COMMUNITY LEARNING NETWORK
"Building stronger communities through real-life learning"
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our communities are stronger when community members of all ages feel a sense of belonging and have meaningful relationships and work. We are also addressing the need to re-engage and reconnect youth through hands-on, real-life learning and community-based, experiential educational opportunities. We are also addressing the need for communications, IT, and media skills development. Although 90% of parents want their children to take a computer class in school, a majority of schools don't teach computers and there are not enough teachers trained or confident enough to teach it. Will more than 1800 unfilled computing jobs in the state, and fewer than 6% of public high school students taking a computer class, there is a need for Tech skills training and workforce development.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
S.E.E. Southwest Experiential Education
CommUNITY Learning Network facilitates community-based learning programs including educational immersion, service learning, and hands-on experiential learning programs for all ages, as well as community-based virtual learning programs and bootcamps.
Work-Based Learning and Internships
CommUNITY Learning Network (CLN) supports real-life learning and work-based learning opportunities in New Mexico and developed the online resource www.nminterns.com to document statewide paid internship programs and developed the initial www.santafeinterns.com online resource portal to support local internship, apprenticeship, and mentoring opportunities in the region. CLN also co-facilitated PROTEC, a Tech bootcamp training and paid internship program through Santa Fe Community College.
CommUNITY Learning Network "Love Where We Live" Youth Ambassadors program
CommUNITY Learning Network (CLN) supports community-based learning oppotunities that engages youth in getting to know their own community and in telling their own story while learning communications skills, Tech and IT skills, public engagement skills, and media and digital media skills.
TECH and STEAM initiatives
CommUNITY Learning Network (CLN) is dedicated to connecting learning with real-life in support of thriving communities in New Mexico. CLN is working to support TECH and STEAM initiatives including improving broadband access, adoption, and use and expanding Tech access, education, employment, and enterprise, especially for rural and underrepresented and underserved communities and community members. CLN helped launch the Northern NM Tech Task Force and Opportunity Santa Fe TechHire , the Northern NM STEAM Coalition, supported coding and tech training as well as Hour of Code in NM, Working Group, helped launch CS Week for teachers, provided free hands-on workshops to support community members of all ages in learning to build, launch, and manage their own website through the 1000 Websites in !000 Days Campaign, and co-hosted the first Indigenous Connectivity Summit in New Mexico with the Internet Society in 2017.
PROTEC Santa Fe
CommUNITY Learning Network (CLN) is collaborating with Santa Fe Community College with support from the County of Santa Fe to offer an accelerated training program that provides hands-on bootcamp training in tech platforms for business operations, communications, and social media, plus an optional paid internship of up to 80 hours. Due to the pandemic, both the training bootcamp and internship opportunities moved online and are being offered virtually. Visit www.protecsantafe.com to learn more.
Teaching and Learning with GIS
CommUNITY Learning Network (CLN) supports "Teaching and Learning with GIS" through a range of efforts including workshops, training support, clubs, mentorship, and online resources, and is stewarding the annual ArcGIS competition in New Mexico. "Geographic Information System (GIS) technology provides "a framework to organize, communicate, and understand the science of our world." Explore strategies for integrating GIS to support instruction, discussion, and extended learning on any topic.
CommUNITY Relief and Resiliency & Buena Gente Project
In response to the pandemic, CommUNITY Learning Network (CLN) mobilized our network of formal and informal relationships to support relief efforts for vulnerable, rural, and indigenous communities and community members impacted by COVID-19. CLN distributed over 287,000 donated PPE to more than 49 tribes and agencies, helped Native American artists to build more than 250 websites to showcase their work, and helped coordinate deployment with the ITDRC of more than 145 wireless access points to provide free Internet at community hotspots in communities in need in New Mexico, and more! CLN is also collaborating to provide supplies, emergency funds, water and wood for elders and families in need and has developed the on-going Buena Gente project to continue the work. Learn more about CommUNITY Relief and Resiliency efforts online at www.communitylearningnetwork.org
International and Indigenous-honoring Programs and Initiatives
Language Institute for Sustainability &. Transformative Education in Oaxaca (LISTO) was established by Cara Esquibel & carried by CLN in her loving memory to provide TESOL certification training in Mexico for teachers.
Human Reunion 1 & 2, a "Collective Journey of Reconciliation, Re-membering, & Re-Union," gathered traditional Indigenous women from Canada, US, Mexico, South America, Africa, Indonesia, India & Australia for a series of international events on multiple continents by Weyakpa Najin Win, Woman Stands Shining, Pat McCabe.
Tsedaak’aan Learning Community (TDK) & Hogan Dialogues were developed in partnership between Dr. Larry Emerson & Jennifer Nevarez, 2 educators committed to community-based learning & rooted in indigenous ways of knowing, being, & learning.
CLN coordinated Indigenous Farmers support & the La Escuela del Agua project in Bolivia to support indigenous seed & cultural preservation, student gardens, and building of a community seed bank.
Where we work
External reviews
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Community Learning Network (CLN) is reconnecting and reengaging community members of all ages through real-life learning. NM Youth Ambassadors and Next Generation Media Teams are training the next generation of community leaders and providing the communications and digital media skills our youth need to thrive in the 21st Century. NM TechWorks is expanding Tech access and education and increasing Tech enterprise and employment, especially for underserved and underrepresented community members. The "1000 Websites in 1000 Days" campaign is growing our economy one website at a time by helping community members of all ages learn to build, launch, and manage their own website. For a state that has high poverty and low graduation rates, we are working to help families in New Mexico enjoy a better quality of life supported by a thriving innovation economy with successful, well-trained Tech entrepreneurs and employees fueled by a team of tech-savvy teachers, students, and schools.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
The fundamental underpinning of our work is based on the words of a local wisdom-keeper, "Well being is nourished by being accountable to a people and a place." We value Relationships, Real-Life Learning, Resiliency, Resourcefulness, and Collective Well-being to accomplish our goals and ground our work in the Principles of Sustainability and Collective Impact. We build on local strength and emphasize what is local, whole-some, life-nourishing, organic, comprehensive, and engaging, while providing opportunities to tell our own stories.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
We have a large Advisory Circle as well as a large community network of grassroots learning liaisons and community educators. We have worked with many programs and projects throughout the region and have extensive partnerships with businesses, schools, organizations, and agencies in New Mexico, as well as a growing network of NM Youth Ambassadors, Interns, and Next Generation Media Teams, as well as professional volunteers and active Task Force members.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
More than 150 students each year participate in Southwest Experiential Education and service learning.
More than 500 community members participated in hands-on community activities and events.
More than 24 students participated in NM Youth Ambassador and Next Generation Media Team Training.
We hosted more than 7 Interns and Summer Associates.
More than 250 classrooms hosted Tech learning events.
More than 2500 students participated in Tech learning activities.
More than 75 professionals participated in Tech outreach and volunteer activities.
More than 60 students participated in Tech and Media training programs.
More than 180 educators participated in Tech training and professional development.
More than 75 community members of all ages participated in website-making and digital marketing training.
Our website is getting more than 1500 unique visitors a week.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We act on the feedback we receive
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
COMMUNITY LEARNING NETWORK
Board of directorsas of 01/01/2023
Katie Teague
Storm Cloud Media
Term: 2014 -
Mary Hekman
Mary Hekman Law
Jennifer Nevarez
Community Learning Network
Katie Teague
Storm Cloud Media
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Not applicable -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Not applicable
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 10/21/2021GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.