About
Global Technology Academy WWU (GTA-WWU) is an organization that was founded by a group of Western Washington University students with passions and histories of humanitarian work. We have close ties with the former Seattle based Global Technology Academy as well as close ties with many other humanitarian groups worldwide.
Mission
GTA-WWU President Linnea Rye in Arusha, Tanzania, 2009
Our mission is to enable youth locally and in underserved communities throughout the world to achieve digital literacy through leadership development and cross cultural experience. Global Technology Academy – WWU provides access to technology, which in turn provides access to information and education, an outlet to communicating with the rest of the world, and the skills that will give opportunity for better jobs; and is committed to educating those with access to computers in both digital literacy and computer maintenance.
Activities
Society of English Medium Schools Teacher Training College
We collect donated computers which would normally end up in a land fill, and refurbish them so they are in working condition. Concurrently with refurbishing, we actively search for communities around the world with potential to greatly benefit from refurbished equipment. A contact is established in the community and is tasked with finding locations for the computers to be installed in as labs. Locations can range from schools to medical clinics and are chosen based on their need for technology and their effect on the community as a whole. Once locations have been established, we work with our contact to bring over the refurbished computers as well as a team of GTA-WWU members, who will then work together with local community members to install the labs and offer training in computer use and maintenance.
