Free Geek is a technology related

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

based in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, launched on April 22, 2000. It started as a public event at

Pioneer Courthouse Square Pioneer Courthouse Square, also known as Portland's living room, is a public space occupying a full city block in the center of Downtown Portland, downtown Portland, Oregon, Portland, Oregon, United States. Opened in 1984, the square is bound ...

. In September 2000, it opened a permanent facility as a drop off site for electronic waste. In January 2001, local newspaper ''

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the West Coast of the United States, U.S. West Coast, founded as a weekly by Tho ...

'' ran an article advertising their free computer program for

volunteers Volunteering is an elective and freely chosen act of an individual or group giving their time and labor, often for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergenc ...

, which became so successful that they had to start a waiting list. They currently have over 2,000 active volunteers per year.

Activities

Free Geek provides free classes and work programs to its

, and the general public. Free Geek also offers phone and drop-in

technical support Technical support, commonly shortened as tech support, is a customer service provided to customers to resolve issues, commonly with consumer electronics. This is commonly provided via call centers, online chat and email. Many companies provid ...

for the computers it provides.

Build program

Volunteers are trained to build and refurbish computers using parts recovered from donations. These computers are then sold online or at a store, donated in many of Free Geek's programs, or given to volunteers completing 24 hours of service.

Recycling, reuse, and resale

Raw materials, such as electronics, are processed by volunteers, approximately 40% of it is reused. Some of it is sold, either online or in their store, where the proceeds are used to support educational and outreach programs. Any materials which cannot be reused are recycled as safely and sustainably as possible, in order to prevent it from entering the waste stream and damaging the environment. Free Geek also donates refurbished computers, and technology directly back into the community; in 2017, for example, Free Geek was able to give away six laptop computers for every ten sold in their Store. In 2016, Free Geek donated 4,400 items of technology to low-income individuals, schools, and nonprofits.

Hardware Grant Program

The Hardware Grant Program provides qualifying

nonprofits A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

and schools with refurbished

desktop computer A desktop computer, often abbreviated as desktop, is a personal computer designed for regular use at a stationary location on or near a desk (as opposed to a portable computer) due to its size and power requirements. The most common configuratio ...

laptop A laptop computer or notebook computer, also known as a laptop or notebook, is a small, portable personal computer (PC). Laptops typically have a Clamshell design, clamshell form factor (design), form factor with a flat-panel computer scree ...

s, printers, and other equipment. Since its inception, it has granted more than 10,500 items to over 2,000 nonprofits. 60% of grantees are based in the Portland Metro area.

Volunteers and internships

Volunteers do the majority of work at Free Geek. Since its founding, over 20,500 people have volunteered. In 2016, over 2,000 active volunteers and interns volunteered over 47,500 hours. The Volunteer Adoption Program offers a free computer to every volunteer after they have worked 24 hours of volunteer time. Each year Free Geek gives around 550 computers and necessary peripherals to volunteers who have completed 24 hours of service. Free Geek also offers 3-6 month internship programs for skilled volunteers 16 years and up, designed to help develop job skills to help them pursue tech sector careers and make connections in the community.

Plug Into Portland

Plug Into Portland is a partnership between Free Geek and Portland Public Schools. It started in 2014, and expanded in 2017 to other school districts. It attempts to reduce the

digital divide The digital divide is the unequal access to information technology, digital technology, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, and the internet. The digital divide worsens inequality around access to information and resources. In the Information ...

, which hinders low-income students' learning because they do not have access to a computer at home. Students who volunteer for a total of 24 hours at any nonprofit organization in their community receive a free computer. It served approximately 100 low-income students and families in 2016.

Community education

Free Geek offers free educational programs about technology to the community. Classes and workshops include such topics as basic digital literacy, "Anatomy of a Computer", programming with

JavaScript JavaScript (), often abbreviated as JS, is a programming language and core technology of the World Wide Web, alongside HTML and CSS. Ninety-nine percent of websites use JavaScript on the client side for webpage behavior. Web browsers have ...

and

Python Python may refer to: Snakes * Pythonidae, a family of nonvenomous snakes found in Africa, Asia, and Australia ** ''Python'' (genus), a genus of Pythonidae found in Africa and Asia * Python (mythology), a mythical serpent Computing * Python (prog ...

, web development, social media for organizations, data science, digital privacy and safety, graphic design, digital art, and workplace readiness. In 2016, Free Geek served nearly 1,700 students with over 4,000 classroom hours of instruction.

Free software

Free Geek's refurbished computers run

Linux Mint Linux Mint is a community-developed Linux distribution. It is based on Ubuntu and designed for x86-64 based computers; another variant is based on Debian which is named Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE) and has both 64-bit and IA-32 support. T ...

and other

free and open-source software Free and open-source software (FOSS) is software available under a license that grants users the right to use, modify, and distribute the software modified or not to everyone free of charge. FOSS is an inclusive umbrella term encompassing free ...

. The use of free software gives a wide range of software without the need to manage

licenses A license (American English) or licence (Commonwealth English) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another part ...

or payment. Free Geek was a joint winner of the first Chris Nicol FOSS Prize awarded by the

Association for Progressive Communications The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) is an international network of organizations that was founded in 1990 to provide communication infrastructure, including Internet-based applications, to groups and individuals who work for peace ...

(APC) in 2007.

History

As part of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, the company received between $350,000 and $1 million in federally backed small business loan from Columbia State Bank as part of the

Paycheck Protection Program The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is a $953-billion business loan program established by the United States federal government during the First presidency of Donald Trump, Trump administration in 2020 through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and ...

. The company stated it would allow them to retain 47 jobs.

Locations

In addition to Portland, a number of other cities have started their own independent Free Geek organizations. * Fayetteville, Arkansas
Free Geek of Arkansas
* Athens, Georgia (Free I.T. Athens) * Chicago, Illinois (Free Geek Chicago) (Closed as of June 25th, 2022) * Detroit, Michigan (Motor City Free Geek) (Closed) * Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota (Free Geek Twin Cities) * Oslo, Norway (Free Geek Norway) * Ephrata, Pennsylvania (Free Geek Penn) * Toronto, Ontario (Free Geek Toronto) * Vancouver, British Columbia (Free Geek Vancouver)(Closed November 30th, 2022)

References

External links

Free Geek

{{coord, 45, 30, 37.27, N, 122, 39, 21.63, W, region:US, display=title Organizations established in 2000 Organizations based in Portland, Oregon 2000 establishments in Oregon Non-profit organizations based in Oregon Digital divide Information technology charities Electronic waste in the United States

Charities A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a cha ...

Recycling organizations