Google selects two Kansas Citians to bridge digital divide
July 10, 2015 | Abby Tillman
Two Kansas Citians hope to increase digital inclusion by participating in a new fellowship opportunity through Google Fiber.
Photo by Alejandro Escamilla
Google announced Friday that Eze Redwood and Leslie Scott were selected to participate in Google Fiber’s Digital Inclusion Fellowship program, a year-long program created to help community organizations get more people connected to the Web.
In partnership with Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN), Google Fiber announced its fellowship opportunity in May and recently chose 16 participants to pair with local community organizations in the eight Google Fiber metro areas: Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Kansas City, Nashville, Provo, Raleigh-Durham and Salt Lake City. Google Fiber has committed $1 million to support the program, which includes compensation and resources for participating fellows.
“The digital inclusion fellowship is Google kind of putting their money where their mouth is,” Redwood said. “It’s them saying ‘We understand that digital literacy, and the digital divide is a real problem and we’re going to put people out here to invent creative solutions for that.’”
Redwood and Scott will be working with Literacy Kansas City and the Full Employment Council, respectively, and the fellows’ work will be specific to their organizations.
“When I met with Literacy KC, the first thing that came up was ‘How can we create something that innovates the way in which digital literacy is taught right now?’” Redwood said. “I think that my role as a fellow, as it relates to Literacy KC, is strengthening their programming, seeing what works and doesn’t work, what the communities need, and how to work with the community groups to tailor it and then greatly increase awareness that the services are out there.”
Throughout the program, fellows will travel to Mountain View, Calif., to receive specialized training from NTEN on how to build effective digital inclusion programs.
Redwood and Scott will fly to Google Headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., this Sunday for leadership training alongside the other fellows and the two will begin their work in Kansas City immediately following that trip.
Featured Business
2015 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Black Feast Week returns to feed restaurants new diners, combat hunger in Kansas City
Opening Black Feast Week — designed to promote Black-owned restaurants, chefs, and culinary creativity — by feeding 150 single Black mothers for free was an intentional act of community care, said Joshua “JT” Taylor. “We’ve always tried to prioritize helping people who are most marginalized,” said Taylor, senior content producer and chief administrative officer at…
‘Night Without Borders’ opens coffee house doors to honor heritage through harmony
Culture transcends borders, said Danny Soriano, surrounded Friday night in a popular Crossroads coffee shop by music, dance, art, food, and drinks that all shared a common link: Latino flavor. “Whether it’s Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Argentina, we all come together as Latinos, as Hispanics, and celebrate our heritage,” said Soriano, who organized a…
GEWKC returning to familiar venue (but its new destinations might surprise ticket holders)
When Global Entrepreneurship Week pulls into the station later this fall, Kansas City participants can expect a fresh experience inside one of the region’s most iconic landmarks, said Callie England, noting an intentional effort behind the scenes should help reroute the “best of the best” events onto custom agendas. “While you’ll see a few familiar…