TechMission

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TechMission, Inc.
Founder(s)	Andrew Sears
Founded	2000
Headquarters	Dorchester, MA
Key people	Andrew Sears (Executive Director), Diana Thompson (Deputy Director)
Area served	United States and dozens of other countries
Focus	Digital divide issues, online safety, online Christian volunteer matching
Method	Providing resources to affiliated computer centers and for free download online
Revenue	USD $1.1 million (2006)
Employees	16 at HQ; 20 at sites (2006)
Slogan	Transforming communities through technology
Website	www.techmission.org

TechMission is a Christian non-profit organization located in Dorchester, Massachusetts which aims to use technology to transform vulnerable communities. Its main goals include bridging the digital divide, protecting youth and families from online pornography, matching Christian volunteers with organizations that need them, and training urban ministry workers in ministry management and development through online courses at City Vision College.

To serve these ends, TechMission currently has over 30 AmeriCorps interns serving at computer centers and after-school programs around the country^[1], is providing free downloads of web filtering software to over 70,000 people per year^[2], is listing over 2000 volunteer opportunities in the U.S. and around the world^[3].

[edit] History

TechMission was founded in 2000 as an extension of the ministry of the PREP Computer Center, which was a Dorchester-based computer center run as a partnership between Bruce Wall Ministries and two local churches^[4]. Andrew Sears, who was at that time executive director of PREP, and other leaders of Christian community computer centers saw the need for a non-profit which would provide resources to and foster communication between their programs. This was the origin of TechMission's AC4 program (the Association of Christian Community Computer Centers), which now serves over 500 sites, including sites affliated with the Salvation Army, Christian Community Development Association, and the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions^[5].

TechMission became a separate non-profit entity in 2002^[6]. The next year, following the success of the AC4 program, it launched the TechMission Boston Program which provides full-time workers to serve in after-school, teen, and adult technology education programs, as well as providing the curriculum and software benefits of AC4 membership. In 2004, TechMission Boston received AmeriCorps backing which enabled it to expand to Los Angeles. The program, now known as TechMission Corps, now sends out interns to organizations in Boston, Los Angeles, Denver, New York City, and Chicago^[7].

In 2005, a Department of Justice grant enabled TechMission to start its Safe Families Program, which promotes online safety through providing free training and web-filtering software^[8]. The TechMission Volunteer Network was launched the following year. In 2007, TechMission introduced UrbanMinistry.org, which is an effort to use Web 2.0 technologies to further promote collaboration and resource-sharing between Christian community development ministries. Finally, at the beginning of 2008, TechMission acquired City Vision College, an accredited online institution designed to equip urban ministry workers to manage and develop their ministries^[9].

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• TechMission main site
• ChristianVolunteering.org - TechMission's volunteer matching website
• Safe Families anti-pornography initiative main website
• UrbanMinistry.org - resource center and social network for workers in urban ministry and community development
• ChristianFreeware.org