AT&T announced Wednesday a donation of $30,000 for the addition of an innovation lab at Silver Spring Neighborhood Center at 5460 N. 64th St. in Milwaukee as part of its nationwide Connected Learning initiative.
AT&T’s Connected Learning initiative includes a $5 billion commitment to helping 25 million people connect to affordable, high-speed internet throughout the decade, according to its website.
The lab required $50,000 to be completed, the remainder of which was donated by anonymous donors and the D.E.E.R. Accelerator (Driving Equity, Empowerment, and Resources) initiative which is a collaborative organization from the Milwaukee Bucks and Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin.
The new lab will provide low-income youth and their families with access to computers and technology, as well as digital literacy workshops, job training programming, coding and STEAM programs, and online education and career readiness resources, according to a press release.
“Let’s be clear, this is not just about helping individuals use a lab,” said Mayor Cavalier Johnson. “This, in its own way, would help the entire city of Milwaukee.”
The lab is currently under construction and is expected to open in the first quarter of 2025. So far, the space has gotten new carpet and technology has been ordered. Low-income families and families living in Westlawn Gardens, a large public housing development in the SSNC’s surrounding neighborhoods, as well as area residents on Milwaukee’s northwest side will have access to the lab.
The lab will span two rooms on the north side of the building and will feature 10 desk stations with desktop computers for workforce development training and Esports technology for students. A large digital screen display will mostly cover the south wall, according to James Wilbern, assistant executive director of the SSNC.
“We hope to have adults in here every morning,” said Wilbern. “In the evenings once kids get out of school, we’ll have our traditional after-school programming with a STEM focus.”
In addition to workforce development resources, the SSNC plans to add junior Lego robotics instruction among other tech resources.