CASA: Mission Accomplished!

Big news, folks!

During our latest Board meeting the Catalytic Communities (CatComm) Board of Directors decided our five-year experiment of launching and running the "Casa" community technology hub for leaders in downtown Rio has accomplished its mission! The Casa community technology hub accomplished its mission and a cycle in our organizational history is now coming to an end.

We are very satisfied to be able to proclaim that the Casa's mission -- to create networks in order to strengthen community-based social programs and support digital inclusion of community leaders, has been successful and that a large number of community leaders from Rio de Janeiro and beyond, found in the Casa the possibility to articulate themselves as a network and strengthen their local projects using digital tools.

Over the past 5 years, the Casa has served 1050 community leaders from 215 neighborhoods across the city of Rio de Janeiro. An additional 400 journalists, university professors and students, NGO activists and others have also shared in the space. And people from 23 of Brazil's 26 states have attended events, not to mention 22 nations.

We met our historical mission also thanks to improvements in access to technology in Rio deJaneiro. Today, Internet access is much more inexpensive and widespread. Given the fact that this evolution has occurred in relation to Internet access and also given the comfort of local leaders today with digital tools, Catalytic Communities realizes it is the right moment to cease activities at the Casa.

It is the right moment to celebrate the Casa's success and move on to focus our resources and efforts on our core and initial program: the building of a virtual, global network with everything technology today offers in order to empower community programs via an unlimited worldwide network.

With this, in 2009 CatComm will launch a new version of our website http://www.catcomm.org/, where, in addition to searching for local projects from the four corners of the globe to serve as inspiration... community organizers will be able to participate in the likes of a "virtual Casa" – an online space for sharing experiences, capacity-building, fundraising opportunities, and dialogue with other leaders and volunteers the world over.

Don't forget to keep your email up-to-date in the CatComm mailing list so that we can inform you of the latest news! And, until then, continue posting and making use of our award-winning Community Solutions Database (http://www.catcomm.org/).

Read more about the week of closing ceremonies we're organizing for the Casa (coming soon!).

See our page with stories and victories from the Casa (coming soon!).

Check out our photo archive of all photos during the Casa's history (coming soon!).