Are you interested in the field of web development and/or digital design? Are you taking or have you completed classes in a related field? Are you a creative individual with an exemplary portfolio of work? Do you want to work with experienced professionals in these fields and learn while doing, build a resume, work on real projects, and earn a little money? Then check out the Rural Design Collective Summer 2010 Mentoring Program!

The Rural Design Collective (RDC) is a not-for-profit professional mentoring organization which furthers the education and experience of residents of rural Southern Coastal Oregon who are interested in working with web and/or media technology by involving them in real development projects. Check out our projects to get a feel for some of the things that we do. We focus on work that advances important social causes or helps make a difference in our local community.

We are looking for accomplished and self-motivated individuals with proven skills development in one or more of the following areas: graphic design using Illustrator, Photoshop, Inkscape, Gimp or similar software product with an emphasis on creativity, inventiveness, and communication (exceptional creative applicants with minimal computer experience may be considered). Web design using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, etc. to create useful web pages with friendly navigation, clean design, well-organized and creatively presented content. Web application development such as CGI (Perl, etc), PHP, Ruby (Python) and/or Java server-side technology with SQL database integration.

We are focused on teaching and using Open Source technologies such as the ones above rather than proprietary technologies. If you are a proactive, self-directed, communicative team player – The Rural Design Collective Wants YOU! To apply, submit your resume, cover letter and/or digital creative portfolio stating what areas you are interested in learning about or working in by email to webchick@invisible.net no later than May 8, 2010. Non-digital portfolios can be submitted for consideration at Rural Design Collective Headquarters located at Point.B Studio, 246 6th Street, Port Orford, Oregon (next to Paula’s Bistro and the new LOCAL Gift Gallery).

We will begin interviewing our summer projects team in May, with final selection taking place the first week of June 2010. If you are chosen, you will be paired with a professional mentor to work with our team on a meaningful “real” project, learning on the job about your chosen area of focus and receiving help in building successful work and technical skills that will round out your resume or college application. Chosen applicants will be eligible for RDC scholarships of $1000, $750, and $250 to be awarded in the Fall of 2010. Applicants under 18 years of age must have written parental permission to participate in the program.

Area teachers and educators are encouraged to put promising candidates in touch with us and to assign projects developing the skills discussed above for work portfolios. Early mentoring to assist in these projects is available on a limited basis by contacting RDC. We look forward to our next RDC Summer Mentoring projects and helping to educate and train the next generation of exceptional designers and developers of web and computer technologies!

A new mentoring season approaches at the Rural Design Collective, and we are sprucing up our digs with a new design that has been engineered to last us into the future. We are still under construction, but the framework is in place and we are fleshing out the content. Our most notable new section is BUY OUR STUFF, where you (yes, YOU, Dear Reader … ) can help support our Internet Good Deeds and Random Real World Acts of Kindness^TM by purchasing things that we create. This program is currently powered by the sheer will and creativity of the people you see in the Meet The RDC section, so every little bit helps keep us moving forward.

We will be adding new items to the BUY OUR STUFF section over the coming months while we plan our program for 2010. Please consider purchasing an item to help us continue our work. Supporters of our program will be eligible for inclusion in the “Friends of the Rural Design Collective.”

In the meantime, check out our 2009 site to get a flavor of what the Rural Design Collective is all about. We had a blast participating in the One Laptop Per Child’s Contributor Program!

As we like to say at #rdcHQ – Stay tuned!