A Smart Bridge Between Generations

School districts can help students qualify for high-tech careers, regardless of their zip code, through investments in networking and mentoring. Coded by Kids was founded in Philadelphia in 2014 to teach underprivileged students computer skills, such as programming and design. Within five years, Coded by Kids has expanded into New Jersey and Delaware, reaching hundreds of kids. The organization has also launched a student-led design firm, Draft Studios.

Student organizers across the US are developing peer-led programs (including phone-free campus events, student-designed phone policies, and digital wellness education advocacy) to address the root causes of screen addiction that school phone bans alone fail to tackle.

University-based retirement communities help to foster intergenerational connections between younger and older generations. Some of these facilities are simply developments near colleges, while others are physically on-campus. Along with building connections, these programs help fight feelings of loneliness among the older population and break down stigmas young people may hold about the elderly.

In Korca, Albania, the Community Safety Net program supports elderly people who live alone in a variety of ways. Volunteers provide essentials like medication, food, and firewood. But they also organize social activities for groups of seniors to help combat loneliness.

From Google's India-focused app Neighbourly to the wellknown Nextdoor app, social media specifically targeted at connecting neighbors is gaining ground. Whether being used to rate neighborhood attractions, encourage borrowing or sharing of resources, report suspicious neighborhood activity or simply to find a way to make connections, these apps are aimed at decreasing social isolation and increasing community interactions.

In an effort to address online violence children face in the digital age, initiatives across several countries, including Spain, Romania, and Ukraine, are getting creative using theatre, media literacy training on AI and algorithms, anonymous reporting hotlines and classroom phone bans, among other strategies to help youth cope. The various initiatives have proven successful. For example, the school-wide phone ban in one Spain region resulted in a 27.42% decrease in cyberharassment cases between 2023-2024.

The Osun Girls Can Code program provides young women with a week of hands-on training in website development, app development, and coding to help bridge the access gap to technology-related jobs in Nigeria.

Indianapolis Public Libraries are teaching residents computer literacy and providing access to computers and wifi to help bridge the digital divide for those who don’t have access to their own.

In a country where the prevalence of blindness for all ages is 4.2% of the population, Zions Assistive Tech Solutions (ZATS) trains people who are blind on how to effectively use technology like phones and computers.

A pilot program, organized by the Consortium Partnership Network, seeks to improve school outcomes by shifting key decisions to staff inside the school, which schools remain under district supervision. The schools also partner with a nonprofit to provide technological support and bring in philanthropic dollars. The partially autonomous governance model is supported by the teacher’s union and has improved teaching-focused aspects as well as programs addressing the mental health, clothing, and food needs of students.