As ILSR continues to support local communities in solving Internet connectivity challenges, the Community Broadband Networks (CBN) team has kicked off a new initiative deep in the heart of Texas we are calling the Digital Opportunity Lab.
It mixes elements from the on-going Tribal Broadband Bootcamps with ingredients from CBN’s community engagement work to create a customizable-program in support of digital equity coalitions and community leaders amid a national effort to unlock the participatory benefits of broadband for all.
“Our focus isn’t on telling communities what they should or shouldn’t do,” ILSR Community Broadband Networks Director Christopher Mitchell explained. “We zero in on demystifying the technology involved, illuminating the digital landscape as it functions today, and share what we’ve learned and distilled after nearly two decades of documenting what local communities are doing to bridge multiple digital divides.”
Digital Opportunity Lab Debut
In a colonia outside of Pharr, Texas – nestled in the Rio Grande Valley – the first Digital Opportunity Lab convened last week with a focus on high school-aged students.
Working in collaboration with the Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA) and ARISE Adelante, the students are part of an inaugural Digital Ambassadors Program – which aims to train high-school students in four colonias (Las Milpas, South Tower, Muñiz, and Hargill) with essential digital skills.
Supported with grant funding from Connect Humanity, Methodist Healthcare Ministries (MHN), and IDRA, the in-person event attracted nearly three dozen students for hands-on learning throughout the day with an agenda that covered everything from how the Internet works, crimping ethernet cables, the basics of setting up a wireless network, as well as an exploration of the variety of employment opportunities in the broadband industry.
“Our goal with this particular lab was to help instill digital confidence, engage students around the enhancement of digital skills, and expose them to potential careers in building and operating broadband networks,” said CBN’s Associate Director for Outreach DeAnne Cuellar.
Future Labs Coming
While the first Digital Opportunity Lab was geared for students between the ages of 14 and 18, each lab is customized to fit the needs of the event convener.
“In this case, we wanted to spend time focused on exposing students to not only the basics of Internet connectivity but on the variety of opportunities that are out there to help build and operate networks,” Cuellar said.
“However, future Digital Opportunity Labs, with different groups, may want focus on other aspects of closing the digital divide and maybe dive deeper on things like fiber networks or the financial challenges of financing network construction. Each lab is designed to fit the specific needs of whomever we are working with,” she added.
For more information on the Digital Opportunity Labs contact CBN’s Associate Director for Outreach DeAnne Cuellar at deanne@ilsr.org