ConnectHome

Best Buy - ConnectHome

15 Jul: HUD Secretary Julián Castro Marks First Anniversary of ConnectHome at Washington D.C.’s Best Buy Teen Tech Center

Bridging the digital divide has never been more fun for the 44 Washington, D.C.,-area youth who learned on Friday how to assemble computers for their personal use, thanks to the ConnectHome program, a White House initiative that is narrowing the digital divide for families in HUD-assisted housing.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro joined Best Buy and other ConnectHome organizations — including DC Housing Authority, GitHub, EveryoneOn and Kano — to celebrate the initiative’s one-year anniversary at the Best Buy Teen Tech Center in Washington, D.C.

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15 Jun: Geek Squad Academy Visits Tribal Nation for First Time

Best Buy’s Geek Squad Academy summer camp is visiting a tribal nation for the first time as part of the federal government’s ConnectHome initiative.

About 135 students between the ages of 10 and 18 are participating in the two-day camp this week (June 14-15) at Durant High School in Durant, Oklahoma, home of the Choctaw Indian Nation. They’re getting hands-on tech experience and learning 21st-century skills that can make a difference in their future education and career choices.

Best Buy partnerships

25 Mar: Tech Success is Goal of Partnerships With Nonprofits, Government

Best Buy is bolstering its efforts this year to reduce the nation’s technology gap by giving grants to national nonprofit partners and participating in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) ConnectHome initiative.

“For 50 years, Best Buy has been a catalyst in the rise of technology as a means to improve virtually every aspect of our lives,” said Susan Bass Roberts, senior director of Community Relations, Diversity & Inclusion at Best Buy. “We are committed to giving underserved youth access to the tech training and tools they need to further their education and careers.

Best Buy Geek Squad Academy Robotics

15 Jul: White House Taps Best Buy to Help Bridge Digital Divide in ConnectHome Initiative

Even as the promise of the connected home becomes reality for many of us, millions of Americans still have limited access to the high-speed broadband service that opens the door to opportunity. To help bridge this digital divide, Best Buy will offer the expertise of its talented employees and community outreach programs in a new ConnectHome initiative announced today by President Obama and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Julián Castro.

The pilot program is launching in 27 cities and one tribal nation to initially reach more than 275,000 low-income households and nearly 200,000 children with the support they need to access the Internet at home.