August 10, 2020
To help you navigate these uncertain times, we’ve compiled timely news and resources related to small business, education and connectivity. We hope this provides both information and comfort as we continue to weather these challenges.
T.D. Jakes Foundation in Action
To celebrate the end of STEAM Academy 2020, the T.D. Jakes Foundaton produced a closing video with a song, entitled Get Up Get Up There, written by Thadworld and featuring members of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and the DSO Young Strings Program with highlights from the STEAM Academy, an amazing five-week virtual learning experience! Click here to watch the video!
Are you a displaced worker looking for job opportunities? We’ve compiled job opportunities in essential sectors such as grocery and drug stores and restaurants, along with remote opportunities in technology. Find them here.
Owning a business is never easy, but it’s even more challenging now, with so many owners unable to meet overhead or pay salaries. Click here to learn more about the resources available to small-business owners.
Job Opportunities
On Wednesday, August 12, North Texas-area job seekers will have an opportunity to network with prospective employers and interview for over 1,700 available positions at companies and organizations located within AllianceTexas, including several Fortune 500, Global 500 and essential businesses. Click here to learn more about this virtual job fair.
Small business assistance
Dallas Innovates is providing a COVID-19 Community Toolbox with resources for small business, nonprofits, and entrepreneurs in North Texas. Visit the website for more information and to find resources to help during these difficult times.
Diversity in the workplace
Brian Hilliard writes for Entrepreneur that, “Human beings have a tendency to congregate and surround ourselves with people who are similar to us, whether by race, gender, religion or professional status… This is why it is so incredibly important to be intentional about the way we develop our personal network.” Click here to read Brian’s piece on being intentional about diversity.
How does the next generation feel about diversity in the workplace? TechHQ writes that for Gen-Z, workplace diversity will be a deal-breaker.
The hiring process is where a diverse workforce begins. Hiring managers look to the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to aid in quickly screening applicants. The question is: Are there any biases presented in AI algorithms during the hiring process? Findings suggest that AI has the potential to stereotype resulting in the lack of racial diversity due to automation bias. Learn more.
Supporting the Black community
To boost economic growth in the Black community, the NBA will donate $300 million for the next decade through its newly established charitable organization. The NBA Foundation will also increase aid for local and national organizations that provide mentorship, training and coaching in NBA markets across the U.S. and Canada. Learn more.
Education, technology and the digital divide
The “COVID Slide” threatens to widen the digital divide and leave students without technology further behind. Click here for WIRED’s look at the intersection of COVID-19 and the digital divide.
Dallas ISD is investing $20 million to ensure that every student in the district has access to technology for virtual learning, hosting drive-up technology backpack deployments at each elementary school to give iPads to approximately 46,000 students in pre-K through 2nd grade, and Chromebooks for 14,000 students in grades 3–5. Find out more here.
Nicol Turner Lee, director of the Brookings Institution’s Center for Technology Innovation and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, recently spoke with EdTech on how to create an equitable digital culture in K–12. Click here to read more.
In late July, The Dinner Club taught by German-born chef Pascal Simon began to teach classes virtually across North America. With the help of Zoom, Simon hosts a virtual summer camp that takes place in the kitchen. The students’ project consists of cooking dinner for their families for an entire week. Read the story in NPR.
Together, we can and will get through this.
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