EscueLab
Escuelab is an iniciative of ATA (Alta Tecnologia Andina - non profit organization working in Lima, Perú for over 12 years in culture and technology). It is beeing implemented in a 500m2 space in the center of Lima.
about the EscueLab
Through a partnership of ATA and the Prince Claus Fund (Netherlands), the EscueLab space/project is beeing supported for the next three years.
The mission of EscueLab is to provide a space/infrastructure that has been missing for young researchers/artists of the Andean Region to develop projects bridging the gap between technology and society.
Our interests span over a wide range of subjects related to technology appropiation, artistic and technological practices, technology in education, technology recycling, among others...
The planned activities of EscueLab include conference hosting, open workshops, project incubation, and a creators-in-residence program.
The infrastructure provided by EscueLab for those activities includes:
- three rooms for conference hosting,
- a hardware hack lab and warehouse,
- one PC lab, for programming workshops
- communications lab for video documentation of activities.
- dorms, kitchen and ateliers for up to eight creators in residence.
about our interest in XO
EscueLab - Lima Centro is starting to host a volunteering hub (and potentially an XO repair center).
Update: We have already received our first batch of 10 new/working XO´s from the olpc contributors program!
EscueLab as an XO Volunteering Hub
As EscueLab promotes development/research projects around technology and society, supporting XO deployments could be not out of our plans:
- We offer monthly "introduction meetings", where interested people can come, get to know/"test" the machines and get informed of "how they can contribute".
- We offer the possibility for the local XO "interest groups" to schedule and arrange meetings at our conference rooms or work ateliers (for proposing action plans / testing software, hardware / arranging pedagogic pilots / discussing advance / etc.)
- We offer the possibility for groups and individuals to "borrow an XO" for a limited time of up to 1 month (can be renewed), after an application, including a precise project propposal that must be selected.
- We offer the possibility for individuals to take advantage of the bennefits of our "lockers program" (aka "shared lab program") . Where for a small ammount of $40 a month, applicants can have access to their own locker, 24/7 access to an 80 square meter hardware lab, all kind of tools and hardware in the warehouse, 4 machines for video editing, machines as internet terminals, electricity, internet access, etc.
- We offer interested people the oportunity to apply for the 1 year residence program/grant, which is aimed to young researchers and creators in the andean region (8 beneficiaries per year), showing a high potencial for social enterpreneurship.
Escuelabs Vision as a Volunteering Hub:
- EscueLab wants to host the first local, independent, multidisciplinary volunteering hub around the XO in Perú, the country that probably has the highest number of XOs in the world.
- We see ourselves as a space where different people from different institutions, interests and skills, can meet to exchange views, ideas, plans and abillities.
- We see ourselves helping volunteering teams to organize productive volunteering trips to the countryside and so allow a richer beneffit of the olpc deployment in Perú.
EscueLab as a Community Repair Center
As the main interests of EscueLab include hardware hacking and technology recycling, it´s interesting for us to accept donated broken machines.
Update: We´re very excited, since we´ve been informed we´re getting our first lot of 10 broken XOs!
Plans for our first lot of 10 broken XOs:
1) First, we put together a small group of working XOs and complete an inventory of the remaining "working parts" we keep in stock.
2) We might want to complete two or three more machines
- (idea :through buying some spare parts, and so learning how to buy / import this parts to perú)
3) Then, we start communicating locally / netwise about our activities / volunteering support. This way we are building a database of involved people and a feel for the demand.
Update: We´re stopping temporarily to accept broken XOs donations from abroad, because of a customs issue: used/broken machines are valuated exactly as new ones, so taxes for them are as high as $39 each. More info to come soon; see contact details.