Residents of Edenwald Houses in the Bronx are enjoying a new AT&T Connected Learning Center (CLC), a recent development in collaboration with the NYC Computer Lab Initiative, the New York City Department of Youth and Development (DYCD), and other partners aimed at bringing digital resources to underserved communities across NYC.
The CLC, funded by a $30,000 contribution from AT&T to the NYC Computer Lab Initiative and a $15,000 grant from the DYCD, offers internet access, computer stations, programming such as Microsoft Office training and STEM classes, and other digital resources for seniors, adults, and youth alike.
DYCD Commissioner Keith Howard (blue sweatshirt) pictured with child and others at Connected Learning Center opening (Photo credit: NYC Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD)) 
Inside look at new computer lab at Edenwald Houses (Photo credit: NYC Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD))
According to David Solomon Jones, founder and executive director of iKhodi and the NYC Computer Lab Initiative, this is the 11th development under the initiative, which is temporarily located in a mobile office at Edenwald Houses. Jones said the goal is to establish 300 computer labs.
“We are in the process of opening a computer lab in every underprivileged and underserved community in New York City,” he said. “The whole premise is to assist with closing the digital divide.”
John Emra, AT&T Atlantic Region president, said the AT&T Connected Learning Initiative is part of a multi-year, $5 billion nationwide commitment to help improve digital access. This is the eighth center they’ve opened in New York.
He said the center is supposed to provide three things: devices, internet access, and digital literacy. “If you just give [people] a computer and you give them access, [but] if you’re not showing them the power of how to use all of these tools that are along with it, then it’s kind of a waste,” Emra said.
Jones said the partnership between the NYC Computer Lab Initiative and AT&T came together organically because it aligned with his goal of opening labs across NYC and AT&T’s interest in launching a Connected Learning Center in the Bronx. “AT&T is our sole partner with this lab at Edenwald,” he said.
Jones had partnered with the DYCD to launch previous labs.
“This is an example of cross-agency and public-private collaboration,” said DYCD Commissioner Keith Howard. “This is one time in which DYCD actually put dollars in … about $15,000 from our Safe in the City Grant.”
Jones also mentioned the importance of collaborating with the Edenwald Houses Tenant Association to understand residents’ needs better. He emphasized that programming and community engagement are critical for ensuring the labs are used and effective.
“We’re very hands-on in working with the community to ensure that they not only know the programming is accessible, but also the marketing: first, to make sure they know [the programming exists], and second, to ensure they actually take advantage of the programming we offer to the community,” Jones said.
In 2021, data from the New York City Council revealed that 8.1% of households in the city had no internet, and 28% were without high-speed broadband. For Black and Hispanic households, the numbers were higher, at 35% and 36%. The data also showed that in several Bronx community districts, over 40% of households lacked high-speed broadband service.
“I think what we’re looking at is just providing residents with internet access and programming to keep them engaged, safe, and connected to opportunities, so they and the community can flourish,” Howard said of how the new computer lab is helping to bridge that gap.
E’lyse Murray, a committee chairperson for the Edenwald Tenant Resident Council, Inc. and Edenwald resident of 59 years, expressed appreciation for the initiative. “Educational literacy is key, and should be available to everyone anywhere in any community. We are grateful in this day and age to physically see our computer lab open here,” she said.
Looking toward the future, the collaborators hope to continue narrowing the divide day by day by expanding access to digital resources.
“People should be able to get online. People should have a device. They should have internet access, and they should have digital literacy tools. Those are table stakes in America today. You cannot be part of the modern economy and the way we all live without those three things,” said Emra. “That’s the goal for us, and anything, frankly, short of that is ultimately kind of a failure. I don’t think this is something that we can fail on as a society.”
This story is part of the Digital Equity Local Voices Fellowship lab. The lab initiative is made possible with support from Comcast NBCUniversal.