Help Us Build a Bridge to Digital Equity! – Oct 2022

Help Us Build a Bridge to Digital Equity!

Over the years, awareness has grown about CTN and our successful rate of helping older adults, families, and marginalized communities get access to low-cost broadband, receive internet-ready devices, and participate in digital literacy courses in eight languages. Thus, demand for our knowledge and resources has stretched our capacity and we need to expand quickly.

In our Bridge the Digital Divide campaign, we are offering you the opportunity to sponsor various parts of a bridge, including its towers, suspension cables, etc. Your name or your company’s name will be featured on our website and across our social media platforms next to the corresponding bridge section. You can learn more and donate by clicking here. 

Funder Spotlight: AT&T

This year, AT&T awarded CTN a $20,000 grant. Says AT&T’s Cammy Blackstone, “CTN is doing such a great job. They’re on the ground and working with folks who really need it. They’ve really built an amazing organization over the years.” Learn more about AT&T’s work with CTN.

Partner Spotlight: HomeRise

CTN is thrilled to partner with HomeRise, a San Francisco nonprofit that works to combat homelessness. Selena Turner from HomeRise says, “We work with a very underserved population. This program is amazing because it’s equal opportunity. It’s available to everyone [so that they can] learn the skills that they need to bring them closer to the Digital Age.” Read more about HomeRise.

Partner Spotlight: University of Texas at Austin’s Connect Program

This summer, CTN participated in the University of Texas at Austin’s CONNECT Program, which matches graduate students with community organizations. Shiyang Zhang, a fourth-year doctoral student, was paired with CTN to support the data collection, analysis, and reporting processes for our DigitalLIFT program. Learn more about Shiyang and UT CONNECT.

Learner Spotlight:  Yang Qing Li

After acquiring digital skills through CTN’s HomeConnect Program, Yang Qing Li, who is originally from China, began learning English through YouTube videos. “I find these videos really helpful. I really enjoy learning this way. Before, I could only say ‘Hello’ when I went out on the streets, but now I can have basic conversations in English with people,” Qing Li says happily. Read more of Qing Li’s story. 

Staff Spotlight: Alexey Morov

Alexey Morov, CTN’s training manager, sees his work as a way to combine his various skill sets and continue his family legacy of working to bridge the digital divide. Alexey earned his MBA and Ph.D. in education and has extensive experience in nonprofits. His mom also teaches digital literacy in Russia! Learn more about Alexey.