Re: [Bricolabs] Anyone Know About The CDI Network?

Hi All,

So now I have read CDI's wikipedia entry, the deal starts to become
clearer - and it's potentially shocking!
> Each CDI Community Center is a partnership with an existing leading
> grassroots organization. The community based organizations provide the
> infrastructure and CDI provides free computers and software,
> implements educational methods, trains instructors and monitors the
> schools.
Okay, so what this means is:

* CDI pay for some workstations (say, $20,000).
* CDI pay to train instructors (this may have a very modest cost,
particularly if training is online - but let's be generous and call it
$20000).

Let's estimate that as a total cost of, say, $40,000. (Being generous!)

And in return they get:

* A facility, with rent, taxes and running costs paid by a community
organisation. ($20000 p/a)
* Organisational administration, marketing and management paid for by a
community organisation. ($20000+ p/a)
* Local profile, contacts and credibility. ($???)
* The opportunity to direct and monitor instructors, paid for by a
community organisation! (I'm assuming 2 instructors here: $30000 + p/a)

(Notice the way that the wikipedia article contracts all this value into
just one word - 'infrastructure'.)

Cool! So for $40000 one-off payment CDI get at least $70000 worth of
services and facilities PER YEAR paid for.

PLUS they get the profile, local contacts and credibility of a "Leading
grassroots organisation". Let's say you needed to run a marketing
campaign to build up that level of credibility in a locality... It might
cost a one-off $100000+ (with adverts, websites, newspaper articles,
events, giveaways...)

Easy!!! The CDI model as expressed on Wikipedia (hey, it may be wrong)
seems designed to co-opt local grassroots activity and redirect it
towards product and consumer training.

So what do the local public get?

* Access to some new computers, provided ready and set up for them.
(This is convenient, but restricts their access to troubleshooting,
software installation and configuration skills, and familiarises them
with technology unaffordable to them).
* Restricted choices of software, limited to proprietary products that
they can't afford themselves at home.
* Training orientated around new, proprietary software.
* Increased dependency on facilities at a local community project.

That's not a terrible deal - but we can see that it could be much better.

Looking at the third party in this deal, the community organisation,
what do THEY get?

* Some computers and software - all proprietary.
* Their instructors are unavailable while they're working for someone
else's agenda.
* Their facilities unavailable while they're being used for someone
else's agenda. (Although a clever project manager may be able to assert
that CDI outputs and outcomes contribute to other objectives.)
* A restricted choice of software.
* Some training for their instructors. (This may be genuinely useful,
but may be inflexible, inappropriate for local conditions, and difficult
to roll out to other local teaching contexts.)
* A headache from needing to report results and follow the CDI programme.
* A badge which says they're a CDI Centre. (Whoooo!)

It doesn't sound like such a good deal for them!

I suggest that what this shows is that local centres really need to
understand their own VALUE more. They need to get to grips with the
value of their profile and contacts, and the value of their instructors,
managers and organisers.

Even if these people are are very low paid, or partly or wholly
volunteers, their VALUE does not reduce (even if the COST does reduce).

If centres really knew what their own value was, they maybe would demand
a better deal from corporate network "supporters".

Best Regards,

James
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