Elevate Digital, one of 10 collaboratives funded by Dogwood’s Digital Opportunities Initiative, is working to make broadband internet more available, affordable and useful for people living in Jackson, Macon and Swain counties and on the Qualla Boundary in Western North Carolina.
Locally, the project is working to identify where online access, devices or skills training are lacking and where resources already exist but may be underutilized or siloed. Tonya Snider, the Instructor of Management and Entrepreneurship at Western Carolina University’s College of Business, who helps lead the collaborative, will play a key role in developing strategies that address those gaps, such as digital navigator or technology support programs, access and training for telehealth services, and digital literacy training.
Snider believes the strength of their effort lies in local leadership and cross-sector collaboration. “By bringing together education, health, workforce and community leaders under the Elevate Digital umbrella, the project ensures a regional strategy that reflects local priorities, strengths and lived experiences,” she explains.
The Elevate Digital Collaborative has already held several public discussions with area residents to better understand the obstacles they face. Local governments, tribal leaders, school systems, health providers, nonprofits, community leaders, educators and small businesses attended. Snider notes the team is also working to include seniors, nonnative English speakers, families with low incomes and people who live in rural communities.Read more about the Elevate Digital Collaborative in this WNC blog post and learn how other collaboratives in the Digital Opportunities Initiative are elevating the value of working together here.
