December News - Strategizing, Gifting Tech, Taking Stock
We are dedicated to moving our mission forward and continuing our work in social justice.
Life Changing Impacts of Facilitating Access to Tech. At Year-End: A Ticket to My Future 📚 🌍 🖥️
Reflections by Diyana Dobberteen, Executive Director (nee. Dianne McCutchan)
I have been thinking about the students who we serve and how important access to information and knowledge is, particularly when starting out as a child. My grandfather lived at a time when news came slowly and town was 15 miles away from his farm, accessible only by car or truck. His education was limited to a ‘one room school,’ within walking distance in Southern Indiana.
Because my grandad needed to complete high school, getting to town would be essential. His older brother and sister were working off the farm, and they had to drive into town each day. Grandpa’s ambition led him to ‘claim a ticket to ride’ along with them to the best high school in town. Once he set off on this track, enrolled in the best high school, he dove into basketball and his prospects improved meteorically.
He became a star athlete, laster a teacher and a high school basketball coach, then he earned a Master’s Degree in math (Columbia University, NY). When World War II interrupted his coaching career, his Bosse High School assistant coach took over and his team went on to win the state championships. Achieving this win set grandad up to be selected to coach the college basketball team. His subsequent coaching career at Evansville College included winning five NCAA Division II National Championships and coaching his team to a perfect season (1965). Based on that he was inducted to the National Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts (Arad McCutchan).
Just as the key to my grandfather’s success was linked to transportation, today’s equivalent of this critical boost is having access to a computer. When I meet individuals who have also ‘grown up on the farm’ figuratively or literally, and share that I work with Bridging Tech, they respond quite enthusiastically. They know the difference that access to computers makes, how digital literacy helps and they become interested in what I do. Many have reflected on their school journey, and shared that being inventive and somehow mastering tech was key to their success.
At events in Dallas, New York and the Bay Area, I hear comments regarding tech and computers such as: “Without my local library that had computers I would not have been able to access information, computer training and to build a better life for myself.” A few of the initially more socio-economically disadvantaged people I met, shared: “There was no one at home to instruct me in using a computer and I was lost in all of this. I was full of shame that I had zero digital literacy when I started college.”
As I outline that Bridging Tech is focusing on students who are now homeless, I hear supportive comments like: “Yes, that was me when I was young. It is so valuable to get them connected to these resources. I remember feeling like all the other kids had tools, and I did not. It is important that they get his support and don’t fall further behind.” In addition, I meet successful tech workers who know that the more people succeed at becoming digital citizens, then further we’ll all go. Learning tech is especially timely with AI, and even GenAI in so many aspects of business and life.
In some meetings, I speak with immigrants to the United States who share how not having IT tools in their schools had negative impacts. They were not provided access to tech by their society, nor education about how to use these tools. That lived experience makes them more acutely aware of the digital divide. They are impressed by Bridging Tech’s role ‘facilitating access’ and their “thank you” comments are wholehearted.
We know that when we give a personal computer to a child, we are connecting this individual to a much larger span of opportunities. When they get a personal computer, they gain a tool that can elevate their capacity to learn, to communicate, and fully participate in our society.
In 2023, we are turning to our community to identify resources to give 500 refurbished (or new) computing devices to K-12 students nationwide. A few things that Bridging Tech does that many other tech providers do not include: (1) we ensure that students get a tech device that is right for their age or grade (2) our team offers tech support, (3) last year, with new funding, we added mobile hotspots. We offer access to tech and supports that will have both an immediate, and lasting value.
Our Winter Appeal Up to 12/31/23- A Ticket To My Future - Is all about potential!
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Community Powered: Bridging Tech’s Talented Encore Fellow® 🧑🏾💻 📈
Having help on a consistent basis, from a person who is clearly committed, is such a blessing. Working with a wise person, who contributes high-value skills is even better. In this newsletter we share just a little about the absolutely game changing impact that Tony Chun, our Encore Fellow had in 2023. Tony is a former tech employee with personal experience in Silicon Valley from its earliest days.
Last year, Tony Chun connected with Bridging Tech via the Encore Fellowships program which places retirees that are ready for encore careers in capacity-building engagements with nonprofits. He selected Bridging Tech from among several groups that he could have chosen to assist and accepted a role as the ‘Head of Digital Access.’ Quite recently, in his career, he focused on Wi-Fi strategy, inclusive of planning and product management in the Internet of Things Group in his prior tech career.
