Winter News from Tech Goes Home

Winter 2022 News

Mission: Tech Goes Home empowers communities to access and use digital tools to overcome barriers and advance lives.

IN THIS ISSUE:

A Strong Start to the New Year
Instructor Spotlight: Tina Anderson, Mildred Ave K-8 School
Investor Spotlight: Patrick J. McGovern Foundation
Open Positions at Tech Goes Home
The New EBB: The Affordable Connectivity Program
TGH in the News
Digital Inclusion Reading Round-Up

A STRONG START TO THE NEW YEAR

Graduates at MakeIT Haverhill, one of TGH's new partner sites in Essex County

At Tech Goes Home, we are incredibly grateful for all that our community has accomplished together over the last year. A total of 4,135 individuals graduated from one of our 345 courses, which we offered in collaboration with over 100 partner sites throughout Eastern Massachusetts. Each of those graduates completed 15 hours of digital literacy training and gained the technology to pursue their goals related to education, employment, health, and community engagement.

Linda, a TGH graduate, shared, “My goal was to obtain new skills to attach a file to an email, allowing me to describe my issue to my doctor. These instructors are the best! This is a place to learn new skills for my health connector platform. I finally faced my fears of technology.”

A TGH instructor wrote, “I helped one of our students write an email to their granddaughter for the first time. They were so excited!”

As we enter the new year, we are excited to grow our impact and our TGH community within our current geographic footprint, as well as continuing our expansion into Essex County and beyond. Thank you to every learner, graduate, instructor, volunteer, donor, supporter, and friend who has joined us in the fight to advance digital equity!

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INSTRUCTOR SPOTLIGHT: TINA ANDERSON

Tina has worked in the Boston Public School system for 29 years, and she currently teaches TGH courses at the Mildred Ave K-8 School. Tina started teaching with TGH because she saw that her students wanted to do more with technology, and she wanted to find a way for them to have fun staying after school and getting homework done. In total, Tina has graduated over 460 learners from her TGH classes!

Tina shared: "I love every class because I work in a K-8 school and it is very big. I work with middle school students during the day, but whenever I do Tech Goes Home, I work with the younger grades as well. When the course is over I love passing them in the hall, they are so excited to see me to say hello and thank me for their computers. TGH offers me the chance to get to work with so many more students in school that I do not normally work with and I love every minute of it."

In her spare time, Tina works as the Girl’s Basketball Coach at Boston Public Schools. They won the City Championship in 2019.

Thank you, Tina, for your dedication to digital inclusion!

Learners at Mildred Ave K-8, where Tina teaches TGH courses

INVESTOR SPOTLIGHT: PATRICK J. MCGOVERN FOUNDATION

TGH is excited to partner with the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation (PJMF) this year. PJMF has awarded TGH a generous grant to support our digital inclusion programming in Boston. The grant is part of their initiative to expand access to tech education and build an inclusive workforce, which includes grants to 35 organizations working at the intersection of technology and education. We’re grateful for the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation’s support of our programs and commitment to digital equity!

To read the full grant announcement, please click here.

OPEN POSITIONS AT TECH GOES HOME

Tech Goes Home is hiring! We’re looking for individuals passionate about digital equity to join our team as our new Coordinator of Program Support and Coordinator of Program Operations. Click here to learn more on our website.

THE NEW EBB - THE AFFORDABLE CONNECTIVITY PROGRAM

In 2022, the Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) has become permanent and renamed the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). If you were already enrolled in the EBB, you have been automatically transferred to the ACP. If you are not enrolled and want help paying for home internet, the ACP is an FCC program that provides discounts on your monthly broadband service or the one-time purchase of a new device. Click here to visit the FCC's website and find more information on the ACP, eligibility guidelines, and the application process.

TGH IN THE NEWS

Morning Show with Mary Jacobsen September 30, 2021 Tech Goes Home & Link House

TGH Co-CEO Theo Hanna joined Mary Jacobsen’s Morning Show to discuss digital equity, the importance of digital skills training, and much more. Click here to watch the full interview.

The Journal highlighted the McGovern Foundation for awarding $6M to Groups Expanding Access to Tech Education, including TGH
TGH participated in a remote resource fair where Thousands of Boston Seniors Learned About Getting Connected to the Internet, as reported by Cision
MakeIT Haverhill graduated their first digital literacy class with TGH, as reported by The Eagle Tribune
TGH Co-CEO Theo Hanna spoke with the Bay State Banner ahead of a Boston City Council hearing on equitable access to broadband
Business Insider wrote a spotlight on TGH Co-CEO Dan Noyes called "How the co-CEO of a nonprofit is helping to close Boston's digital divide by giving thousands of low-income residents access to the internet"
TGH Director of Advocacy, Marvin Venay, wrote a letter to The Boston Globe entitled "The state and the nation are primed for a broadband boost"
TGH Co-CEO Dan Noyes joined Common Impact to discuss digital equity, racial justice, and more for an episode of their ProBono Perspective podcast.

DIGITAL INCLUSION READING ROUND-UP

Why Device Support is Critical, Digitunity
Can we better define what we mean by closing the digital divide?, The Hill
Biden’s ambitious broadband funding has a key impediment: an outdated map of who needs it, The Washington Post
Massachusetts’ digital divide reveals complex problems and a simple solution, BU News Service
Students are still struggling to get internet. The infrastructure law could help, NPR
Think Digital Native Means Digitally Literate? Think Again., EdSurge
The ‘Broadband Gap’ Is Now a Housing Problem, WIRED

STAY CONNECTED

VISIT OUR WEBSITE

Tech Goes Home’s work is only possible with contributions from donors, like you, and municipal, corporate, and foundation grants. Thank you for supporting TGH.

An extra thank you to the following lead donors for their extraordinary support!

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For more information about Tech Goes Home, please call (617) 398-7831, email Dan Noyes at dan@techgoeshome.org, or email Theo Hanna at theo@techgoeshome.org.