BTOP in Action
ZeroDivide’s Generation ZD Literacy (GenZD) Program held digital literacy workshops for more than 2,546 participants in six states with BTOP funds. These workshops were created to boost sustainable broadband adoption and enhance educational achievements among low-income youth. ZeroDivide partners with seven youth media organizations in California, Hawaii, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Washington to provide each participant with approximately 60 hours of training on a variety of topics, including computer basics, digital media production, and workforce skills development.
For example, Access Humboldt, a non-profit public service media organization in northern California, provides community journalism and digital media editing classes, preparing students for a career in broadcasting. Reel Grrls, an organization seeking to empower young women through media production, provides a variety of hands-on workshops for teenage girls including stop-motion animation and documentary filmmaking. SpyHop, a non-profit youth media arts and education center in Utah, offers an apprenticeship in animation and 3D training. Students who participate in the apprenticeship create personal portfolios of their work and develop workforce skills through a real-life client project.
ZeroDivide has also initiated outreach and awareness-building activities to demonstrate how GenZD is creating a new generation of broadband users and technology leaders. In May 2011, ZeroDivide hosted a two-day summit in San Francisco, where all seven partner organizations exchanged strategies and success stories on how they were increasing broadband adoption and improving youth digital literacy curriculum. The workshops helped the partners develop new strategies to sustain and increase their efforts in improving digital literacy among their community members.
Last Updated: December 7, 2011
ZeroDivide is leapfrogging the digital divide in 19 tribal communities across rural southeastern California, using a unique community-driven approach to provide broadband access and increase sustainable broadband adoption. Known as the Tribal Digital Village (TDV) project, ZeroDivide is partnering with the Southern California Tribal Chairmen’s Association (SCTCA) to provide approximately 8,900 tribal residents with digital literacy training. The TDV project is also working to provide 2,000 tribal homes with affordable wireless broadband services. As of June 2011, BTOP funding has helped the project provide training to more than 650 people and deploy broadband service to 955 tribal households.
Historically, geographic isolation and cultural barriers have resulted in Native Americans’ broadband adoption rates being among the lowest of any ethnic group within the continental United States. To improve these rates, ZeroDivide is offering broadband awareness and digital literacy trainings on a variety of topics, including computer basics, Internet fundamentals, and using online communication tools. The project is also utilizing its newly installed digital media production equipment to enhance its curriculum and allow participants to learn through a mix of live classroom instruction and interactive software.
TDV is also expanding a high-speed wireless Internet network to bridge the digital gap to these reservations. BTOP funds are helping the project expand the reservations’ network into more than 2,000 homes on 15 of the 19 tribal communities in San Diego County.
Last Updated: December 7, 2011
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Toledo Telephone Company, Inc. The Toledo Telephone Company, in partnership with the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, has helped more than... |
