College students and recent graduates in the Digital Ambassadors program logged 600 Hours and helped over 300 People Across Kansas City Metro Area attain better access to a digital life.
Digital Ambassadors Program
Digital Ambassadors are trained college students who provide one-on-one digital support in community settings. From March to the end of May 2025, five college-age Digital Ambassadors served 600 hours across five nonprofit host sites in Kansas City. Each Ambassador worked directly with residents to help build digital skills in areas like job readiness, online safety, and everyday tech use. They supported 330 individuals, offering patient, personalized help in trusted community spaces.
Ambassadors came from UMKC, Kansas City Kansas Community College, William Jewell College, and Metropolitan Community College. They discovered the opportunity through platforms like Parker Dewey, social media reposts, and word of mouth.
Across their service, Ambassadors spent 130+ hours in one-on-one sessions, 20+ hours leading classes, and additional time assisting groups, developing materials, and preparing lessons. They averaged five to six people per shift.
💼 Workforce Readiness
- Helped individuals write and edit résumés
- Supported job applications and onboarding steps
- Guided clients in completing tax forms and employment paperwork
- Encouraged career transitions with digital tools like Canva
Peter Arvanitakis, who served at Workforce Partnership, said, “Helping someone and seeing how appreciative they are is incredibly impactful.” He regularly helped individuals with resumes, job searches, and online forms. Some sessions reached up to seven clients in a single shift.
🌐 Digital Inclusion
- Set up email, social media, and secure passwords
- Taught residents how to block spam and protect themselves online
- Led workshops on scams, safe browsing, and text-to-speech tools
- Demonstrated how to organize and filter emails
Angela Arrieta at Phoenix Family focused on safety and scam awareness. She supported residents with tasks like setting up email accounts, blocking spam, and creating secure passwords. “I always emphasize that we can learn from each other,” she said.
💡 Confidence & Community
- Hosted digital literacy classes that saw repeat attendance and engagement
- Created accessible, empowering learning environments for justice-involved individuals
- Supported emotional resilience through active listening and consistent encouragement
At Journey to New Life, Kelsey Coleman worked with returning citizens. “Helping someone with something I’ve always known, and watching their confidence grow, has been one of the most fulfilling parts of this experience,” she shared. By the end of the program, some of her students were job-ready and no longer needed regular help. “They got jobs and don’t need to come back anymore.”
Participant Stories & Moments That Mattered
- A resident victimized by fraud received help creating secure new accounts and learning password best practices.
- A client returned two days in a row for help applying to a staffing agency. He completed his paperwork and got the support he needed — fast.
- Students shared their excitement after improving scores on a digital literacy quiz, showing measurable learning gains.
- Repeat participants often expressed how close they were to giving up learning digital skills and how the Ambassadors gave them a reason to keep learning.
Sustainable Skill-building
This program doesn’t just meet basic, immediate needs — it plants seeds for long-term success. From Canva training to résumé coaching to QuickBooks basics, participants gained skills they can carry forward into careers, education, and everyday life.
Isabella Mendez at Latinx Education Collaborative and Yadira Gildo at Literacy KC led digital literacy classes. They taught skills like email login, using a mouse and keyboard, and creating social media content in Canva. One student used her Canva skills to finish a church flyer. “It’s amazing to see their growth week to week,” Isabella said.
The program emphasized consistency, safety, and skill-building. Repeat participants expressed how close they were to giving up before they started working with the Ambassadors. Some improved quiz scores, while others returned multiple days in a row to complete job applications and paperwork.
This pilot proved that with training and support, young people can make a meaningful impact on digital inclusion. Ambassadors didn’t just offer tech help. They created space for people to feel capable, respected, and ready to move forward.
Interested in having a Digital Ambassador at your organization?
Learn more about the Digital Life Exchange (DLX) ecosystem by visiting our webpage here. If you have additional questions, reach out to Leslie Scott at lscott @ kcdigitaldrive dot org.