Cambridge's "Digital Navigator" Program Helps Residents Bridge the Digital Divide

While life seemed simpler back in the day before most everything moved online, you have to be pretty connected nowadays in order to accomplish even the most basic of tasks. There's still a stark digital divide in low-income areas, rural areas, and with seniors and students. The city of Cambridge has a "Digital Navigator" program that's working with residents, one by one, to connect them with knowledge, experience, and the devices they need to get by. Samara Murrell, the Coordinator of Cambridge Community Television's efforts in the Digital Navigator program, joins Nichole to talk about it.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
From WBZ News Radio in Boston. This is New England Weekend.
Each week right here, we come together, we talk about
all the topics important to you and the place where
you live. It's great to have you back with us
this week. I'm Nicole Davis. Well, let's talk about the
digital divide, which is still very prevalent here in the
United States and even in Massachusetts. The digital divide is

(00:29):
essentially the gap between people who are digitally literate and
have access to devices and those, for whatever reason, who don't.
We're talking seniors, people in low income households, rural areas, students,
people who are disabled, many others are impacted here and
in many ways, they're all getting left behind as we
move more and more online. That is where the City
of Cambridge is now stepping into help. Their Digital Navigator

(00:52):
program is connecting people in the city with experience, knowledge
and the devices they need to get by. Cambridge Community
Television one of the entities helping with this effort, and
here now from CCTV Samara Merle. We're going to talk
with her about this. Samara, thanks so much for being here.
Tell us more about the program and how it works.

Speaker 2 (01:10):
Well. So CCTV is a community media organization that believes
in equity and inclusion in all their programming and giving
people the opportunities to be able to express themselves and
be heard. And the Cambridge Digital Navigator Program is a

(01:35):
program that we began about a year ago, a year
and a half ago, and it's designed to address all
the components that make up the digital divide. Our navigators
are it support specialists certified and they provide one on
one access to technical support, device distribution, affordable internet access,

(02:01):
intermediate digital literacy classes that are provided that are designed
to provide technology gap skills training, and they also do
community care referrals for community members as well. To date,
we have processed over two thousand service requests for the

(02:25):
community and served over eight hundred residents.

Speaker 1 (02:29):
That is incredible. And you know, especially as a lot
of us tend to lean toward TikTok or Instagram social
media for a lot of our media consumption, that doesn't
mean that community TV and radio and other community media
doesn't matter as much. If anything, I think it helps
you take another step and find another way to communicate

(02:53):
with your residents. Yes, and I.

Speaker 2 (02:56):
Think that this particular program is really critical because has
technology is moving at a lightning pace. You know, we
have people who are being left behind. As a matter
of fact, about forty percent of low income residents in
the city of Cambridge reported that they didn't know how

(03:17):
to use the Internet for essential functions like banking, applying
for jobs, for getting medical support, or even purchasing growth streets.
So it's just really critical that we give our residents
in our citizens because it's you know, while we're talking locally,

(03:38):
this is you know, a much broader and bigger problem
domestically here in the US and the globe overall. And
it's kind of frightening to think about that, like.

Speaker 1 (03:53):
Yeah, yeah, I mean it seems like, you know, to
people like you and I who are on the internet
probably most of the day and working with technology, to
us at second nature, and you think, living in urban
areas that most people would you know, be up and
with it when it comes to broadband access and when
it comes to technology access. But even though technology is

(04:15):
moving forward so quickly, we have to remember not everybody
can go along with it for a variety of reasons.

Speaker 2 (04:21):
One of the reasons is that it's not affordable.

Speaker 1 (04:24):
No, it's not.

Speaker 2 (04:27):
You know, we in doing this work in the past year.
What's been really striking to me is that the demand
for devices, and when I say devices, I'm really speaking
specifically about laptops, has been very great, and I think

(04:51):
we forget that people can't do all the things that
I just mentioned before if they don't have an affordable
device that can perform those complex functions that you know
I just mentioned.

Speaker 1 (05:10):
Yeah, some people would say go to the library, or
you know, go to your local public school. They've got
some access, but there are limited hours there, and public
access is important and I'm glad we have that, but
these devices, I mean, what if, you know, goodness, you
need to do an interview in the library is not open,
or what if you can't even get to the library.
You know, access is critical when it comes to that

(05:32):
sort of situation.