After reviewing Bridging Tech’s mission and work, Tony selected our organization because he liked the vision we had defined and our plans to reach some of the most underserved students in the country. Our goal in bringing Tony on as an Encore Fellow with Bridging Tech, was to expand the benefits we can bring to students affected by homelessness.
Tony has done an amazing job assessing the ‘current reality’ for the students and families that Bridging Tech distributes tech to (nationwide). He identified the ideal allies to meet their needs, and initiated a ‘pilot’ to assess how having ongoing access to WiFi hotspots helps students we serve. We are coming close to one year of service, and not only has Tony helped us in this way, but he’s also served as a consistent tutor with Bridging Tech.
Starting in March 2023, Tony implemented Bridging Tech’s WiFi Hotspot Pilot, to serve 30 students. Tony was pleased to identify Mobile Citizen, a nonprofit partner, one that sold discounted hotspots and made providing WiFi to thirty families much more affordable. In addition to holding a new vision for tech provision, Tony enlisted three distinct project partners: Hamilton Families, Next Door Solutions to Domestic Violence and The Global Impact Initiative. He quickly developed a plan to study the impact that having WiFi hotspots has on students and families via surveys.
The initial results of adult and child surveys and news of our lessons were shared with our stakeholders in an October Community Meeting planned by Tony, his son, Coby Chun, Bridging Tech’s data analytics intern. The father and son team shared the initial results in a presentation. The pilot project’s plans and data analysis were also supported by Bridging Tech’s special projects director, Manuel Lopez. Tony recently shared his perspective on the fellowship experience and work on the project:
“I have had a great experience working at Bridging Tech as an Encore Fellow.” - Tony Chun
Bridging Tech is continuing this WiFi pilot survey research and will be rounding the data collection off in a third phase. In January, when additional survey results are confirmed, Tony and his colleagues will share final outcomes in a Community Meeting. Mr. Chun is also guiding the planning of our next special project. He is assisting with project design and helping identify resources for the team: coding skills and tools that will enable us to produce an ‘online educational platform’ for students, one that promises to increase Bridging Tech’s capacity to meet our mission.
Tony’s a phenomenal asset to our nonprofit, and community in general. Resources and support from the tech industry to the social sector takes many forms and this Encore Fellowship was meaningful and contributed so much to our organization. We gained a team member with outstanding project management, product development and coding skills that we simply could not afford without the fellowship.
About The Encore Fellowships Program:
The Encore Fellowships Program matches seasoned professionals with social impact organizations to boost nonprofit capacity, build strong multigenerational teams, and give people seeking encore careers an introduction to the nonprofit sector. Launched in 2009, Encore Fellowships are a program of CoGenerate (formerly Encore.org), an award-winning nonprofit bringing older and younger people together to solve problems, bridge divides and co-create the future. To date, more than 2000 Encore Fellows have contributed over 2 million hours of service to the social sector, contributing the equivalent of more than $200 Million in fifty U.S. cities. (See:: www.cogenerate.orghttps://cogenerate.org/encore-fellowships/).
Working Together to Get Tech to Children and Families Experiencing Homelessness in San Francisco (since 2020)💻 🌐 🏡
At the end of 2023, as we reflect on how we “got here,” or founded Bridging Tech, we would like to share our history with a principal partner, Hamilton Families.
Based in San Francisco, Hamilton Families is a 501(c)(3) organization that was conceived of by members of Hamilton Church, and established for public benefit by concerned community members in 1985. In partnership with the Hamilton Families team, we are sharing how Hamilton Families was selected as a first, valuable partner for device distribution.
What brought Bridging Tech and Hamilton Families together?
When the pandemic hit, Hamilton Families staff were addressing critical shelter, food and transportation needs for the families and children. Tech access and support was needed at The Golden Gate Emergency Shelter, in Transitional Housing and for the families who had just secured other housing. The needs were significant and the scale was vast.
Quite significantly, the families that had recently left Hamilton Families shelters to move to permanent housing had no access to tech, and no internet whatsoever. Basically, 90% of Hamilton Families’ households were using their single smartphone to connect to school for kids, to access job sites, and to seek emergency resources. The team worked with Bridging Tech to do everything in their power to connect children to school, help them shift to distributed learning, and ensure they kept up.
