Homeless Nation
Encyclopedia
HomelessNation.org is a not-for profit organization
based in Montreal
, Quebec
, Canada
. In order to bridge the digital divide, documentary filmmaker Daniel Cross
created www.HomelessNation.org in 2003. A website by and for the homeless
, www.homelessnation.org gives people on the street the opportunity to control their own voice and engage the public in a safe and supportive forum. HomelessNation.org outreach workers teach computer and media skills to facilitate self-expression and community involvement. Improved knowledge and self-esteem help individuals make healthier life choices and transition off the street. The project has directly impacted thousands of individuals across Canada and is now gaining ground internationally. The project has won 4 major ICT awards, including a prestigious World Summit Award.
national collective voice by and for Canada's homeless
population. It was founded by a documentary film director Daniel Cross
(executive producer), alongside his film company partner Mila Aung-Thwin
(producer), Brett Gaylor
(filmmaker and web architect) and Anuj Khosla (administrator). It has a number of locations in Canada
including Montreal
(Quebec
), St. John's
, (Newfoundland
), Victoria
and Vancouver
, (British Columbia
).
Homeless Nation's outreach workers across Canada work in a variety of ways in collaboration with the homeless community in shelters
, day-centres, squats
, at protests, community events, on the street and online. It is also dedicated in ensuring that digital tools for media, learning and communication are made available for homeless Canadians by placing donated computers into shelters and drop-in centres, thus providing opportunities to create audio
, visual or written testimonials.
According to the official site of the organization http://www.homelessnation.org , "Homeless Nation" aims at building and strengthening communities, both virtual and actual, across Canada,
providing access to the internet, media and training to Canada's homeless population,
encouraging discussion and learning on social issues surrounding homelessness. It also tries to create dialogue between Canada's homeless and mainstream society to counter isolation and marginalization
, recycles and re-purposes technology for use by Canada's homeless communities and tries to break down stereotypes and barriers in the society.
It was founded by Daniel Cross, a documentary film
maker whose films deal with social justice and Canada's homeless. He made the films The Street: A Film with the Homeless
and S.P.I.T.: Squeegee Punks in Traffic, where hundreds of homeless people from Montreal
shared their many amazing stories with him. Out of the movie, came the idea forum, where these stories would not be lost and where Canada's homeless community could share their stories and refuse to be ignored.
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
based in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. In order to bridge the digital divide, documentary filmmaker Daniel Cross
Daniel Cross (filmmaker)
Daniel Cross a Canadian documentary filmmaker, producer and activist whose films deal with social justice.He is co-founder of EyeSteelFilm with fellow director/producer Mila Aung-Thwin. He is the president of the company...
created www.HomelessNation.org in 2003. A website by and for the homeless
Homelessness
Homelessness describes the condition of people without a regular dwelling. People who are homeless are unable or unwilling to acquire and maintain regular, safe, and adequate housing, or lack "fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence." The legal definition of "homeless" varies from country...
, www.homelessnation.org gives people on the street the opportunity to control their own voice and engage the public in a safe and supportive forum. HomelessNation.org outreach workers teach computer and media skills to facilitate self-expression and community involvement. Improved knowledge and self-esteem help individuals make healthier life choices and transition off the street. The project has directly impacted thousands of individuals across Canada and is now gaining ground internationally. The project has won 4 major ICT awards, including a prestigious World Summit Award.
About
HomelessNation.org is a non-profit internet endeavor that started in 2006. It is a CanadianCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
national collective voice by and for Canada's homeless
Homelessness
Homelessness describes the condition of people without a regular dwelling. People who are homeless are unable or unwilling to acquire and maintain regular, safe, and adequate housing, or lack "fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence." The legal definition of "homeless" varies from country...
population. It was founded by a documentary film director Daniel Cross
Daniel Cross (filmmaker)
Daniel Cross a Canadian documentary filmmaker, producer and activist whose films deal with social justice.He is co-founder of EyeSteelFilm with fellow director/producer Mila Aung-Thwin. He is the president of the company...
(executive producer), alongside his film company partner Mila Aung-Thwin
Mila Aung-Thwin
Mila Aung-Thwin is a Canadian documentary filmmaker, producer and activist whose films deal with social justice.He had a multi-disciplinary education in arts, journalism, and photography. In 1998, he met his fellow director/producer Daniel Cross and co-founded with him EyeSteelFilm specilaizing in...
(producer), Brett Gaylor
Brett Gaylor
Brett Gaylor is a Canadian documentary filmmaker living in Montreal, Quebec. Born in 1977, he grew up on Galiano Island, British Columbia. He is a member director of EyeSteelFilm documentary production company and its Head of New Media....
(filmmaker and web architect) and Anuj Khosla (administrator). It has a number of locations in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
including Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
(Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
), St. John's
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
St. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the oldest English-founded city in North America. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. With a population of 192,326 as of July 1, 2010, the St...
, (Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
), Victoria
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
and Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, (British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
).
Homeless Nation's outreach workers across Canada work in a variety of ways in collaboration with the homeless community in shelters
Homeless shelter
Homeless shelters are temporary residences for homeless people which seek to protect vulnerable populations from the often devastating effects of homelessness while simultaneously reducing the environmental impact on the community...
, day-centres, squats
Squatting
Squatting consists of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied space or building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have permission to use....
, at protests, community events, on the street and online. It is also dedicated in ensuring that digital tools for media, learning and communication are made available for homeless Canadians by placing donated computers into shelters and drop-in centres, thus providing opportunities to create audio
Sound
Sound is a mechanical wave that is an oscillation of pressure transmitted through a solid, liquid, or gas, composed of frequencies within the range of hearing and of a level sufficiently strong to be heard, or the sensation stimulated in organs of hearing by such vibrations.-Propagation of...
, visual or written testimonials.
According to the official site of the organization http://www.homelessnation.org , "Homeless Nation" aims at building and strengthening communities, both virtual and actual, across Canada,
providing access to the internet, media and training to Canada's homeless population,
encouraging discussion and learning on social issues surrounding homelessness. It also tries to create dialogue between Canada's homeless and mainstream society to counter isolation and marginalization
Marginalization
In sociology, marginalisation , or marginalization , is the social process of becoming or being made marginal or relegated to the fringe of society e.g.; "the marginalization of the underclass", "marginalisation of intellect", etc.-Individual:Marginalization at the individual level results in an...
, recycles and re-purposes technology for use by Canada's homeless communities and tries to break down stereotypes and barriers in the society.
It was founded by Daniel Cross, a documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
maker whose films deal with social justice and Canada's homeless. He made the films The Street: A Film with the Homeless
The Street: A Film with the Homeless
The Street: A Film with the Homeless is a 78-minute 1997 documentary film about the Canadian homeless in Montreal. The film was directed by Daniel Cross and produced by him and Don Haig...
and S.P.I.T.: Squeegee Punks in Traffic, where hundreds of homeless people from Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
shared their many amazing stories with him. Out of the movie, came the idea forum, where these stories would not be lost and where Canada's homeless community could share their stories and refuse to be ignored.
Awards
- 2009 World Summit Award for e-Inclusion and Participation
- 2009 New Media Award
- 2008 Canadian New Media Award
- 2008 Society for New Communications Research Award