The DigitalMe! summer workshops equipped local seniors and youth in Crown Heights with essential cybersecurity and digital literacy skills.
LinkNYC’s ongoing partnership with Digital Girl supports STEM education programs, free high-speed Wi-Fi, and access to laptops and tablets for Brooklynites year-round.
In Crown Heights, 36% of households lack access to broadband.
For pictures from the workshops click here.
Brooklyn, New York – This past summer, LinkNYC — the public-private partnership that built the world’s largest, fastest public Wi-Fi network — partnered with Digital Girl, a tech education non-profit, along with Boldyn Networks, to sponsor a series of digital literacy workshops for seniors and youth at the Brooklyn Gigabit Center in Crown Heights. The initial “DigitalMe!” workshop series reached more than 80 participants between April and September — with more sessions to be scheduled in the future — and taught participants to use tablets and computers and provided expert instruction on internet safety, social media, privacy and the concept of digital footprints.
“The Brooklyn Gigabit Center has been an invaluable asset to the Crown Heights neighborhood,” said Michelle Gall, Executive Director of Digital Girl. “Digital Girl was thrilled to expand our partnership with LinkNYC at the Center with the DigitalMe! workshop series — providing our community members with free digital literacy education is key to making Brooklyn a more equitable borough where everyone has access to the 21st century tools they need to thrive.”
More than one million households in New York City lack access to in-home broadband, with lower rates of connectivity in lower-income neighborhoods and communities of color. In Crown Heights, where the Brooklyn Gigabit Center is located, 36% of households do not have broadband internet access. This digital divide has a significant impact on children and seniors.
“All New Yorkers deserve access to high-speed broadband and the support to effectively leverage that connection to improve their livelihoods,” said Nicole Robinson-Etienne, Director of External Affairs at LinkNYC. “Seniors and students, especially, have a harder time getting online. LinkNYC was proud to sponsor the DigitalMe! workshop series at the Brooklyn Gigabit Center to equip our neighbors in Crown Heights with the skills and technology they need to succeed in the digital age.”
Over 114,000 New York City students lack access to Wi-Fi outside of school and nearly half of senior households (residents 65 and older) do not have subscriptions to wireless broadband at home. The DigitalMe! workshops at the Brooklyn Gigabit Center helped close this accessibility gap for the Crown Heights community through a wide range of free classes, including basic coding for youth, workforce development training for high school students, and computer education for seniors.
In partnership with Digital Girl, the New York City Office of Technology and Innovation (OTI), and Boldyn Networks, LinkNYC established the Brooklyn Gigabit Center in 2022 at the Major R. Owens Health & Wellness Community Center in Crown Heights. The Center offers free high-speed broadband for the local community powered by LinkNYC, along with regular tech education workshops and free access to laptops and tablets.
“The arrival of the Brooklyn Gigabit Center earlier this year marked an important step toward bridging the digital divide for residents of Crown Heights,” said NYC Chief Technology Officer Matt Fraser. “The Gigabit Center’s recent DigitalMe! workshops continued this vital work by providing students and older adults with the necessary tools and training to pursue their dreams and stay connected to loved ones. I thank OTI partners Digital Girl and its Executive Director Michelle Gall, LinkNYC, and Boldyn Networks for their admirable efforts to increase digital equity in Brooklyn.”
“Before we can connect communities with digital infrastructure, we have to connect with THE community,” said Victoria Lamberth, Chief Development Officer of Connected Communities at Boldyn Networks. “Partners like Michelle and Toni at Digital Girl are crucial in maximizing the value of the infrastructure we’re building in New York. As an example, workshops like DigitalMe! are providing young women in Crown Heights with the resources they need to lead successful future careers in STEM. As a female executive, I admire and appreciate the leaders at Digital Girl and the programs they are providing at The Brooklyn Gigabit Center. We are excited to see what this next generation of Digital Girl learners is able to achieve.”
For a full course catalog and more information about upcoming programs, visit Digital Girl’s website.
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About LinkNYC
LinkNYC is the world’s largest and fastest free public Wi-Fi network. Each Link kiosk provides free superfast Wi-Fi, phone calls, device charging, access to social services, and displays content such as real-time weather, transit info, public art, and local information. The city-wide network has more than 14 million Wi-Fi users and has connected more than 30 million free phone calls. All of LinkNYC’s services are completely free to users and taxpayers, provided by CityBridge, a partnership led by Intersection and Boldyn Networks. The second generation offering will deploy thousands of new kiosks, called Link5G, enabled with 5G wireless technology across the city. For more information about LinkNYC or to find a Link near you, visit www.link.nyc.
About Digital Girl, Inc.
Digital Girl, Inc.’s mission is to encourage inner city youth, and especially girls, to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. We are motivated by the United States’ underrepresentation of women and people of color in STEM careers.