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Cutting Through Reality
Keystone CoLab hosted a VR Event on October 9, 2024, to showcase how VR technologies are transforming healthcare education and improving innovation and accessibility for healthcare professionals. Attendees tried their hand at performing surgery in mixed reality, and the event showed that not everyone could make the cut.
Digital Inclusion Fund Awards $75,000 for Devices in the Greater Kansas City Area
The Kansas City Digital Inclusion Fund announces the 2024 Devices Grants cycle list of grant awardees. The KC Digital Inclusion Fund supports 501(c)(3) entities that focus on digital inclusion access, affordability and adoption to increase participation in digital society for Kansas City’s most underserved and/or disconnected residents. Initial funding support is from the Health Forward Foundation, Kauffman Foundation, Kansas Health Foundation and GFiber (Google Fiber).
New ACC AmeriCorps Member Joins Team
Welcome, Gus Livers! He joins KC Digital Drive as an American Connection Corps (ACC) AmeriCorps member, serving in the 2024-2025 service year, thanks to the generous financial support from Comcast. Gus will serve as the Digital Inclusion Coordinator, and with his previous experience in internet services and streaming from Marksman Solutions, and event management at […]
Illustrating The Possibilities of KC’s Digital Industry With KC IMAGINE
KC IMAGINE hosted its annual “Building KC’s Digital Future” conference on Tuesday, September 24, 2024, that discussed topics like artificial intelligence, animation, blockchain technology, and hiring practices. This conference provided an engaging event for digital media professionals that extended networking into the KC’s growing digital media scene.
Digital Inclusion Week 2024
What is Digital Inclusion Week? Digital Inclusion Week (DIW) is an annual week of awareness, recognition and celebration. With support from NDIA, organizations and individuals across the country host special events, run social media campaigns, and share their digital inclusion actions and progress with media, among other actions. We’re living in a pivotal time for […]
Networking with Zombies
FlipSwitch VR opened its arcade doors for the Digital Scene KC: Game Development event on Thursday, September 12, 2024, for a night of immersion and inspiration. They held an engaging event for digital media professionals that extended networking into the virtual world of gaming.
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 […]