This month Digi-Bridge begins a partnership with ourBRIDGE for KIDS to provide Technology Thursdays to its refugee and immigrant scholars, thanks to a generous investment by Duke Energy.
ourBRIDGE supports Charlotte’s refugee and immigrant communities by offering a one-of-a-kind enrichment program for newly arrived and 1st-generation American children. Digi-Bridge will help ourBRIDGE strengthen its nationally-recognized afterschool program with an enhanced STEM focus.
“We are so excited to partner with an organization like ourBRIDGE for Kids,” said Digi-Bridge CEO Alyssa Sharpe. “Duke Energy’s commitment to this partnership is allowing both organizations to go deeper into our respective missions to help many more students in Charlotte to receive deeper STEM education.”
Technology Thursdays will expose both elementary and middle school students to a variety of STEM curriculum, including robotics, coding and scientific inquiry. Digi-Bridge currently offers a competition programming and robotics team at nearby Eastway Middle School. Students at ourBRIDGE attend elementary schools that feed into Eastway. This partnership will grow interest and cultivation of future robotics team members.
“One of ourBRIDGE’s strategies to support our students’ acquisition of the English language is to offer highly engaging, hands-on activities where they can interact with each other and practice their communication skills in a safe, mistake-free space,” said ourBRIDGE for KIDS Founder and Executive Director Sil Ganzó. “Digi-Bridge’s Coding Club curriculum is a perfect fit because it also offers opportunities to include teamwork and problem-solving while gaining much-needed exposure to technology. We are grateful for Digi-Bridge and Duke Energy Foundation for making this possible.”
Duke Energy’s investment will provide staff and supplies for Technology Thursdays with an aim to serve 60 elementary and middle school students.
“This is an investment in the lives of these students,” said Martha Wegner, Duke Energy government and community relations manager. “This collaboration brings the talents of both these organizations to ignite a passion for science and technology. Enabling this kind of teamwork on robotics and other STEM projects builds confidence in an inclusive environment and helps students discover future career pathways.”
