Meet Ken Young

Why am I here doing this course?

I have a background in teaching (Bachelor of Education - graduating from the old Melbourne State College in 1977) I have always been interested in 'Alternative Education' I taught at schools like Ardoch High School, Swinburne Community Schools, Huntingdale Technical School as as well as a number of country schools - Wangaratta High School, Benalla Technical School and Benalla High School. In the 80's I was teaching 'computers' (networks of Micro Bee's and Apple IIe's) along with history and politics. I was always interested in raising with people the social implications of new technologies. The were three influences on my thinking at this time.

Firstly the regular input from the ABC Radio Science Show presenter Robin Williams who interviewed Mike Cooley of the Lucas Aerospace Workers Plane - (I later read his book Architect or Bee? The Human / Technology Relationship 1982 0-89608-131-1) Cooley urges us to take another look at this thing called progress, to strip away the technological jargon, and to penetrate the ideological haze that clouds our view. He talks of empowering people to use technology to right social ills and to do as little harm as possible to the environment.

Secondly a book by Ernest Friedrich Schumacher called "Good Work" had a profound influence on my thinking about the world of work and why we need ethical dimensions in the work place. I read his more widely know book "Small is beautiful" after "Good Work".

Thirdly two teaching colleagues Ted Seaborn and Gary 'Gus' Guest. Ted apart from being my Vice Principal at Huntingdale Technical School was also my Form 5 (Year 11) Social Studies teacher at Sandringham Technical School who inspired me to want to be a teacher and to in Teds' words "unshackle the minds of future generations - what could be a more important task". And Gus who talked about how and why people want to learn and finding the key for each individual. They inspired me to want to change things and see new horizons.

Through my teaching I became more involved with the students who were falling out of schools and becoming homeless. I worked on setting up a Youth Accommodation service at Huntingdale Technical School. I then moved out of teaching and in 1989 I set up the Frankston-Mornington Peninsula Youth Homelessness Taskforce. I then went on tobecome the State Manager of the program until the new Kennett Government took over in 1992. My secondment ended and there were no vacancies in schools so I resigned and have worked full time in the community sector since then.

Fast forward to the 1990s and the Internet

I have been involved in working with the internet and teaching people to build web pages and build online communities since 1996. In fact I made my first web page in April 1995 whilst I was working at the Community Development and Learning Centre in Wonthagghi. When I was first introduced to the Internet by Alan Tonkin from the CAE I just went WOW. I really can see the potential of this tool and wanted to learn asap what I have to do to be able to use it. I then spent an intensive period learning the basics of HTML and reading as much as I could. In February 1996 I was employed by the Carringbush Library to be the Project Officer for a LEAP Project to put the Librarys' historical photographic collection up on the Yarranet Web site. I worked with quite a dedicated bunch of young people and we were using a network of 3 computers to build the site. I learnt about handling graphics in different formats and compressing them for the WWW, CGI scripts, PERL language and the basics of mounting databases on the WWW. I have to add I am not a technologist or a particularly dedicated "Code Monkey" but I wanted to get my hands dirty. Since then I have been very involved in the community use of the Internet and the social equity dimensions involved building an online world.

Oh to answer my original question

I have been involved in working with the RMIT Learning Network and it has inspired me to again come back into "teaching" but in a new and different way - online.

If you are interested here is a short C.V.

Kenneth Young

Education:

Bachelor of Education (Arts)
Melbourne University 1977

Current Position:

Director, Web Words, a private consulting firm providing advice to not-for- profit organisations in the use and development of Information and Communication Technologies to improve business information processes and service delivery for clients.

Special Interest / Expertise:

I am strongly committed to policy developments in the ‘community’ use of Information and Communication Technologies that will address the emerging split between ‘information rich and information poor’. I see great potential for community networking to assist the economic developments of regional Australia. I am an internationally recognised advocate on these issues;

Skills and Experience:

Twelve years secondary classroom teaching experience in a range of city and rural schools. Promoted to Senior Teacher with responsibility for Staff Professional Development;
Established and managed the Youth Homelessness Taskforce program in Frankston and Mornington Peninsula region within Office of Youth Affairs;
State Manager of Youth Homelessness Taskforce Program within Office of Youth Affairs. Convened Joint Commonwealth State Officers Youth Homelessness Committee. Executive Officer for Cabinet sub-Committee on Youth Homelessness. Provided high level advice to government, negotiated interdepartmental agreements, funding and service agreements with NGO’s;
Youth Services Planning and Development Project Officer for Melbourne Citymission Southern Region. Established Frankston Youth Skills and Activity Centre, redeveloped South Port Intensive Youth Support Service, established Southern Youth Employment project;
Research and Policy Officer for the CEO, Melbourne Citymission. Provided high level advice to Senior Management and to the Board of Directors;
Programs Manager, Community Development and Learning Centre in Wonthaggi. Ensured the delivery of lifelong learning programs to adult learners. Directly experience of poor rural telecommunications and poor access to Internet. Delivered New Enterprise Initiatives Scheme (NEIS) aware of the important drivers of rural small business development;
Project Officer, Yarranet Youth Internet Project, training young people in the use of Internet technology and placing local history on the Internet. Direct understanding of barriers facing disadvantaged young people accessing new media;
Manager, Community Information Victoria (CIVic), peak body for community based information providers in Victoria. CIVic, through my leadership, has taken a leading role in addressing issues facing information rich and poor particularly in regional communities.
Organised three Community Networking / Networking Communities conferences the last at Ballarat University September 1999;
With others have been instrumental in organising and establishing the Australian Community Networking Alliance to provide a voice for the community sector in the development of on-line services. Elected spokesperson May 1998.

Committee Member:

Member, Telstra Consumer Consultative Council (Vic) 1997 - 2000;
Member, Library Board of Victoria, Library Network Sub-committee 1998 - 2000;
National spokesperson and foundation member, Australian Community Networking Alliance;
Member, Global 2000 Community Networking Celebration, International Organising Committee;

Conference Presentations:

Presented a paper ‘Youth Issues in Australia’ to the 1994 European Youth Work Conference in Hässleholm, Sweden;
Presented a paper ‘Community Networking: A Victorian perspective’ to Local Information on the Net Conference, State Library New South Wales, 1998
Presented a paper ‘Wizards of Oz: Community Networking in Australia’ to the 2nd European Alliance for Community Networks Conference, Barcelona, 1998.
Presented a paper, ‘Regional Australia in the Internet Age’ to Information, Society and Technology Conference November 1999 in Helsinki.
Presented a paper ‘Community Networking: Leaping the Digital Divide’ Umeå University, Social Work & Informatics Departments, Sweden November 1999
Presented a paper ‘Community Networking: Paradigm for Social Inclusion’ UK Communities Online Conference, Edinburgh. December 1999
Presented a paper ‘Community Networking: Social Inclusion strategies in Australia’ CN Global 2000 Conference, Brussels, March 2000

Community Work:

Bail Justice since 1990

For Pictures Click here

back to the top

The URL of this page is http://www.yarranet.net.au/webwords/nopd/about-ken.htm
Copyright Ken Young ©2000
This document was prepared by Ken Young May 2000.
Please read disclaimer before acting on information listed at this site.
For further Information Email Ken Young.