In the latest Around Town column, news about an East Palo Alto organization honored for addressing gaps in technology access and education during the pandemic, a new learning center for college and high school students and the seventh annual Congressional App Challenge.
BREAKING BARRIERS ... Over the last 16 months, East Palo Alto nonprofit StreetCode Academy has equipped community members with digital tools and skills they need to virtually communicate as they stay close to home during the pandemic. StreetCode was recently recognized as the Nonprofit of the Year in California's 13th Senate District, which is represented by Sen. Josh Becker.
In any given year, tackling this issue would be challenging enough," he said in a July 29 press release. "Compound that with a once-in-a-century pandemic, and I can imagine it felt almost impossible." The nonprofit has conducted 20,000 hours of free technology classes, provided tech support to 2,500 students at the Ravenswood City School District and secured hundreds of free laptops for students. StreetCode now serves more than 5,500 people in the region and 1,000 people nationally.
"In so many ways this past year threatened to widen the gap that exists within Silicon Valley — the poverty in the shadow of wealth and no bridge between," StreetCode CEO Olatunde Sobomehin said in the release. "Yet in the midst of an unprecedented crisis, so many people stepped up to provide computers, internet access, technology education and a hope for a better future."