Providing tech devices to as many students as possible proved to be a complex task for Hamilton Families and Bridging Tech’s offer to help do so was welcomed by staff. Our flexibility and having a trusting relationship was key to the solid partnership that we have built with Hamilton Families. As a Hamilton Families team-member shared:
“It was right during lockdown [at the beginning of the pandemic] when families, for instance in our shelter, are in these tiny, tiny rooms with absolutely zero tech. We did a survey of all the families that we served and…over 90% of the families did not have a designated laptop for their children.” – Christina Alton
The idea of reaching out to Hamilton Families to partner in 2020 came naturally as Hamilton is a longstanding leader among housing organizations in San Francisco, and recognized for being innovative in their response to family homelessness. In addition to having highly regarded children’s programs within their nonprofit-community services, they had a prior relationship with our nonprofit via a board leader.
Mike Ghaffary, Bridging Tech’s current board president, was well acquainted with Hamilton Families, having joined in several Hamilton Families fundraising events and as a donor. His family, the Ghaffarys, are long standing supporters. Mike expressed great interest in Hamilton Families’ operations.
To learn more about the organization and context he scheduled a visit to Hamilton Families' Golden Gate Shelter. Through this visit, Mike, his wife, and children, gained a deeper appreciation of homelessness and the tech constraints families face. His interaction with Hamilton staff and understanding of the resources that students had for remote learning fed into why Hamilton Families was our first tech partner.
The process began with Isabel Wang and Margot Bellon, co-founders meeting the team at Hamilton Families and devising a plan to secure multiple personal computing devices. Based on a list of students in need, the team found computers that fit their grade level, computing needs and other specifications. A refurbisher provided the first set of computers and by 2023, we’ve given more than 300 laptops to students with Hamilton.
In 2023, our relationships with Hamilton Families and other shelter partners grew to include a pilot project, which we are completing this year. Other newsletter articles (last month’s) outline our partners, the process, and progress we've made in providing mobile internet access. Next month, we will have the results of surveys going out now and look forward to reporting the final outcomes of the pilot to our stakeholders.
What catalyzed this work in the very beginning?
In March 2020, while studying at Stanford University, the two founders of Bridging Tech, Isabel Wang and Margot Bellon experienced the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic. Both of them were unusual in looking beyond their immediate needs and personal stress, and they understood that circumstances were far worse for many families. Students across the country were told they needed to telecommute to participate in online learning, but at least 5% did not have computers at home, and approximately 12% had no internet access. (NCES, 2021)
Margot and Isabel, who were undergraduates at the time, understood the social impacts of the pandemic and how highly disruptive they were for children, and the impacts that a shift to online instruction were having. They saw how moving instruction online was worsening our nation’s academic and opportunity divide. These young women, both of whom had been deeply active and engaged in other volunteer efforts and clubs at Stanford, joined forces to work for digital equity. In a short six-month time span they enlisted at least 30 other activists and spearheaded Bridging Tech, as a tech focused nonprofit
In their words:
”Through Bridging Tech’s services and technology access advocacy, we strive to ensure that our students have the equitable opportunity to learn and eventually rise from poverty.” - Margot Bellon and Isabel Wang
In conversations with the directors of homeless shelters across the country, the founders learned that students without access to technology simply stopped attending classes, and that they might be held back a grade in school. The issues of access were deep, and often students were failing for reasons well outside of their control. Now, even with the pandemic in the past, tech is still needed.
Our experience during the pandemic has heightened awareness of the mainstreaming of technology in education. We plan to respond by continuing to provide tools and access to children; setting them up both with refurbished computing devices and tech support. In 2023, through strategic planning, our leaders have assessed what more we can do. Our objectives will continue to be offering cost-effective solutions to link students to tech resources and engage them in their education.
In 2023, we hired Diyana Dobberteen, as Executive Director. She had previously worked with Hamilton Families as the institutional giving manager, and her role included fundraising for children’s programs (through February 2020). Diyana joined Bridging Tech inspired to maximize the potential of K-12 students now sheltered by Hamilton Families; it is their well being, strength and resilience that now motivate her participation.
We want to express how proud we are to continue learning and growing with Hamilton Families. We salute their leaders, volunteers and staff for their big impacts on family homelessness. Together, we’ll continue to support tech for K-12 students. With the help of mutual allies, and your support of our work, we’ll be able to do even more together in 2024.