SPRINGFIELD — Comcast announced it is awarding a total of $70,000 across three nonprofit organizations in Western Mass. to help provide area residents and students with technology and computer skills training. These grants are a part of Project UP, Comcast’s $1 billion commitment to advance digital equity through programs and community partnerships that connect people to the internet, advance economic mobility, and open doors for the next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs, storytellers, and creators.
Tech Goes Home will receive $30,000 to offer its digital-inclusion programs in Holyoke and Springfield, through which participants will complete 15 hours of digital skills training and earn a technology bundle that will include a personal device.
The Urban League of Springfield will receive $20,000 to support its digital learning lab, which provides participants with essential technology and internet skills training, specialty workshops, the Urban League’s Project Ready Mentor and STEM youth programs, and more.
The Boys & Girls Club of Springfield will receive $20,000 to support its e-sports programming, through which participants build social-emotional and STEM skills by engaging in educational, hands-on gaming sessions led by club staff.
“We are grateful to Comcast for supporting our efforts to help close the digital divide in Holyoke and Springfield,” said Daniel Noyes, CEO of Tech Goes Home. “By providing our participants with digital skills trainings and their own devices, we’re able to prepare them to navigate school, work, and life. We are excited to see the impact we can make in Western Massachusetts, thanks to the support from Comcast.”
Added Carolyne Hannan, senior vice president of Comcast’s New England region, “we understand the critical role that the internet plays in contributing to a future of unlimited possibilities for everyone across Western Massachusetts. In today’s world, digital literacy is essential to success, which is why we continue to support programs that empower individuals to explore and understand digital media platforms and technical capabilities to set them up for their professional futures.”
