The Digital Literacy Alliance (DLA), a coalition of digital inclusion partners working to overcome the digital divide in Philadelphia, announced its Fall 2024 grant cycle recipients. DLA said this latest cycle focuses on innovative community engagement practices that address digital inclusion through resident volunteers, peer leadership, and/or community ambassador models.
“The goal of the Digital Literacy Alliance is to lift up promising ideas that connect digital inclusion to Philadelphia’s highest need communities, and this year we’re excited to activate local residents to take on this charge,” said Juliet Fink Yates, Broadband and Digital Inclusion Manager for the City’s Office of Innovation and Technology.
In total, the grant cycle yielded $205,000 in funding, with the Independence Public Media Foundation awarding DLA $157,000 in funding and AT&T providing a matching grant of $25,000 to one of the organizations awarded.
In this latest cycle, six local groups received two years of funding:
- Asian Americans United: This project will create multilingual outreach materials, activate AAU volunteers and youth peer leaders, engage youth participants in AAU’s year-round digital skills workshops, and train volunteers on digital voter engagement tools.
- Center in the Park: This project will recruit and train a cohort of older adults to serve as digital ambassadors and volunteer peer educators. Volunteers will provide 12-week digital skills training courses at eight partnering senior housing facilities, other senior centers, and organizations serving older adults in Northwest Philadelphia.
- Health Federation: Health Federation’s Building Digital Resiliency Project will place digital health navigators within local health care organizations and train existing team members and National Health Corps volunteers across the city in digital health navigation.
- Philly Community Wireless: The organization will host a series Wi-Fi Town Halls with community-based organizations exploring how community–controlled Wi-Fi networks can connect residents with Philadelphia’s digital equity ecosystem. PCW will develop a volunteer guide providing technical instruction and recruit volunteer and community ambassadors.
- Temple University Community Gateway: The program will develop the Digital Inclusion Discovery Passport project, a gamification model of digital skills training. They will also promote existing city digital resources to North Philadelphia residents, enabling them to become ambassadors in their neighborhoods.
- The Welcoming Center: The Welcoming Center’s “Digital Bridge Program” will develop a series of workshops for English language learners using Northstar Digital Literacy and TypingClub. They will train a cohort of TWC participants as peer facilitators who will lead the Northstar and TypingClub workshops for immigrant and refugee learners at TWC locations and other community-based venues.
“This funding supports the growth of the valuable ecosystem of local residents helping their neighbors, friends, and family members get connected to the City’s Digital Equity programs,” said Melissa A. Scott, Chief Information Officer of the City of Philadelphia. “The Digital Literacy Alliance has a vision where all Philadelphians have reliable access to technology, digital skills, and are empowered to leverage those tools for a better life.”
