Kansas City is hoping to get all its residents on board with the digital age.
City leaders are trying to make that happen with their new plan all about digital inclusion.
“Our digital equity plan is ensuring that all of our residents have access to the Internet,” Assistant City Manager Rick Usher said. “Understand the relevance in being online in today's economy and society.”
The plan will implement ways for residents to be Internet savvy, from education to finding jobs online.
“It's going to be to the advantage of our residents to understand how to use it, how to use it safely, and then how to really participate on the economy online,” Usher said.
The city is working with partners at a national level and right here in KC, such as Surplus Exchange, for a chance to collaborate and provide residents the tools and resources they need to be digitally equipped.
“What we're trying to do here with the E-Stewards system and Surplus Exchange is get low cost equipment to those residents in public housing,” Bob Akers with E-Stewards said. “You really need to have connectivity now. It's education, it's job creation, it's finding your jobs.”
To create digital equity and knowledge among all residents, city leaders listed six ways to achieve their goal.
“Access to the Internet, education, civic engagement, workforce development and employment, and then small business creation and entrepreneurship, collaboration is the sixth,” Usher said.
Neighborhood meetings will begin this week and next for residents who would like to learn more about the strategic plan:
- Thursday, Feb. 9 from 8 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. at Southeast Library, 6242 Swope Pkwy
- Friday, Feb. 10 from 8 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. at Lucille Bluford Library, 3050 Prospect Ave
- Friday, Feb. 10 from 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. at KC North Community Center, 3930 NE Antioch Rd
- Tuesday, Feb. 14 from 5 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. at Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.
There will also be a drawing for free computers for attendees.
Representatives from Connecting for Good and The Surplus Exchange are holding the drawing and will be passing along information on digital inclusion as well.
For more information on the Digital Equity Strategic Plan, click here.
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Rae Daniel can be reached at Rae.Daniel@KSHB.com.
