Stories

Five Ways You Can Influence Digital Inclusion in Charlotte

What if you woke up and didn’t have your smartphone to check the latest Charlotte Agenda post, didn’t have Alexa to check the weather, didn’t have your laptop to finish a last-minute resume update or homework assignment. These are daily […]

Rachel Kubie, reference librarian in the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library

Reference librarians as superheroes: navigators in a precarious online world

At best, searching for reliable online information is precarious. At worst, it’s dangerous. A new breed of information superhero — the reference librarian — is a trained navigator of this new world.

Queens students in a digital literacy program at Dillehay Courts, Charlotte, April 2019

Students learn small steps make a huge difference in digital literacy

One of the crowning experiences in the undergraduate careers of communication students at Queens University is a capstone course that, among other projects, places students in service learning opportunities in non-profit organizations.

How Druid Hills builds a stronger neighborhood

Investment in communication helps ensure that Druid Hills residents build relationships with neighbors and stay informed about new development.

Davida Jackson, host of the Phone Wallet Keys Podcast in Charlotte, North Carolina, November 2018

Charlotte’s library wants to create more podcasters like Davida Jackson

In the hope of creating more Davida Jacksons, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library now make podcasting kits available for checkout.

A Pineville non-profit confronts suburban poverty

Pineville Neighbors Place is a testament to a little-known set of facts: suburbs are not always models of prosperity and education, and in many ways they lack digital resources just as seriously as urban and rural communities.

Mary Pitkin, volunteer, Digital Charlotte, October 2018

Mary Pitkin is a giver, receiver, volunteer, and digital activist

Volunteering, often overlooked and ignored, benefits both the giver and receiver–and Mary Pitkin is a perfect example of why it’s such a great thing to do.

Five new organizations in the Digital Charlotte Program Accelerator, September 2018

Five new organizations win placement in Program Accelerator

Five Charlotte non-profit organizations have become the newest participants in the Digital Charlotte Program Accelerator.

How online reaction to Charlotte’s women’s march triggered a discussion of race

Jasmine Hines describes the digital divide in an especially painful way. It’s evidence of continued racism and white supremacy in Charlotte.

Mecklenburg County Department of Social Services

Low-cost internet is a potential lifeline for Charlotte’s neediest residents. But few know about it.

A team of student journalists from Queens University found weak awareness about low-cost internet access plans across Mecklenburg County among low-income residents and some of the agencies that work with them.

On Beatties Ford Road, a grassroots trade school needs tech support

A West Charlotte community leader is translating a construction labor shortage into opportunities for African American men who are unemployed, underemployed, or re-entering the community after incarceration. The challenge is that she needs more support.

‘The Nest’ nurtures a smarter city, starting in the North End

For Charlotte residents who want to learn more about Smart Cities, the North End Smart District is a good first stop. Rob Phocas will guide the way. On May 8, the city and at least 15 other organizations banded together […]

Latin American Coalition opens Charlotte’s first center for day laborers

The Latin American Coalition describes three goals for the first center in Charlotte to support day laborers: advocating for fair pay and treatment for day laborers, building community, and providing educational, development, and family resources.