Background

In March 2020, community healthcare providers, schools and a tech nonprofit launched the Sunset Park Digital Inclusion Group (DIG) to better support their constituents challenged by the pandemic with tech issues and digital literacy outreach. We are currently seeking a consultant to build on that work by undertaking a landscape analysis and needs assessment to lay the foundation for more effective outreach and service coordination going forward as well as expanding the coalition.  

So far, DIG partners have been working to address digital inclusion by offering digital literacy classes, advocating for universal broadband access, loaning hotspots and devices, expanding free internet signals and/or providing one-on-one technology support, but have been working almost completely independently without a strong sense of how their offerings overlap. 

Timeline

The work outlined below is scheduled to begin immediately upon winning the bid to proceed. There will be an interim check-in scheduled in early June, and a final report due on August 15, 2022.

Scope  

Community Needs Assessment 

• Consultant will work with DIG members to create community needs assessment to serve as the foundation for service coordination, outreach and coalition diversification.  
• Consultant will coordinate regular meetings and communications with DIG members who will share best practices and challenges, learning from one another and strategizing ways to improve digital literacy, access and inclusion. 

• Consultant will map community assets related to digital literacy, access and inclusion; identify gaps in services; and create a plan for connecting and expanding the services.  
• Consultant will gather feedback from residents to understand the opportunities and needs of the community and coordinate ways to communicate with residents reflecting a wide range of backgrounds, languages and experiences. This will require on-the-ground outreach from project staff who speak the languages of the community or with the use of interpreters and translation providers.
  • Consultant will drive this work through a minimum of five community conversations/engagements. Every effort should be made to include residents and community members from Sunset Park’s Latinx and Chinese communities in particular. This will require a plan for multilingual access. 
  • Consultant will acquire at least 100 surveys across a representative sample of cultural and linguistic groups for additional feedback.
  • The coalition members (BPL, NYU Langone, AMPHS, FAC, Metro et al)  will collaborate with the consultant to ensure that all research materials are made available to consultant and will also help acquire language specialists if needed. 

Deliverables

• A report and map highlighting community assets and gaps in services as related to digital literacy, access, and inclusion. 
• The report will provide Sunset Park specific digital needs assessments which inform ongoing digital inclusion projects.  

Analysis and Recommendations

• Consultant will conduct thorough asset mapping (e.g., computer classes, free WiFi) and identify gaps in services (e.g., language assistance, device lending).  
• Consultant will work with the Sunset Park Digital Inclusion Group to come up with a list of next steps for deepening the impact of digital inclusion services in the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn. 
• Recommended next steps should include joint Advocacy, outreach, and promotion effort; a plan for sharing resources and infrastructure; and the creation of new services and programs to fill identified gaps.  

• Consultant will recommend strategies to make available services broadly with community members including residents, businesses, community organizations and government as well as a plan for multilingual access.
• The consultant will work with the project team tracking changes in community assets as needs and resources continue to fluctuate and deciding how to handle on-going maintenance of a catalog of digital literacy services. 

Deliverables 

• The report should also provide a list of recommended next steps that the coalition should undertake to strengthen digital inclusion efforts in Sunset Park to have an impactful outcome on residents. 
• Consultant will include in the report recommendations for coalition expansion and structure to continue this work long term.

Submit A Proposal

Please email info@metro.org by April 6, 2022 with a detailed proposal that includes:

• A plan and proposed timeline that outlines your approach to the above-mentioned requirements
• How you intend to provide multilingual access that reflects the needs of sunset park (Must have: Spanish and Chinese - Nice to have: Arabic, Bengali, Cantonese, Fujianese)
• A detailed quote for services rendered as outlined above

Submit specified application materials to info@metro.org.