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COVID-19 Response in San Antonio, Texas: Q&A With San Antonio Project Coordinator Lisa Alvarenga
Today, we are speaking to our San Antonio Project Coordinator, Lisa Alvarenga. Read on to see what she has to say about the inception and evolution of ConnectED Tech Kits during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Shireen Zaineb: How did COVID-19 alter the programs you were responsible for?
Lisa Alvarenga: My original role was to manage and expand the Wash and Learn Initiative (WALI) in San Antonio and potentially other locations in Texas. This program, at its essence, is about bringing communities together in a shared environment, essentially the antithesis of what should be done during a pandemic. We couldn’t gather and share thoughts and ideas in a safe capacity, so we had to suspend WALI and pursue alternative methods of serving our community. Approaching future programs made us really think critically about the work we were doing, how effective it was, and how to improve them for the future.
We had to suspend WALI and pursue alternative methods of serving our community. Approaching future programs made us really think critically about the work we were doing.
S: What was the biggest obstacle you faced in designing and implementing the ConnectED Technology Kit program?
L: The design process of ConnectED was, in all honesty, rough. There was a sense of urgency to create a program that would help address an aggravated problem; digital divides. Now more than ever, people needed access to digital tools. Not just as future-driven citizens but for their own health and safety as well as the overall community. Implementing a direct service model program was where we landed with ConnectED but we also wanted to include some sort of human connection to it. Proper funding can make direct services extremely straight forward but, how were we trying to solve the deeper issues? How were we connecting individuals and families to the resources they truly needed?
Not only was it difficult ultimately landing on and trying to find a way to create human connection, there was an issue of capacity as well. Even prior to the pandemic my work was completely remote and I was the only full time staff member employed by LWB US in San Antonio. The rest of my coworkers were hundreds of miles away and here I was with the task of distributing over 100 devices and implementing multiple follow up surveys with each recipient. Figuring out how to conduct distributions in a safe manner was an obstacle as well.
How were we trying to solve the deeper issues? How were we connecting individuals and families to the resources they truly needed?
S: What was the biggest obstacle you faced in designing and implementing the ConnectED Technology Kit program?
L: The design process of ConnectED was, in all honesty, rough. There was a sense of urgency to create a program that would help address an aggravated problem; digital divides. Now more than ever, people needed access to digital tools. Not just as future-driven citizens but for their own health and safety as well as the overall community. Implementing a direct service model program was where we landed with ConnectED but we also wanted to include some sort of human connection to it. Proper funding can make direct services extremely straight forward but, how were we trying to solve the deeper issues? How were we connecting individuals and families to the resources they truly needed?
Not only was it difficult ultimately landing on and trying to find a way to create human connection, there was an issue of capacity as well. Even prior to the pandemic my work was completely remote and I was the only full time staff member employed by LWB US in San Antonio. The rest of my coworkers were hundreds of miles away and here I was with the task of distributing over 100 devices and implementing multiple follow up surveys with each recipient. Figuring out how to conduct distributions in a safe manner was an obstacle as well.
S: What was the biggest obstacle you faced in designing and implementing the ConnectED Technology Kit program?
L: The design process of ConnectED was, in all honesty, rough. There was a sense of urgency to create a program that would help address an aggravated problem; digital divides. Now more than ever, people needed access to digital tools. Not just as future-driven citizens but for their own health and safety as well as the overall community. Implementing a direct service model program was where we landed with ConnectED but we also wanted to include some sort of human connection to it. Proper funding can make direct services extremely straight forward but, how were we trying to solve the deeper issues? How were we connecting individuals and families to the resources they truly needed?
Not only was it difficult ultimately landing on and trying to find a way to create human connection, there was an issue of capacity as well. Even prior to the pandemic my work was completely remote and I was the only full time staff member employed by LWB US in San Antonio. The rest of my coworkers were hundreds of miles away and here I was with the task of distributing over 100 devices and implementing multiple follow up surveys with each recipient. Figuring out how to conduct distributions in a safe manner was an obstacle as well.
One student told me how she was able to improve her grades at school because she no longer had to try and complete her schoolwork on her phone.