UCC receives 25 laptops to bridge technology gap

A UCC YouthBuild student unboxes his laptop early Tuesday morning. NOYN recently gifted 25 laptops to UCC to help bridge the digital divide.

Newark Opportunity Youth Network (NOYN) recently donated 25 laptops to United Community Corporation (UCC), a network of support services designed to empower its community to achieve economic self-sufficiency. As a partner of the Newark Youth Workforce Collaborative, UCC is a part of Newark’s first collective approach to creating a school-to-workforce pipeline. And as the backbone of the Collaborative, NOYN works to support its partner programs with data, strategy and fundraising.

“As the longest standing anti-poverty agency in the city, UCC is a vital piece of Newark’s community service and workforce development landscape. Whether it’s through their YouthBuild program or through one of the many other services they offer, UCC is there to help meet the need. NOYN is proud to support their work and mission in any way we can,” said Robert Clark, Chief Executive Officer of NOYN. 

Craig Mainor, Executive Director of UCC, said responding to the technology gap brought on by the pandemic has been an ongoing challenge at UCC. Many young people don’t have laptops or internet access at home, which makes virtual learning that much more difficult.

Craig Mainor, Executive Director of UCC, carries two donated laptops into UCC’s new facility on Spruce Street.

“[The pandemic] really exposed the state of our nation, and the state of Newark, New Jersey,” he said. “We know that there is an economic barrier, but so many of our young people don’t have the resources. It’s really shed the light that as much work as we’re doing, there’s still more work to be done.”

UCC has remained open and active through the pandemic, offering emergency resources through its food pantry and homeless shelter, alongside youth and family services, after-school programs and senior support services to help move residents toward financial independence. 

In 2020 alone, UCC created an Emergency Assistance program to offer utility and energy bill assistance; the Housing Assistance department to help families after the eviction freeze is lifted; the Community Engagement department, and most recently, they launched YouthBuild UCC for young people ages 16-24 looking to gain their GED or high school equivalency while also gaining on-the-job training and leadership development opportunities.

The young people in UCC’s YouthBuild program pose together after unboxing their new laptops.

To bridge their opportunity gap, UCC’s YouthBuild Program Director Jacqueline Henry said the space has remained open five days a week to young people looking for tech support, Wi-Fi access or just a safe space to vent. They’ve also used creative problem-solving to translate YouthBuild’s hand-on construction program to a virtual platform. So, instead of working on a traditional worksite, young people are applying construction principles to smaller projects like building a birdhouse or dollhouse. 

“We’re going to build,” Henry said. “We’re going to do something so that they’re still getting that experience. It may not be the same experience they would have on-site, but it’s an experience, nonetheless.”

Soon, young people will be flexing their skills at UCC’s Village Apartments, where they’ll work on electrical, plumbing and preparing vacant apartments for the new tenants.

“So many needs were exposed by this pandemic, especially in the city of Newark, and everyone has stepped up,” said Richard Greco, Director of Community Engagement. “Everyone has had to adjust and everyone has stepped up to the plate”

The donated laptops will be utilized by students within UCC’s YouthBuild program. Anyone interested in that program, or in any of the other services offered by UCC, can visit www.uccnewark.org for more information.