2020 Recipients

Catholic Charities

Refugee families from Middle Eastern and African countries struggle with income, housing, employment, transportation, school performance, language barriers and access to computers/internet. When adjusting to a new language and culture, learning to use computers can be daunting. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the digital divide has affected their ability to receive timely information about the situation, virtually access resources/programs, support children in remote learning and stay connected to their communities. As APS is preparing a hybrid plan for the 2020-21 school year, refugee students risk falling further behind. Being able to stay home is important as most of this population live with large households, increasing the potential rate of spread.

In response to these needs, Catholic Charities will provide IT access/education for Arabic, Dari/Farsi and Swahili speaking refugees, and will work with APS and others to connect these households with computers/internet. Refugee families in Catholic Charities’ programs will receive digital literacy education in their native language and one-on-one IT troubleshooting through WhatsApp or by phone under the guidance of staff. In addition, Catholic Charities will develop print and video step-by-step IT learning guides in each language aimed at the particular needs of refugee parents and students. Virtual digital literacy classes will be available in each language to further develop these skills. After six months of building foundational knowledge, Catholic Charities will work their partners to help parents and students become tech trainers and share skills with their community.

R4Creating

R4Creating provides experiences for students ages 6-18 years of age in STEM-related activities and career readiness opportunities. During COVID-19, R4Creating and its affiliate, Be Greater Than Average, are moving STEM camps online so students will have access to quality learning experiences year-round. Camps, for students from ages 6-18, cover emerging technologies like 3D printing, Drones, CAD, Rocketry, Minecraft and more. The online format is intended to allow a higher number of underserved students from diverse ethnic and socioeconomic levels to participate, including students from the Tohajiilee Pueblo, where R4 has hosted both camps and robotics teams in the past. Additionally, R4 is partnering with the Air Force Research Lab and New Mexico Tech on their Mobile Makerspace, a trailer full of cutting-edge technologies and resources. As restrictions due to COVID-19 begin to lift, many programs will still not be able to offer services. The Mobile Makerspace will enable R4 to continue offering students, teachers and communities a variety of STEM related-workshops and activities while at the same time giving student leaders practical job experiences as they help manage the Mobile Makerspace.