Digital Equity IT

Collaborators 

Lead Organization: Rochester Area Nonprofit Consortium

Contact: Brooke Carlson ; Email: TBD ; Phone: TBD

Known/Likely Collaborators: County of Olmsted, MN ; Diversity Council ; Families First (Fomerly: Child Care Resource and Referral) ; IMAA ; OpenBeam ; Rochester Area Foundation ; Rochester Area Nonprofit Consortium ; Rochester Public Library ; Rochester's Adult Literacy Program (Hawthorne Education Center)

Potential Collaborators: Ability Building Center ; Collider Foundation ; ROCHESTER AREA YOUTH TECH FOUNDATION ; Rochester Community & Technical College ; Winona State Rochester

Related Projects

Collider Inclusion Open Entrepreneur Ecosystem Navigator ; Commitment to Action for Racial Justice project ; Developing and Executing on Cradle to Career Plan ; Non-profit Consortium Buildout ; Partcipation in DEED's Digital Opportunity Plan ; Prenatal to Age 3 Network

Impacts 

Major Impact:  Technology Enablement

PlanScape Impacts :

Level 1: Children & Youth, Computer Literacy, Diversity and Inclusion, Education, OpenBeam, Technology Enablement

Level 2: Education, C2C: Prenatal-K Development, C2C: Kindergarten Readiness, C2C: 3rd Grade Reading, C2C: 8th Grade Math

DMC Impacts:

Community Health Impacts:

Type of Project

Planning  

BACKGROUND

Key Program Components:
■ Initial Participants: Immigrant and refugee families or other families receiving public benefits with young children. Quickly expand to older adults as funding is secured through FSR.
■ Centralized Help Desk and Training: To streamline the delivery of tech support as residents build their computer literacy, RPL will be the centralized “help desk” for program participants. RPL will also work with RAFL staff as well as IMAA’s cultural consultants to provide training to partner organization staff to support consistent program delivery.
■ Community ”Hubs”: The hubs, which include RAFL, IMAA, Families First, FSR and 125 Live, will initially be virtual and become physical locations throughout the community. Each will: leverage their trusted relationships to reach people experiencing barriers, manage and loan out devices, ensure recipients are connected to appropriate educational opportunities, and be the first line of tech support for inquiring participants before directing to RPL for additional support.
■ Multiple Internet Solutions: There is an immediate need for creative solutions to increase internet access, such as connecting to existing hotspots or
deploying new ones throughout the community (e.g. County, City, Rochester Public School, and hub buildings). Discussions are already underway regarding longer-term solutions which will require partnerships with internet service or wireless providers, the City, and Rochester Public Utilities

Theory of Change

Beam Assessment

PB Reporting Apr 21, 2025

Apr 2025 Updates

The Early Childhood Resource Hub, a collaboration between C2C and IMAA, aims to connect Olmsted County families with young children to various resources and services.

The Coalition of Asian American Leaders (CAAL) is thrilled to announce the launch of CAAL Ignite, a new grant program offering $10,000–$15,000 to individuals, nonprofits, and small businesses in Minnesota’s Asian American community.

Mayo Clinic re-names its diversity and inclusion office as ‘Office of Belonging’ 

Breathing Study: Enhancing Brain and Mental Health through Breathing Practice

 Apr 2025 Mayor's YouTube Rochester Voices Channel  

Mar 2025: City of Rochester Mayor Kim Norton to attend the National League of Cities (NLC) 2025 Congressional City Conference in Washington, D.C. from March 8-12, 2025.

City of Rochester Mayor Kim Norton to attend the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) 93rd Winter Meeting in Washington, D.C.

"Building relationships of trust with community members"

Post Bulletin Reporting

PB Reporting

Results Report with links to raw data and Copilot AI analyses

City Council Study Session

DMC Updates 

Collider Cup

Collider Incubator

Mar 2025 Newsletter: End birthright citizenship?

Apr 2024 Braver Angels Newsletter: 2024 National Convention; National Debate: Should we be colorblind?

Listen to (and learn from) the other side

2. Rochester Sister City Application (Roles and Responsibilities)

3. Sister Cities Relationship Logs

4. IRC Meeting Logs

The City of Rochester and Mayor Kim Norton are excited to once again participate in the League of Minnesota Cities’ (LMC) annual Mayor for a Day Essay Contest.