• IDRA Newsletter • June-July 2016 •
Mark Barnett leads IDRA in the area of technology implementation for both internal uses and externally for use by schools, libraries, museums and community centers. He has a deep interest in advocating for equal opportunity technology education and believes that access to the Internet should be a civil right. Mark also volunteers for several community organizations and spends time with his family. For the past four years, He has volunteered with FIRST Robotics in the Alamo region in mentoring teams, organizing events and judging competitions. The Alamo region of FIRST Robotics is home to over 300 teams from Austin to the Rio Grande Valley and supports teams from kindergarten through high school. Mark says that robotics is great way to form a community of support that makes math, science and engineering come to life.
For the past year, Mark also has volunteered at a local school that promotes peace through culture. He has served as director of education at the Circle School since 2015 and will lead the school through a national impact program called the Change Maker Schools where he will help each classroom facilitate a project aimed at learning about social justice and community service through year-long projects. Every Sunday, you can find Mark and his family in San Antonio serving food to the city’s homeless population through the local chapter of Food Not Bombs. He wants his children to know how to stand up for those in need and to advocate for those without a voice so that future generations can be prosperous and peaceful.
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[©2016, IDRA. This article originally appeared in the June-July 2016 IDRA Newsletter by the Intercultural Development Research Association. Permission to reproduce this article is granted provided the article is reprinted in its entirety and proper credit is given to IDRA and the author.]