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Beyond Digital Literacy: Middle Skills Training at the KC Coalition for Digital Inclusion
Digital inclusion has its many ways of bridging gaps in industry, skill acquisition, and opportunity. But when it comes to digital skills training, there are a lot of beginner level programs in the Kansas City metro area, but less known is the middle skills development opportunities. The purpose of this gathering was to highlight some of the nonprofits in this space helping to close the gap on middle skills and workforce development for digital careers.
Enhancing KC Nonprofit Capacity through AmeriCorps, Internships, and Fellowships
Digital inclusion practitioners often find themselves limited by a lack of staff capacity, but face funding constraints that prevent them from bringing on new employees to keep up with their workload. A number of programs are available in the KC region to help nonprofits expand their capacity or enhance existing capacity, including using AmeriCorps members or interns from local training programs to fill new positions, or utilizing digital inclusion training and fellowship programs to enhance the work of existing staff members.
Reflecting on a Year of Service: Empowering Kansas City Through Digital Equity
American Connection Corps (ACC) is a Lead for America program through AmeriCorps dedicated to advancing economic prosperity in rural and emerging communities nationwide. Members are placed with a local public institution, where they build critical capacity, attract resources, and activate community engagement across many key areas, including bridging the digital divide. Here at KC Digital Drive, our mission aligns perfectly with ACC’s goals, and the ACC members collaborated tirelessly with complementary skills and personalities to make for a successful year of service.
Conversation on the Future of the ACP with FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez
The following is a recap of a conversation between KC Digital Drive Executive Director Aaron Deacon and FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez at the US Ignite communities call on July 11, 2024. View a recording of the conversation here. The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) was a federal internet subsidy program that provided qualifying households with up […]
Assistive Technology Demo Site Comes to LAMP Campus
Missouri Assistive Technology designates the LAMP Campus computer lab as a demonstration site for adaptive assistive technology for computer access. The new demo site creates an expanded and more inclusive use of tech to help Kansas City’s community organizations meet their clients where they are, and to be able to explore new ways to improve their digital life through assistive tech.
“Print to Digital Dance” Networking Event in the Digital Scene
Andrews McMeel Universal opened its doors for the Digital Scene KC: Print to Digital event on Thursday, July 11, 2024, for a night of inspiration from their guest speakers. They pulled from their world-class roster of talent and held a successful networking event for digital media professionals.
Empowering Youth Innovation: Bridging the Digital Divide through Social Change
This gap, which separates those with access to technology and digital skills from those without, not only limits opportunities but also exacerbates existing inequalities. Startland Education, an organization dedicated to fostering entrepreneurial skills among youth, invited me to participate as a guest speaker during their Social Change Interns program’s prototype testing phase. As a Digital […]
The Need for Refurbished Devices is Ever-present in Midtown KC
The Digital Support Services Center at the LAMP Campus on Linwood Blvd. has been a tech hub for computer skills classes, workspaces, and device lending, and there has been a recent development to this space. PCs for People will be returning to the LAMP Campus as a pop-up location on Mondays and Fridays from 10am-3pm.
New Funding Now Available for College Interns at Nonprofits
Hire KC Launches Its Annual Micro-internship Program The 2024/25 Hire KC program is now open! Thanks to another grant provided by Bank of America Charitable Trust, we are able to continue our journey towards making a tangible difference in building capacity at nonprofits, and in the lives of local students. Hire KC is a fully […]
Let’s Bridge the Gap between Healthcare and the Digital Divide (Simulation)
This marks another Digital Divide Simulation event in collaboration with Vibrant Health to increase awareness for the socioeconomic setbacks faced by Kansas Citians living on the wrong side of the Digital Divide. Participants engaged in meaningful conversations around bridging the gap between being digitally disconnected and accessing healthcare and other services. The need for connecting clients expands beyond providing devices and dives deeper into how to communicate, build trust, and meet people where they are.