The Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council (WRWC) has been selected as a 2024 AARP Community Challenge Grantee. Out of over 3,300 applications from across the country, including Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, we are proud to be one of the 343 organizations chosen for this prestigious grant.
Our grant falls under the category “Digital Connectivity for Natural Disasters.” With this support, we will launch our new digital platform, VECINA. Designed by and for Rhode Island communities, VECINA will promote digital literacy and provide valuable learning opportunities. It will serve as an essential tool for residents, giving them access to crucial information and resources.
What Is VECINA?
VECINA is an online resource aimed at helping our community in various ways. It will help answer important questions like: “Where are the community resources?” and “How can I access healthcare?” But VECINA is more than just a collection of maps and data. It is designed to empower our residents by enhancing access to information about education, healthcare, and neighborhood safety.
Training and Impact
We will train a group of residents to teach their neighbors how to use VECINA. This initiative will help expand digital literacy in Olneyville, a community where Spanish is the primary language. It will also boost emergency response and preparedness by providing immediate information during extreme weather events, such as flooding and other disasters, relevant to households and families.
Goals and Benefits
The VECINA project will advance digital and data access, literacy, and justice by:
- Providing a platform for community members to share their stories, especially in the context of climate, public health, and emergency response.
- Empowering community leaders to make relevant data and information available so that everyone can make informed decisions.
- Offering an overview of current resources and gaps to help us set priorities.
This project will also benefit the academic community, including undergraduate students, by promoting fair and just design practices for technology.
Looking to the Future
We are excited about the potential long-term impact of VECINA. Our goal is to link VECINA to the newly established Olneyville Resilience Hub, launched by the City of Providence Office of Sustainability and Providence Emergency Management Agency. With the support of a Community Resilience Committee and accessible technology provided by a “Cox Tech Boost,” VECINA will have both a physical and online presence. This will enable continuous engagement and the development and transfer of knowledge and impact.