their skills at their own pace, choosing their own schedules, always with an instructor or lab monitor available.

Over 200 of our neighbors participated in twenty two workshops this past year. Workshops titles included: Email 101, Email Advanced, Dynamite Flyers form your PC, Internet Basics, Internet Search Techniques, Greeting Cards, using Microsoft Word, Introduction to Computers and Fabulous T-shirts from your PC.

Our Emergency Employment Clearinghouse (EEC) project helped 75 neighbors who lost their jobs because of the events of 9/11/01. The program poloted the state-of-the-are Resume Video technology, which allows partitipants to put their resumes online, track employer responses, and send unique e-postcards to employers that include resume and contact information.

SNAP set up a call center to serve participants looking for work.