In June, the Colorado State Youth Council (SYC) awarded six organizations with
Tech Bridge grants to increase access to technology for Colorado youth. The SYC announced the funding opportunity in late May to address the growing technology divide that hinders Colorado youth from accessing career and education opportunities and decreases their ability to build the skills necessary to compete in an increasingly technology-enabled workforce.
The impact of COVID-19 and efforts to mitigate the pandemic have imposed massive challenges to the economy and the way young people in Colorado train for and secure work. A needs assessment conducted by the Colorado Department of Education found that 55,000 students across the state do not have access to a wi-fi enabled device. This number is likely greater when you consider the needs of opportunity youth aged 16-24 who are not currently connected to a K-12 school.
The SYC received 51 applications for the Tech Bridge grant opportunity. Of these applications, the SYC is excited to announce awards to six organizations.
Click here for more information on the grants.