ZeroDivide’s Generation ZD Literacy (GenZD) Program held digital literacy workshops for more than 2,546 participants in six states with BTOP funds. These workshops were created to boost sustainable broadband adoption and enhance educational achievements among low-income youth. ZeroDivide partners with seven youth media organizations in California, Hawaii, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Washington to provide each participant with approximately 60 hours of training on a variety of topics, including computer basics, digital media production, and workforce skills development.

For example, Access Humboldt, a non-profit public service media organization in northern California, provides community journalism and digital media editing classes, preparing students for a career in broadcasting. Reel Grrls, an organization seeking to empower young women through media production, provides a variety of hands-on workshops for teenage girls including stop-motion animation and documentary filmmaking. SpyHop, a non-profit youth media arts and education center in Utah, offers an apprenticeship in animation and 3D training. Students who participate in the apprenticeship create personal portfolios of their work and develop workforce skills through a real-life client project.

ZeroDivide has also initiated outreach and awareness-building activities to demonstrate how GenZD is creating a new generation of broadband users and technology leaders. In May 2011, ZeroDivide hosted a two-day summit in San Francisco, where all seven partner organizations exchanged strategies and success stories on how they were increasing broadband adoption and improving youth digital literacy curriculum. The workshops helped the partners develop new strategies to sustain and increase their efforts in improving digital literacy among their community members.

Last Updated: December 7, 2011