Digital Inclusion Week 2024

by | Sep 27, 2024 | Digital Skills Training, Digital Inclusion

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 digital inclusion action. More resources than ever are available now and will continue to be released to support digital inclusion work. Here is a list of upcoming events that KC Digital Drive will be hosting throughout the week of October 7-11, 2024.

Oct 6th: Re.Use.Full Computer Repair Cafe

  • Time: 1-3pm
  • Location: KCPL Bluford Branch Library – 3050 Prospect Ave, Kansas City, MO
  • Visit the Repair Cafe co-hosted by Re.Use.Full and KC Digital Drive. Volunteers will be available to remove any viruses or malware, recover files, repair your keyboard and hardware, and perform other basic repairs. No replacing cracked screens at this event. Questions? Email hello @ reusefull dot org or call 816.612.1132

Oct 7th: PCs for People Pop-Up

  • Time: 10am-3pm
  • Location: Digital Services and Support Center @  LAMP Campus – 1801 Linwood Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64109
  • PCs for People holds a pop-up retail spot at the LAMP Campus every Monday and Friday from 10am-3pm, so come out and visit! You can talk with a PCs for People staff member about purchasing refurbished devices, such as computers, laptops, desktops, and internet hot spots. They also sell laptop accessories such as laptop bags, speakers, webcams, headsets, and monitors. For additional information, email kansascity @ pcsforpeople dot org or call 816-259-0851. 

Oct 8th: Digital Inclusion Learning Circle

  • Time: 3-4pm
  • Location: Digital Services and Support Center @ LAMP Campus – 1801 Linwood Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64109
  • Join these monthly Learning Circle meetings to talk about your triumphs and challenges with your fellow digital inclusion trainers in the KC metro at this informal event. We’ll spend time getting to know one another and sharing about all the great work happening in the community. At each meeting we will hear a short presentation from one to two leaders in the digital inclusion ecosystem here in Kansas City. Then there will be time for discussion and collaboration. There is a hybrid option in case you need to join virtually, but participating in person is preferred. The DI Learning Circle meets monthly on the first Tuesday of the month at 3:00pm, and we are always looking for more organizations to join this space. For more information on how to join and to be added to the email listserv, email Leah Henriksen at lhenriksen @ kcdigitaldrive dot org. 

Oct 8th: Digital Skills Assistive Tech Train-the-Trainer

  • Time: 4-6pm
  • Location: Digital Services and Support Center @ LAMP Campus – 1801 Linwood Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64109
  • If you are currently working or interested in learning how to work with people with disabilities and other impairments, this session is for you! Brenda Whitlock from Missouri Assistive Technology will be presenting about how you can tie assistive technology devices (think enlarged font keyboards, differently shaped mice, screen readers, etc.) can be implemented in your classes and with the clients you serve. This will be an interactive experience, so come with questions and an open mind for learning. For more information, contact Leah Henriksen at lhenriksen @ kcdigitaldrive dot org. 

Oct 9th – Launch of the Digital Inclusion Resource Library

  • Check out this new dedicated page for digital inclusion resources in the Kansas City metropolitan area, featuring info that agencies, non-profits, and community members need to know about digital services, skills classes, low cost devices, and ways to learn more. For more information or to add your information to the site, contact Leah Henriksen at lhenriksen @ kcdigitaldrive dot org. 

Oct 10th: Digital Inclusion Fund New Courses Grants – Office Hours

    • Time: 11am-noon
    • Location: Zoom
    • Are you an eligible entity, including 501(c)(3) public charities, educational or governmental entities interested in getting more involved in the digital skills courses? Have you wanted to start a new course, but didn’t know where to find the funding? Look no further than the 3rd cycle in the 2024 KC Digital Inclusion Fund: New Courses Grants cycle. This grant application is open from October 1 through November 15th, and KC Digital Drive is hosting Office Hours so organizations can pop in and learn more about this opportunity and come with ideas and questions. For more information, go to the website www.kcdif.org, or call 816-200-0599 or email kcdif @ kcdigitaldrive dot org.  

Oct 11th: Digital Divide Simulation Lunch ‘N Learn Info Session

    • Time: 11:30am-12:30pm
    • Location: Park39
    • Tune into this info virtual session to explore the Digital Divide Simulation, hear how it works and how you might leverage it to promote awareness and understanding of issue of digital inclusion and equity. For more information, contact Leah Henriksen at lhenriksen @ kcdigitaldrive dot org. 

Oct 12th Per Scholas Computer Repair / IT Support Community Event

    • Time: 10am-2pm
    • Location: Digital Services and Support Center @ LAMP Campus – 1801 Linwood Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64109 (1st floor inside the Linwood entrance)
    • Per Scholas will be LAMP Campus at this Computer Repair Event! Per Scholas graduates will be offering free tech assistance to the community, including spyware removal, software support/user training, hardware troubleshooting, and other Windows and Mac iOS issues. Per Scholas is a program that trains students to provide IT support in a variety of tech fields. For more information, contact Leslie Scott at lscott @ kcdigitaldrive dot org. 

Further Reading

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. 

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

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