Mobile Technology Solutions for the Marginalized
Currently there are limitless mobile technology solutions being created for the poor in developing countries. Yet, this same effort is not being brought for the domestic market, leaving a void in the low-income domestic market and highlighting the need for these tech solutions.
At the Tenderloin Technology Lab we work to bridge the digital divide by offering free computer training and access to a primarily homeless population. We noticed an increase in the use of smart phones by those accessing the lab (over 1/3 have them). We quickly realized that we could use smart phones as a new means of reaching out to our guests. Through this framework we thought up Link-SF.
Link-SF is a mobile optimized platform that connects its users with basic services (food, shelter, hygiene, medical care, and technology access) around them. The platform was developed through cross-sector collaboration to address a complex local problem utilizing a pro-poor tech solution.
Presenters
Kenshiro Nakagawa
Software Engineer
Zendesk
Kenshiro Nakagawa is a software engineer on the product development team at Zendesk, a cloud-based provider of customer service software. As a part of Zendesk's commitment to the mid-Market neighborhood, he is leading a team of engineers working closely with the Tenderloin Technology Lab to build a mobile resource platform that centralizes and improves accessibility to the city's public food, medical and housing resources. Kenshiro holds a bachelor's degree in computer science engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Kimberly McCollister
Freelance Des
Kimberly McCollister Design
Kimberly McCollister is web design and usability guru. She founded Broad Mind Design, a small web design company, in 2011 and has provided numerous companies with beautiful and amazingly functional websites ever since. Before launching her career in design, Kim worked for Wikia.com, a top 20 website founded by Wikipedia's Jimmy Wales. She has also worked with tech companies such as Oracle, Break.com and Cisco. She has over 7 years experience in design with a strong background in marketing and public relations. She is currently working to complete her MFA in Web Design and New Media with a focus in user interface and user experience design.
Megan Trotter
Program Mgr, Tenderloin Technology Lab
Tenderloin Technology Lab/St Anthony Foundation
Megan Trotter is a community activist, local enthusiast, and experienced nonprofit program manager in San Francisco. Her current work is based around how technology access, training, and development can be used to assist homeless/low-income populations.
She currently serves as Program Manager for the Tenderloin Technology Lab (TTL) with the St. Anthony Foundation. The TTL is the premier free computer access and training program in the Tenderloin of San Francisco. Through this role, she manages the TTL which is dedicated to utilizing technology access, courses, and mobile technology development to improve the lives of homeless/low-income San Franciscans. Her focus is on providing basic and intermediate computer skills training for users as well as creating courses to help students become more self-sustained.
In addition to the specific courses, she is also working with Zendesk to develop a mobile site which works as a low-income resource database for San Francisco. She will be presenting on this project in the panel presentation: "Mobile Technology Solutions for the Marginalized" at SXSW this year.
Previously, she has worked in program/project management, community outreach, education, international development, mental health care, and public health research. She holds Bachelor's degrees in both Sociology and Cognitive Psychology from the University of California, Irvine; as well as Master's degree in International Development from the University of Sydney.
Outside of work she is interested in gardening, travel, cooking, and urban homesteading.
Salena Bailey
Dir of Programs
San Francisco Network Ministries
Salena Bailey came to San Francisco Network Ministries (SFNM) in 2004 after two years in the Peace Corps and 5 years in the IT industry. During her two years in Peace Corps Armenia, she learned to speak Armenian, and worked with local NGO leaders on grant writing, sustainability improvement, and computer training. Before joining the Peace Corps, she worked as a technical writer with in the eLearning industry and as a content producer with a San Francisco-based search engine.
At SFNM she cofounded the Tenderloin Technology Lab (TTL) in 2009, an ecumenical partnership between SFNM and the St. Anthony Foundation in the heart of the Tenderloin. The mission of the TTL is to empower Tenderloin residents by providing essential technology skills and safe, free access to computers.
She is a Bay Area native and enjoys spending her free time in the great city of San Francisco
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