DigitalC and a coalition of community partners were recently awarded a $250,000 Cleveland Foundation grant to launch the ReStart Program, addressing the digital isolation of many Cleveland residents that builds on existing assets in the community to close the technical skills gap.

Cleveland Foundation Chief of Digital Innovation and Chief Information Officer, Leon Wilson said, "Now is the time to elevate Cleveland's culture of technological innovation and leadership while ensuring all Greater Clevelanders have equitable and inclusive access to technology and the digital skills necessary to participate fully in the digital economy."

Jill Rizika, Executive Director of Towards Employment and partner in ReStart notes, "ReStart's wide ranging curriculum will provide opportunities to bridge the gap in digital literacy that has held many community members back from access and sustainable jobs. We look forward to leveraging our existing training capacity and partnering with the coalition brought together by DigitalC."

"We know that digital literacy makes a difference," adds Wanda Davis, Executive Director of the Ashbury Senior Community Computing Center. "DigitalC's new ReStart Program builds on more than a decade of concerted efforts to empower residents across the community to learn how they can use the Internet to access their health records, search for new job opportunities, and more generally strengthen the confidence of Clevelanders in their ability to participate in the digital economy."

Read more about DigitalC's ReStart Program at digitalc.org.