science

NetCorps

NetCorps is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand NetCorps rather than just read about it. In short: NetCorps (French: Cyberjeunes) was a volunteer-organizing coalition from 1997-2009 consisting of nine Canadian non-governmental organizations (NGOs), funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and managed by the NetCorps coordination unit. Through the program, the organizations created international information and communication technologies (ICT) internships in developing countries around the wo…

Key takeaways

NetCorps belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect NetCorps to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of NetCorps from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

NetCorps (French: Cyberjeunes) was a volunteer-organizing coalition from 1997-2009 consisting of nine Canadian non-governmental organizations (NGOs), funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and managed by the NetCorps coordination unit. Through the program, the organizations created international information and communication technologies (ICT) internships in developing countries around the world. Interns typically participated in six-month programs, leaving between August and November for host organizations in the placement countries. Positions were limited to 19–30-year-old Canadian citizens or landed immigrants who had "appropriate information and communication technologies skills". Typical duties included creating webpages, developing databases, computer networking, setting up hardware, preparing manuals and other documentation, and general-to-advanced computer instruction. The program was discontinued indefinitely after 2009.

Program

Objectives To strengthen the ICT capacity of civil society and public-sector organizations to contribute to development goals in governance, education, health, gender equality and environmental sustainability Increase the professional skills and capacities of young Canadians aged 19 to 30 to contribute positively to Canadian international development efforts and secure meaningful employment To increase the awareness and promote greater engagement of young Canadians with respect to international development issues

Budget During the 2007-2008 season, the program placed 240 interns and was funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC) at a cost of C$4.6 million. The program covered all travel and accommodation expenses for the interns, provided a modest living allowance and a completion bonus.

History

NetCorps creation NetCorps Canada International was conceived in 1996 by Dr. David Johnston (Governor General of Canada as of 2011 and former President of the University of Waterloo), a prominent lawyer and adviser to the federal government on information-highway issues.

Phase I In 1997 Industry Canada, in partnership with the Special Initiatives Division of Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC), funded a NetCorps-style test project that sent two residents of Cape Breton to Angola for Internet and Geographic Information Systems projects. This NetCorps conceptualization and placement was done through the Centre for Community and Enterprise Networking (C/CEN) and Dr.Michael Gurstein, Director of the Centre and (at the time) Chair in the Management of Technology Change at the University College of Cape Breton. An initial NetCorps training program and manual were produced as a result of this program. Notably, the two placements in Angola were of previously unemployed young adults from Cape Breton; they were provided with training in Linux through C/CEN as part of a demonstration program in the economic benefits that could be achieved through local investment in Information and Communications Technologies in economically marginal regions.

Phase II In 1998 the efforts of Industry Canada, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and a consortium of Canada’s largest international development volunteer-sending agencies secured 14 internships in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Phase III Further collaboration with Industry Canada and the consortium of international development agencies in 1998 saw the Canadian International Development Agency offer 30 internships in the Americas. This phase was announced by the Prime Minister at the 2nd Summit of the Americas in Santiago, Chile in April 1998.

Phase IV - NetCorps Canada International From 1999 to 2006, the NetCorps consortium sent more than 1700 NetCorps volunteers overseas, due to the collaboration of Industry Canada and the Youth Employment Strategy financed by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC).

2006–2007 – Transition Year In 2006–2007, the consortium successfully organized the placement of 236 volunteers in collaboration with Industry Canada and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). 2006-2007 was the last year that Industry Canada would be involved in the NetCorps program.

Phase VI – 2007–2008 For 2007–2008, (CIDA) replaced Industry Canada as funders of the NetCorps program. The 240 placements offered that year were once again part of the Government of Canada’s youth-employment strategy. The program was discontinued indefinitely as of the 2008–2009 season.

Member organizations WUSC Canada World Youth Alternatives CUSO Oxfam Québec VSO International Canadian Crossroads International Archived 2011-04-02 at the Wayback Machine Canadian Society for International Health International Institute for Sustainable Development Human Rights Internet

See also eCorps Geekcorps Geeks Without Bounds ICVolunteers Inveneo NetDay One Laptop per Child Peace Corps Random Hacks of Kindness United Nations Information Technology Service (UNITeS)

References

External links NetCorps homepage (page no longer belongs to NetCorps) CWY - NetCorps Program Alternatives - NetCorps Program Oxfam-Québec - NetCorps Program HRI - NetCorps Program Description "Future of CIDA Internship Program Up in the Air", Lee Berthiaume, Embassy Newspaper, August 20, 2008.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with NetCorps

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what NetCorps claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to NetCorps before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about NetCorps ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of NetCorps

In research: NetCorps appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses NetCorps in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: NetCorps is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Development charities based in Canada, Digital divide, Information technology education, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for NetCorps outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study NetCorps in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what NetCorps means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain NetCorps out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is NetCorps in simple terms?

Why does NetCorps matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study NetCorps?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on NetCorps.