Students and communities experience success based on the available tools. Only 57% of New Mexico’s rural population has access to a broadband connection. The lack of internet connectivity has a ripple effect that impacts students and families.
In the midst of an evolving education process, the internet provides students with access to complete online homework and parents a line of communication with teachers. It also serves as a resource for youth to access information that empowers success in school and will help them lead a healthy, productive life.
To help address this, The Boys & Girls Club of Farmington has become a Comcast Lift Zone. This facility is providing free, high-speed Wi-Fi connectivity and access to hundreds of hours of educational and digital skills content. It is also helping to implement programming that targets graduation rates and finding a career path.
For example, The Boys & Girls Club of Farmington’s teen center, which opened in 2019, uses the Lift Zone. The high-speed internet enables the program to partner with online colleges and provide nearly 70 kids with the means to explore careers, meet with different community leaders, participate in career development activities and find success in the world of work. The facility is also a place for teens to complete their schoolwork in an environment that keeps them on task and on track.
The Lift Zone has also become integral for much of our other programming. Our focus on the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) industries is powered by the high-speed internet. The bandwidth connection supports numerous students connecting to the internet at once and allows us to offer homework help, tutoring, financial literacy programs, creative expression and more. And with various school closures, including work-from-home snow days, our facility provides a place for students who do not have access to the internet at home.
Lift Zones are creating a more digitally inclusive world for students in New Mexico. For more information on Lift Zones, visit corporate.comcast.com/impact/digital-equity/lift-zones.
