KC Digital Drive

Bonus comments from Leslie Scott who is leading the charge in building digital navigator capacity with our partners and also was able to share some cool work on the Digital Divide Simulation she has developed with Leah Henriksen.

We celebrate AmeriCorps Week today with gratitude for the opportunities the federal program has provided to hundreds of nonprofits doing high impact work in local communities, and to the thousands of individuals who benefit from the added capacity AmeriCorps' programs bring to bear. We are perennial hosts of VISTA members, including current serving member Britt Shanklin, and former members like Peter Smith and William Crumpler (now our full time Program Analyst); and American Connection Corps members like Gus Livers, and former members including Kyra Chevonne Colbert, Sarah Steiner, MA and Leah Henriksen (now our full time Program Coordinator). Do you see a pattern here? We do. And we are immensely proud of those who have served with KC Digital Drive, to help us make Kansas City a digital leader, to help us lead the region’s digital evolution, specifically addressing digital needs across broadband, connectivity, and adoption alongside emerging tech innovation. We celebrate you!

We are backbone org that supports the volunteer-powered Code for KC. And as a civic nonprofit tackling digital needs and propping up emerging tech innovation, we leverage C4KC as a civic dev shop helping us scout for problems and ideas that can have outsize impact in our neighborhoods and communities. We are thrilled to team up with Kansas City Developer Conference to match nonprofit needs with the tech solutions they can bring to life at their annual hack-a-thon in August. Learn more in these upcoming info sessions, and follow our progress as we march toward hack day. #techforgood #codeforkc #kcdc

Every first Monday of the month from 4-6 p.m., drop in for a free Computer Repair event hosted by Per Scholas Kansas City at our Digital Service & Support Center at the LAMP Campus. Their recent grads are on hand to help with things like this: - Spyware removal (viruses) - Windows and Mac OS issues - Software support/ user training - learn how to use a computer - Hardware diagnosis (cannot fix hardware/screen damage) Monday, March 3rd, 4-6 p.m. LAMP Campus (1st floor, entrance on Linwood) 1801 Linwood Blvd Kansas City, MO 64109

Digital life continues to transform cities and communities. It shapes how opportunity flows, how careers develop, how healthcare is accessed, how we learn, how we connect with loved ones, how we engage in civic life, how we might discover hobbies and find joy, how we might get scammed and hacked, and it certainly impacts how we feel about everything. Join Aaron Deacon and Leslie Scott in Dallas, Tx on March 11-12 for the #ConnectedAmerica2025 conference brimming with new ideas, tools and emerging developments in broadband, connectivity and digital needs. #AmericasDigitalFuture Aaron will join Bo Ford, Jess Ross, Karisa Tashjian, Ramona Schindelheim, and Estefania Ramirez for 'The Digital Navigator Playbook' panel session on 3/12 @ 2:50 to highlight how digital navigators can promote internet adoption and digital inclusion, the importance of asset mapping to design effective programs, and training and equipping digital navigators for success. Leslie will join Ebony Elaine Cooksey, Jaren Tengan, Heather Gate (moderator), Steven Apodaca, Sharon Bonney, Lexi West for a panel discussion on 'Building Digital Skills for the Modern Workforce' on 3/12 @ 11:20am to dive into digital literacy at all levels of education, and how digital skills are necessary to enhance social mobility. We have a few comp tickets, so DM us if you're interested in attending. Full agenda and tickets: https://lnkd.in/gnpTuBWE

?? Exciting news! ?? Join us at the Connected America conference March 11-12 for an insightful panel discussion on Mar 12th on "Building Digital Skills for the Modern Workplace." ?? Our very own Program Manager, Leslie Scott, will be sharing her expertise alongside industry leaders. Developing the right skills is the key to unlocking opportunities. Don’t miss this chance to hear from these experts on how we can bridge the digital skills gap and empower the workforce for the future. ?? Date: March 12 ?? Register now and be part of the conversation! #ConnectedAmerica #DigitalSkills #WorkforceDevelopment #DigitalInclusion #KCDigitalDrive ?? https://lnkd.in/gnpTuBWE Thanks for your leadership, Heather Gate!

Did you know? - 158,000 or 19% of KC metro households do not have a desktop or laptop. - 12% of the devices requested by nonprofits were able to be funded during a 2024 grants from the KC Digital Inclusion Fund. We have much work to do, and why we are so grateful to i.c.stars |* Kansas City for leading the way in helping to keep old devices out of landfills, and give them a second life for someone who needs one!

A regional research ecosystem like we have in Kansas City can elevate the region’s competitiveness, fuel entrepreneurship, and raise the efficacy and accessibility of degree attainment. Growth in research dollars and activities are a foundation for economic growth; it facilitates systematic workforce supply and demand and creates the necessary conditions for economic mobility. Since 2012, KC Digital Drive has been the civic organization leading the region’s digital evolution, specifically addressing digital needs across broadband, connectivity, and adoption alongside emerging tech innovation. KC Digital Drive, in partnership with KU, K-State and UMKC, is happy to share that the Regional University Research Collective (RURC) project is one of six to receive a planning grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, to explore how to collaboratively approach the Greater Kansas City research ecosystem as a whole, with a focus on community engagement and commercialization. When so much of the work we do is the kind of invisible work that happens outside the public eye, we welcome the opportunity to highlight this vision for a future state of the region with the KC community, and hope that you’ll follow along as we lean in to this planning stage. More information will be coming soon, but in the meantime, if you’re interested in learning more about the RURC, send us a DM. https://lnkd.in/e_cd3TeG Photo: (L to R) Kari Keefe, Jim Starcev, Patricia Bergman (KU), Aaron Deacon, Anthony Caruso (UMKC), Richard Kim (Kauffman). Not pictured: Beth Montelone (K-State)

?? Did you know... ?? US households pay more on their cable bill than they do all other utilities combined – totaling $2,600+/year? ? $1,600/year is wasted on channels most people never even watch? ?? Switching to streaming can save households $137.42/month – or a whopping $3,200 over two years? These statistics are just the tip of the iceberg for the financial possibilities of going "beyond cable" – or "cutting the cord", as most of us call it. Last week, I had the pleasure of introducing residents to these possibilities at my Beyond Cable workshop, part of an all-day event co-organized with my awesome American Connection Corps colleagues at Tech2Elevate. Together, we educated participants on practical and cost-effective ways of transitioning to streaming services – empowering them with more choice and freedom in their entertainment experience. ??? Hosting this event on #MLKDayOfService made it even more meaningful. For AmeriCorps members, service is at the heart of our mission, and I felt privileged to spend this federal holiday honoring Dr. King's legacy by equipping residents with tools for digital equity. ?? Big shoutout to my ACC colleagues at KC Digital Drive, past and present, for inspiring this workshop through one of their open-source Creative Commons licenses. Your work continues to make waves nationwide! #MLKDay2025 #DigitalInclusion Lead For America Neighborhood Allies

Grab that buggy computer and come by the LAMP Campus on Feb 3rd from 4 to 6pm to get 1:1 help form Per Scholas Kansas City grads! Monday, February 3, 2025 4 to 6pm LAMP Campus, 1801 Linwood Blvd Kansas City, MO 64109