The National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) has named the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County a 2024 Digital Inclusion Trailblazer. This national program recognizes local governments’ efforts to close the digital divide.
Metro Nashville earned the top level of achievement, ‘Visionary Digital Inclusion Trailblazer,’ which recognizes communities that are leading the way in digital inclusion innovation and have deeply integrated digital inclusion throughout their government.
“This recognition as a Visionary Digital Inclusion Trailblazeris a proud moment for Nashville,” Mayor Freddie O’Connell said. “Digital inclusion isn’t just about access to technology, it’s also about empowering our residents to fully participate in every aspect of modern life. Whether that’s living, learning, working, connecting, or moving throughout our city, technology should enhance opportunities and expand choices for everyone. Our commitment to bridging the digital divide is about ensuring every Nashvillian can afford, access, and use the resources they need to thrive in an increasingly digital world.”
Metro Nashville and Digital Inclusion Officer Pearl Amanfu achieved Visionary Trailblazer status by prioritizing digital inclusion for residents of their communities through:
- Developing an interactive digital inclusion services map
- Launching TechTies, a program that offers digital inclusion support directly to residents
- Offering free train-the-trainer classes for nonprofit staff who want to weave digital inclusion into services that they already provide
- Publishing a three-year strategy to continue to make technology more accessible
- Being awarded a $1.9M grant from Tennessee Economic and Community Development to increase digital inclusion capacity across the county
“We don’t just provide opportunities,” Amanfu said,” we provide options. So much of our collective work has been about providing services to the community that are customized to meet our specific needs that offer every resident the opportunity to choose what will best support their life.”
“In the past decade, we’ve seen local governments step into the important role of building digital inclusion ecosystems, where organizations that provide services can connect and thrive,” said Angela Siefer, NDIA executive director. “NDIA’s Digital Inclusion Trailblazers celebrates these critical efforts to bring digital opportunities to all residents.”
NDIA’s Digital Inclusion Trailblazers has set the national standard for excellent digital inclusion work since 2016. Each applicant’s materials are verified for accuracy, assessed for community impact, and posted in an interactive map and searchable database on NDIA’s website. By sharing materials with open sourcing, NDIA provides community advocates and local governments ways to continue learning, connect with trailblazing peers, and plan their own digital inclusion solutions.
