More than one out of every ten Durham youth ages 16-24 were neither in school nor working in 2019. Each of these young people needed alternative paths to complete their education and obtain living wage work. Many of our youth were successfully on that path pre-COVID but, without access and devices, these youth have little opportunity to continue their education or find meaningful employment. These young people at the highest risk of falling further behind. The Pew Foundation estimates that without immediate access and intervention, the number of disconnected youth across the US has already risen to 30%.
We need your help to make sure that doesn’t happen in Durham. With this campaign we plan to obtain 500 devices to support this group of youth and the community learning centers that will provide safe spaces for learning and related services.
Contact: Casey Steinbacher at csteinbacher(at)madeindurham(dot)org or 919.943.1198
“Financially, being raised by a single mother, we struggled a lot and I didn’t want to struggle anymore. I wanted to be able to take care of myself financially. [The laptop] will definitely come in handy when I need to take placement tests and when I do homework outside of class.” –Ajmera Liles, former Achievement Academy student on receiving her computer donation.
The Research Triangle Foundation (RTF) leads the Triangle in creating a thriving business environment, promoting economic development, and facilitating strategic partnerships that benefit our region and state.
Triangle Ecycling refurbishes and recycles used computers as part of a free teaching program that prepares high school students for jobs in information technology.
Kramden Institute provides technology tools and training to bridge the digital divide by collecting, refurbishing and awarding computers to students and families without a computer in their home.
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