The Digital Divide Have & Have Nots

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Sophia Selassie, Jose Muton, CTN Staff and Seniors Digital Skills Training

Digital Skills Training Changes Lives

This episode was first broadcast on KCSF in 2016. In the epicenter of the Tech Startup and estimated one hundred thousand San Franciscans don't have broadband and fifty thousand of them access the internet through dial-up service.

Our show on the Digital Divide features fellow community members and organizations that are working to provide support and solutions to the digital inequality of people who do not have the resources and access to technology. We also discuss solutions to address the discrepancy between those who have the skills, knowledge, and abilities to use the technologies and those who do not.

In this episode, we feature the voices of:

Kami Griffiths Executive Director of the Community Technology Network http://bit.ly/2M6Z1Og
Kevin Cohen, Digital Skills Trainer for the Community Technology Network http://bit.ly/2LJfMzR
Jose Muton, a Digital Learner at the Raphael House http://bit.ly/2GqtO50
Sophia Selassie, Career Development Manager at Raphael House
Carla Mays, Founder of Mays Civic Innovation http://bit.ly/2M6vd49

Kami Griffiths

Kami Griffiths is the executive director and co-founder of Community Tech Network, a nonprofit with the mission to transform lives through digital literacy. With over 15 years of experience working in the public sector, Kami has developed a passion for helping people gain access and better utilize technology, after witnessing firsthand how the digital divide and low literacy levels were aiding the cycle of poverty. She has worked for the City of New York Department of Parks & Recreation, managing 27 public access computing centers, teaching computer classes and establishing their volunteer trainer program. As the Training and Outreach Manager for TechSoup Global, Kami greatly expanded her knowledge and understanding of the nonprofit technology field, having conducted over 200 interviews with librarians and producing over 100 webinars. She is a founding member of the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) and speaks nationally about digital inclusion.

Carla Mays

My passion and experience are in growing the innovation economy and entrepreneur ecosystem by building strong relationships and partnerships with entrepreneurs, funders (venture/strategic philanthropists, micro-enterprise agencies, private equity, commercial lending, government agencies and venture capitalists), public officials, universities and research institutions.

I advise various funds, tech companies, public officials, economic development agencies, educational institutions and real estate firms on innovation impact economics, entrepreneur/innovation ecosystem building, local living economies (sustainability, sustainable enterprise development, gentrification displacement and community stabilization), innovation/tech public policy, digital inclusion, digital infrastructure, capital development, entrepreneurship programs, new urbanism and the role of innovation districts as economic drivers and regional sustainable growth engines.

Specialties: Advising, strategic engagement and partnerships, strategy with human centered design focus (participatory design); trends and insights research in start ups and technology that have disruptive impact on society, analysis and articulation of the innovation economy between sectors; customized innovation workshops and labs for business and public sector leaders; design of services and platform for civic tech. Find out more about Carla and you can follow Carla on Twitter and you can reach out to Carla via email carla@maysinnovates.co to engage with her consulting services.

Community Tech Network

Community Tech Network gained its 501(c)3 nonprofit status and became an independent nonprofit organization in 2008 with grant support from the Full Circle Fund.

However, our origins can be traced back to 2001, when we started as a program of TechSoup (then called CompuMentor) to address a rapidly growing need for public digital literacy training. In 2007, our role was reviewed in a community survey, the results of which clearly indicated an ongoing need for CTN’s digital literacy work, and the transition to charitable status was made.

Back in 2008, when CTN became a nonprofit, Twitter was just a fledgling social media experiment, Facebook had barely begun its rise to world dominance, and Instagram wasn’t even a twinkle in its creator’s eye. Twelve years later, the internet is central to everyday life and access to it has become a right, not a privilege.

During these 12 years, CTN grew from one volunteer Program Manager and a handful of helpers to an organization of over a dozen staff, 60 active volunteers and 50 partner locations. It also spread its sphere of influence beyond San Francisco to the wider Bay Area. and to Central Texas. Today, CTN is led by an active and diverse Board of Directors comprising community leaders, business leaders, and technology advocates from local nonprofits in both the San Francisco and Austin areas.

Donation / Fundraising

Community Tech Network is a Social Impact organization. All monies earned through fees, received from grants or donated by individuals are invested in the work of bridging the digital divide to improve the lives of economically and educationally marginalized people. To donate online, use the form Here If you prefer to write a check, you can mail it to: Community Tech Network,1390 Market Street, Suite 200, San Francisco, CA 94102

You can also help Community Tech Network to transform lives through digital literacy through these other ways to Give