Summer-Fall 2001

Clyde, Kansas, population 800, received a grant for community training to develop local electronic communication skills and Internet applications awareness in three specific areas: civic, personal, and business. After many internal planning meetings and a conference call with Lone Eagle Consulting, they asked me to come for multiple presentations as the first in a series of two presenter’s visits.

When I arrived in Clyde, KS, I met with 2 HS students and within 10 minutes they were creating a digital storytelling presentation tour of Clyde using my new CD-write digital camera (Sony Mavica CD-1000). Over a two day period, I showed their multimedia creation as I presented for the library board, clients at the senior center, the junior high school staff, the full high school assembly of students and faculty, and then at a keynote for the Chamber Banquet. By the time I was finished, I’d presented for 299 persons out of the population of 800.

The day I left these same high school students created a web authoring and training business and I’ve continued to keep in touch them. They have created business flyers, business cards, T-shirts with their logo and have five businesses on contract for web page creation. They are not allowed to pocket their earnings, but will use the money to buy multimedia presentation equipment, and a CD-1000, to support their business and training activities. The idea is they have created jobs for themselves that will allow them to remain in Clyde to assure the future of the community.