191807

The purpose of this legislation is to accept and appropriate a $250,000 grant from the U.S. Conference of Mayors to create the Portland Digital Equity Service Corps. 

The City recognizes that in order to achieve digital equity in our community we must develop diverse and sustainable systems and supports that can evolve with shifts in technology and the changing needs of priority populations. Rapidly advancing technology, digital applications and platforms, and changing demographics within the city mean digital adoption today could mean something very different a year from now. In order for the city to prepare for and embrace these changes the Portland Digital Equity Service Corps was designed to empower our community to be nimble and flexible to respond.

The Digital Equity Service Corps builds on the last ten years of experience and learnings from NTEN’s Digital Inclusion Fellowship which has included over 110 fellows across 22 US cities in one-year cohorts designing and launching digital literacy programs within their organization’s mission. Many of these programs have had a specific or implicit workforce development focus and have included a diversity of lead organizations and partnerships. 

In Portland, factors such as language barriers, limited access to technology at home, and cultural differences contribute to the exclusion of communities from both education and employment pathways. NTEN’s Digital Inclusion Fellowship over the last 10 years, and the DESC when launched, address these factors directly by training and coaching fellows to engage community members in the design and strategy of their programs, launching in small pilots first, and focusing on the many ways to plan and evaluate for accessibility. 

A primary lesson and model incorporated into the program is that workforce development programs, especially those serving communities most impacted by digital divides, are most successful when participants retain their autonomy, choice, and power. This means, supporting fellows in designing digital equity workforce development programs where participants can identify and work toward their own unique goals, prioritize the skills that best meet or compliment their interests, and gain the building blocks that align with the career or learning paths that are of most value to them. 

The Digital Equity Service Corps’ (DESC) unique approach is the combination of three elements:

1. The DESC will empower emerging leaders to deliver programs to communities most impacted by digital divides in Portland. By supporting staff in these community organizations, we ensure that the missions are expanded to incorporate digital equity as a strategic priority and ensure that within the staff teams there is understanding, support, and collaboration for integrating digital literacy opportunities into the organization’s programs. 
2. The fellows themselves receive substantial support from NTEN, including training in programs design and management, accessibility, adult education learning methods, impact evaluation, coalition building, leadership skills, workforce development strategies, and more. Through these trainings, fellows will qualify to receive their NTEN Digital Equity Professional Certificate, a credential NTEN has issued for a number of years now, with recipients including those leading digital equity programs at local, regional, and national levels throughout the US and beyond. 
3. The DESC will foster partnerships that bring more organizations and communities into the work of building digital equity in Portland. Sustainable programs require strong partnerships with a diversity of organizations across the city, and the program’s approach to collaborative program design guides fellows to incorporate partners in ways that leverage each organization’s strengths while diminishing fears of competition.