There is no better example of how our collaborative work to bridge the digital divide comes together than in the Point neighborhood of Salem.
Today, in this community rich with culture and diversity, residents and small businesses have access to free Wifi, devices and digital literacy training that empowers them to fully participate in our increasingly digital world. Connecting with faraway loved ones, searching for employment, paying bills and accessing services and resources online – these are things that everyone has a right to.
The success of this collaboration wouldn’t be possible, though, without the people who tie it all together: community ambassadors. These local community members engage residents, answer questions and serve as the trusted face of the work. We couldn’t be more proud to be part of this collective work, or that other municipal leaders are looking to the Point to as a model for digital equity in their own communities. You can read more about all of this in an article below.
We recognize the work happening in the Point as we celebrate 18 months of Advancing Digital Equity, ECCF’s countywide initiative to make digital equity a reality for all of Essex County. We’d like to thank all the partners that are making this work possible across the county, which you can view on our brand new interactive digital equity map. Below, you can also access updated digital equity data from the Tufts Center for State Policy Analysis, a one-year evaluation report on our collaborative work and a recording of our Oct. 18 digital equity update event.
As always, we welcome your input and ideas for continuing and expanding these critical collective efforts. We encourage you to connect us with community organizations engaging in digital equity work, inquire about joining our growing coalition of community leaders or to support the fund that sustains this work. Please feel free to reach out to us anytime.
