Early in 2014, Digi-Bridge was formed to equip educational institutions with necessary resources and support to teach 21st century learners the fundamentals of technology and beyond. In a short period of time, though, we have recognized that in order to do this work well we have to look beyond the schoolhouse. Since April of this year, we have been providing support to an educational initiative that has implemented a one-to-one technology program in Charlotte, North Carolina. Over 3,000 students in the area now have their own laptops that they are able to bring home each evening. While this project has had tremendously positive outcomes, one major frustration for teachers is that they cannot assign web-based home learning assignments because not all students have in-home access to the Internet.
A recent study of families with children attending schools in the West Charlotte corridor revealed that nearly 20 percent of households did not have access to the Internet outside of school. Many respondents cited an inability to afford the monthly service cost as a reason why they were unconnected. Internet, now declared a basic human right by the United Nations, must be made available to all residents in our great city.
Digi-Bridge has partnered with EveryoneOn and Mobile Beacon, a nonprofit, educational broadband service provider, to offer low-cost Internet options and to raise funds to get our families connected. Join us as we “Connect the Corridor.”
For every $60 raised, Mobile Beacon will provide a family with a donated modem, six months of free high-speed Internet service, customer service support, and access to the World Wide Web. You don’t need to pay for an entire connection for a local family in need—every little bit helps!
Check out the campaign to help support our efforts.