Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin calls the city’s Digital Dividends campaign a “triple win,” delivering valuable IT training for Hartford youth, free computers for residents in need and a talent pipeline for Hartford Healthcare’s IT department.
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Elijah Kerr and fellow members of Hartford’s Youth Service Corps prepare to distribute free laptops to city residents as part of the Digital Dividends program, at the Arroyo Center in Hartford, 4/19/23
Tuesday, the mayor attended a opening event for the program at the Arroyo Recreation Center in Pope Park, where part of the first batch of about 130 computers were given out.
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Hartford Healthcare donates the used hardware, which is rehabbed by students from the city’s Youth Service Corps. They’ve been receiving IT training through Hartford Healthcare and the youth organization Our Piece of the Pie. Later, they’ll have IT internships with Hartford Healthcare.
“We have, through this program, a chance to give our Youth Service Corps members training and experience in refurbishing computers,” said Bronin, “and, because of that work, the chance to give computers to Hartford residents who are going on to college, or seniors in our community.”
First-generation college students and seniors can apply for the program here.
The students say Digital Dividends has had a direct impact on their lives.
“I was really worried about what I was going to do after high school,” says youth corps member Gabe Garcia, who says he’s now on track for a career in IT. “So, this honestly kind of changed my route of what I was going to do later in life.”