Back in February, we profiled 10 companies as part of our New Mexico Inno Startups to Watch feature.
It’s a special section we plan to do annually. But what’s the point if we don't actually watch them? With that, we recently started checking in with those startups to see how 2022 was progressing.
Next up, Teeniors.
Teeniors hires teenagers and young adults to train older individuals on how to use technology. The last time we spoke to the company's founder, Trish Lopez, she mentioned how the startup was focused on a new pilot program aimed at helping people more effectively use the technology at their fingertips.
A few months later, the work on that is progressing.
New Mexico Inno recently checked in with Lopez for an update on all things Teeniors.
Biggest achievement in the past three months: Teeniors' biggest achievement in the last three months has been the pilot program we've created in Deming, New Mexico (started in May), as well as the beginning of our pilots in Las Vegas and Santa Fe. Deming is what I'm most excited about at the moment because:
- They've been consistently ranked the poorest community in New Mexico (USA Today, 2018).
- We've quickly hired new "teeniors" in our first-ever bilingual program at $15/hour.
- Timing has been good as our first event was right after high school students transitioned to summer break; and we have a supportive local senior center director and grant partners.
- I'll now be in Deming every month teaching tech classes at the senior center followed by one-on-one coaching with our "teeniors."
Next goal you hope to achieve: We look forward to the continuation of our pilot in Las Vegas/San Miguel county, which had stalled with the wildfires, and is now up again. I just hired a new "teenior" there (also bilingual). And as is the case with Deming, I am teaching a class to all seniors every month through the local senior center followed by one-on-one coaching. All the same for Santa Fe — except those monthly classes are being taught in collaboration with the Santa Fe Public Libraries because their senior centers … have still not reopened. Sadly, a lot of older adults do not have transportation or loved ones to fill the gaps when senior centers close, so thousands are still very much isolated in their homes without internet and without human connection of any kind since Covid started.
In three words or more, describe how 2022 has been for your business: It has been a continuation of what I see as a wake-up call for digital inclusion around the state. I am super grateful for our continued expansion around Albuquerque and surrounding areas as we're now growing our current partnership with the city of Albuquerque and benefitting from grants to help older people who can't afford to pay, while still paying $15-$17/hour to our coaches. (A surprise $10,000 grant came in last month from Verizon as well as $5,000 from Santa Fe Community Foundation to support this work.)
