Jill Palzkill Woelfer
David G. Hendry
ABSTRACT
This paper explores how homeless young people, aged 13-25, make use of information systems in daily life. Observed in a community technology center, four different examples of uses are described: i) Using digital tools to find employment, ii) Telling stories with representations of the built world, iii) Portraying life on the street with video, and iv) Constructing online identities. From these examples and a discussion of this community, a framework of ecological considerations is proposed. This framework distinguishes between elements of 'life' on the street (Self-Reliance, Vulnerability, and Basic Needs) and 'work' in the community technology center (Conformity, Youth-Adult Relationships, and Goals). Any information system for homeless young people must engage the tensions and opportunities that arise from these two different perspectives of homelessness.
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Index Terms
- Homeless young people's experiences with information systems: life and work in a community technology center
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