From: ABROZAN@pearl.tufts.edu (Alex Brozan)
Newsgroups: soc.college
Subject: YOUTH ONLINE and computer networks
Date: 12 Oct 1992 02:28:29 -0500
Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway
NNTP-Posting-Host: cs.utexas.edu

October 11, 1992

Greetings Friends and Fellow Computer Mavens!

I am Alex Brozan, a student at Tufts University in Massachusetts,
an activist, and a strong believer in the power of computer
networks as an activist and educational tool.  I am writing to
you because I know that you either are actively involved in a
project to help environmentalists and activists use computer
networks or are part of an organization that has made computer
networks a useful tool in your work.

About 10 months ago, I began researching how student and youth
activists were using computer networks.  I found that although
people around the world were tapping in to this unbelievable
resource, only a few students and young people were.  I also
found out about many exciting projects to increase the online
presence of students, to help them use networks effectively, and
to provide resources and information useful to them.  Some of
these include:

- Student EnviroLink, a student-based network of mailing lists
based at Carnegie Mellon University, that provides thousands of
people worldwide with up-to-date environmental news and
bulletins.  It is also home to SEACnet, the network of the
Student Environmental Action Coalition, and several lists for the
Greens in the U.S.

- A United Nations Environment Program project based at New York
University to help student and youth organizations get online in
preparation for UNEP's yearly Youth Forum.

- EcoGopher, an innovative use of a new Internet tool, Gopher, by
students at the University of Virginia, to get environmental info
into people's hands faster and easier.

- The Progressive Alliance Clearing House, which among other
things, aims to distribute timely articles and news to
Progressive Student Newspapers.

- Numerous e-mail distribution lists on many topics of concern to
young people involved in environment and other issues.

And many, many others.  These are just a handful (briefly
described) of many.  Much is being done.  But these efforts are
isolated from each other.  We all know how incredibly useful
computer networks can be and how they can really "revolutionize"
the way virtually any group, especially a student group, does its
work.  What is lacking is coordination between all the different
people working in this area.  To help activists really use
networks and commputers effectively, we must be communicating,
sharing ideas and strategies, offering advice and criticizing,
and collaborating on projects. That is the reason for the
creation of a new Internet Mailing List, called
YOUTH ONLINE

The purpose of youth online is to connect the many people who are
either using computer networks in work with students and are
working to get students online.  The potential for this list is
enormous.  Youth online is for discussion, strategizing,
information and idea sharing, and collaboration on such projects.

If you are interested in this list, please participate actively
in it.  The address for the list is as follows:

YOUTH-ONLINE@PEARL.TUFTS.EDU

Youth online will hopefully soon also be available on
EcoNet/PeaceNet/APC as the conference "youth.online"

We invite all interested parties to post questions, ideas,
project outlines and summaries, news, and thoughts on students
and computers, to this list.  The moderator is me, Alex Brozan,
and I can be reached via e-mail at:

youth-online-request@pearl.tufts.edu

The above is also the address for subscrption requests, questions
about the list, and of course unsubscription requests.  Please do
not post sub and unsub requests to the list, as this creates
unnecessart traffic that will greatly annoy the other
subscribers.
_________________________________________________________________
*** If you do NOT want to be on this list, please notify me and I
will remove you from it. ***
_________________________________________________________________

I would like to give people a general sense of who is
participating in this list and what they are doing.  Please 
e-mail me the following information:

1.) The Name of your Organization or Project
2.) How you work with students or young people
3.) How you are using computer networks in your work
4.) What projects you have or are going to have related to
Student Organizing and Computers
5.) What publication(s) you put out
6.) A contact name with e-mail address, regular mail address, and
phone number.
7.) Suggestions for other groups or individuals you think would
be interested or conferences or mailing lists to which you think
a notice about this list should be posted.

I will cull all the essentials from this information and post a
summary to the list.

Thank you and I look forward to your input and energy.

Alex Brozan
Moderator of Youth-Online
youth-online-request@pearl.tufts.edu