Speaker 2 (05:33):
And what if you are trying to get a job
and you're trying to work from home or hybrid, which
a lot of jobs are. I mean, like, look at
what us right now. If I did not have access
to a work ready laptop, I would not be able
to conduct this interview in this way with you. So
we have residents who, you know, they want to be

(05:57):
gainfully employed and earning a living wage. They want to
continue their access to education and the other social supports
that they need in their journey of upward economic mobility
in order to be able to you know, contribute significantly

(06:19):
to Cambridge's economy and prosperity overall, as well as participate
in democratic civic action. So you know, this this program
is really integral, not just for you know, the city
of Cambridge, but I think for the nation overall.

Speaker 1 (06:39):
Then there's also the question of digital literacy, because you
can have the device, but you may not know how
to use it. You know, what if you're a senior
or somebody who just hasn't had access to a laptop
for a long time, and all of a sudden you're
getting this laptop and you're like, oh my gosh, I
have no clue how to use this. How does your
program help teach people how to use this?

Speaker 2 (07:02):
Well, we provide one on one appointments for people. They
can come in and our digital navigators will you know,
show them how to use the computer in a safe way,
you know, because that's really important. And we have a

(07:25):
number of service areas. We have actually five service areas
that are specifically designed to address the digital divide like,
so we have tech support, we have a tech support
service area, we have the device distribution, the intermediate Digital

(07:46):
Literacy Skills service area. We also try to assist our
residents with obtaining affordable Internet access, and we also do
provide community care referrals. Our community members can reach out
to a digital navigator in several ways. We try to
make the program accessible so that they can schedule in

(08:09):
person appointments or virtual appointments, or they can walk in.
We really try to think about you making it easy
to access these really vital services.

Speaker 1 (08:24):
You have the devices and you are learning how to
use them. What about software? Can you help people with
applications with software or is it just teaching them how
to turn it on and get it going and then
go home and figure it out.

Speaker 2 (08:40):
Well. The devices that we distribute come with Microsoft Office,
a lifetime access to Microsoft Office.

Speaker 1 (08:48):
That's great.

Speaker 2 (08:49):
Yes, and we're currently teaching an intermediate Digital Literacy course
in Windows and Microsoft Office. So we you know, we
will fill out applications. We will help people fill out applications,
whether that might be you know, a medical or a

(09:11):
social support application. I've seen community members come in to
get help with their resume, you know, like how to
format it because most jobs nowadays you have to apply online. Right,
I'm trying to think of is there any company that
will accept a paper resume? I on not know.

Speaker 1 (09:34):
You have to have a LinkedIn. You got to have
a digital resume, and then when you're applying, you have
to even though you're submitting the digital resume, fill out
everything instead a second time.

Speaker 2 (09:44):
Right yeah, no, yes, so you know, our digital navigators
are equipped to do all of those things, like I said,
they are also certified IT support specialists.

Speaker 1 (09:57):
If somebody is listening and they want to donate some
tech knowlogy, Do you only take donations from businesses or
schools or can you take one off donations like a
laptop or a cell phone.

Speaker 2 (10:09):
We can take donations. We are in collaboration with an
organization that specializes in refurbishing use devices, so we can
take donations that way.

Speaker 1 (10:24):
What would you say is the best way for community
members to contribute to this effort that you're doing right here, Well, we.

Speaker 2 (10:31):
Will take donations at CCTV.

Speaker 1 (10:34):
Okay, okay, it's a good place to start.

Speaker 2 (10:36):
Right as we will take we will take monetary donations
at CCTV. We will take new laptops again, you know,
refurbished devices, We will take them at CCTV, but we
have to funnel them through our organization that can properly
refurbish a device. And yes, if they want to make donations,

(11:02):
we have a website Cctvcambridge dot org. There's a website
with a web page that has all the information on
how to contribute, how to donate, how to get in
touch with the Digital navigator.

Speaker 1 (11:18):
Okay, yeah, speaking of digital navigators, do you need more
people to help guide people who are getting access to
these devices or do you have a group that you're
working with right now that is running these courses and
these one on one meetings to help people out.

Speaker 2 (11:31):
Yes, we have six navigators. They are stationed at various
sites around the city. We have a navigator who's stationed
at CCTV one of the Cambridge Public libraries, and the
other navigator is stationed between the Community Learning Center and

(11:52):
the Peabody School in North Cambridge.

Speaker 1 (11:55):
Okay, all right, yeah, wonderful. So again, CCTV Cambridge dot
and you can find all the information about the Digital
Navigator program. Samorrow. This is really great work that you're doing.
Thank you for helping to connect the city of Cambridge
and all the best as you keep pushing forward. Thank
you so much, Nicole, Thank you for having me have

(12:17):
a saving, healthy weekend. Please join me again next week
for another edition of the show. I'm Nicole Davis from
WBZ News Radio on iHeartRadio