Closing a divide, one device and foster youth at a time
Kevin Frazier edits The Oregon Way and NOLO Blog. He grew up in Beaverton and attended the UO before working for the State of Oregon. His current “day jobs” include attending law school and running No One Left Offline.
The best gift? Connection.
When the holidays roll around, there’s an urge to buy our loved ones flashy watches (as if their phone didn’t keep the time), new coffee devices (as if anyone has the patience to wait twenty minutes for a pour over), and comfy sweaters (ripe for hanging next to the one from last year).
That’s why my loved ones received a different kind of gift this past holiday season. It’s not that they had been naughty, I just knew a traditional gift would be destined for the heaps of stuff that’s unnecessary and bound to be thrown out.
This Christmas, I donated five hotspots to No One Left Offline (NOLO) on behalf of my loved ones. Each of these hotspots will be distributed to a foster family that’s currently on the wrong side of the Digital Divide — in other words, to Oregonians lacking the Internet they need to thrive. Thanks to Every Child Oregon, these hotspots as well as more than 70 other devices procured by NOLO are heading for foster families in every corner of the state.
Admittedly, these gifts were a bit like feeding two birds with one scone:
crossing off my Christmas obligations, and
simultaneously helping NOLO begin its biggest endeavor yet — assessing how these hotspots are helping improve outcomes for foster families.
A growing divide
At this point in the pandemic, unless you’ve been in the longest recorded Netflix-binge session ever, you’ve surely heard that there’s a lot of kids out there who have struggled to attend school as a result of insufficient Internet. According to Common Sense Media, at least one in four students lack adequate Internet.
And, unless you’ve been avoiding all Oregon-related news for the last few years, you’re surely aware of the fact that the number of youth entering the foster system in the state has remained stubbornly high.
Chart provided by the Department of Human Services.
As the chart above makes clear, upwards of 3,300 young Oregonians are entering the foster system on an annual basis.
NOLO’s prioritization of foster youth is intentional. The Digital Divide tends to be even wider among foster youth. Case in point, 90 percent of teens in the US own a laptop, but that number drops to 20 percent for teens growing up in foster care. And, closing the Digital Divide for foster families has benefits that extend beyond the youth. Foster parents that lack sufficient Internet, for example, struggle to connect with social workers, which is critical to the well-being of the kids in their stead.
An easy way to do your part
NOLO is proud to be working with Every Child to close this Divide as soon as possible. Together, they’ll have distributed more than 80 hotspots by the end of the month, each equipped with a year of Internet and capable of supporting 10+ devices, to foster families around Oregon.
To make sure these devices are impactful as possible, NOLO will be surveying foster families about how access to the Internet is transforming everything from work to play.
As you know, completing surveys isn’t the most fun. That’s why I am reaching out to you — The Oregon Way community — to see if you or any organization you work for or know of might be willing to provide some incentives for hotspot recipients to provide information that will help NOLO and Every Child hasten their effort to make sure no child is left offline.
A gift that keeps giving
The gift of connection is much more than a one time act. When we close Oregon’s Digital Divide, we will be on our way toward making sure that every resident—from students to seniors—has the chance to reach their full potential.
Oregon has long prided itself on being “first.” Maybe it has something to do with our track and field legacy. History aside, let’s be the first state to close the Digital Divide among foster youth. It’s a big, bold goal, but it’s well within our capacity.
Please reach out to kfraz@berkeley.edu if you or your organization are in a spot to help make this pilot program a success.
Send feedback to Kevin:
@kevintfrazier
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