KC REGION DIGITAL EQUITY ACTIVISTS CO-WORKING TOOLKITS WORKSHOP #3

The March 31 Workshop will focus on designing and developing a plan for creation and maintenance of a Technology Options for High-Speed Internet Access and Service Affordability Programs Toolkit – the first of six Toolkits for community use described below under BACKGROUND ON THIS WORKSHOPS SERIES.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

This Workshop is designed for participation by (i) individuals and organizations that are Digital Equity Activists in the Kansas City Region who provide goods or services to advance opportunities for affordable and reliable high-speed internet service, and devices and training to use such service productively, and (ii) community members and community organizations, who are encouraged to join in this co-working effort as ultimate users of the toolkits, and whose input is essential to making the toolkits user-friendly and effective.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

This event will be held at Goodwill of Western Missouri and Eastern Kansas, 800 E. 18th St., Kansas City, MO 64108 (where coffee, tea, water, soft drinks, and donuts/pastries will be served). Parking at this location is free.

A series of Workshops is underway to present and act on opportunities for Kansas City Region Digital Equity Activists to act as a community of practice by sharing information and co-working, with community members, the design and implementation plans for six publicly available online “tool-kits” (each including a system to navigate to desired resources and other tools):

(1) Technology Options for High-Speed Internet Access and Service Affordability Programs

(2) Affordable Devices Toolkit

(3) Digital Training Options Toolkit

(4) Community Engagement Toolkit

(5) Project/Program Evaluation Templates Toolkit

(6) Funding Access & Deployment Toolkit

The objective is to promote synergies and teamwork and enhance the capacity of this community of practice to have positive collective impact when assisting in community engaged and community-driven broadband access and adoption initiatives and make information about relevant Digital Equity resources freely and widely available to communities. Preliminary Workshops were held on November 18 and December 16, 2022, to gather information to guide subsequent Workshops to create, through collaborative co-working efforts of practitioners and community members, valuable and easily accessible and navigable databanks, inventories of other resources, and navigation to such resources in the contemplated toolkits.

The March 31 Workshop will focus on designing and developing a plan for creation and maintenance of Toolkit #1—Technology Options for High-Speed Internet Access and Service Affordability Programs. For this purpose, “Technology Options” resources would include information about various ways high-speed internet connections can be and are being put in place in households, businesses and community organizations in the Kansas City region on both a short-term basis and longer-term, sustainable basis; and “Service Affordability Programs” would such initiatives as the FCC’s Affordability Connectivity Program (ACP) and Lifeline programs, as well as local support programs to assist community members in applying for the benefits of affordability programs.

The Workshop series is meant to include diverse stakeholders, including, among many other interest parties and collaborators, several residents and business owners from the Kansas City metropolitan area in a collaborative effort to co-design and co-plan the six Toolkits for free and publicly available use.

This session will be recorded for future review and sessions.

Host or Publisher Community Co-Organizers