Charleston Promise Neighborhood Partners with DIG SOUTH

Press Release

Recognizing that skills in science, technology, math, and business lead to future employment opportunities for today’s children, Charleston Promise Neighborhood (CPN) and DIG SOUTH! have teamed up at this year’s Tech Summit.

Their partnership is aimed at increasing the number of minority entrepreneurs and broadening the diversity of business startups by exposing high school students, particularly those in under-served, yet high potential schools, to tech-savvy entrepreneurs at this year’s summit, April 24th to 26th at the Charleston Gaillard Center. Students from both Military Magnet Academy and North Charleston High School will attend.

According to a recent article in Crunchbase news, minority entrepreneurs are still being largely overlooked, stating that just one percent of venture-backed founders are African American. This collaboration is hoping to change that by providing the opportunity for students to have complete access to workshops, programs, exhibits, and experts at the summit. Students will visit with leaders from global brands such as Oracle and IBM, and top tech and investment leaders here in The South.

“Charleston Promise Neighborhood is thrilled to be the non-profit partner of the 2019 DIG SOUTH Tech Summit,” Sherrie Snipes-Williams, CEO of Charleston Promise Neighborhood, said. “This collaboration will deliver opportunities for our students to engage with entrepreneurs and tech experts, experiences of which they would otherwise not have. It’s about bringing new partners to our mission through their contributions of time, talents, and treasures.”

“This is an example of business, non-profit, and state government creatively partnering to provide opportunities for young entrepreneurs, improve schools, and attract new startups to Charleston,” DIG SOUTH founder Stanfield Gray, said. “This partnership leverages the best that we have to offer in a way that demystifies and inspires all sectors of our society to pursue their dreams.”

Charleston Promise Neighborhood provides wrap-around services to students in under-served, yet high-potential, elementary schools in Charleston and North Charleston in order to improve educational opportunities and outcomes. Its mission is to ensure Charleston Promise Neighborhood is a place where residents are engaged in their community and every child is on track to graduate high school with the abilities necessary to succeed in college, the military, or the workforce.

About Charleston Promise Neighborhood

Charleston Promise Neighborhood (CPN) is a nonprofit organization incorporated in May 2010, whose vision and purpose is to transform the “Neighborhood” within a generation. The CPN Neighborhood, home to just under 25,000, 6,500 of whom are children under the age of 18—is a 5.6 square mile area of Charleston County that straddles portions of the cities of Charleston and North Charleston, and coincides with the attendance zones of four CCSD elementary schools with high concentrations of children living in poverty: Chicora, James Simons, Mary Ford and Sanders-Clyde. CPN’s current focus areas include education, healthcare, parenting engagement, and community engagement. For more information, visit www.charlestonpromise.org.

About DIG SOUTH Tech Summit

Held April 24-26 at Charleston Gaillard Center, DIG South Tech Summit connects leading global brands like Oracle, IBM and Salesforce to the top tech leaders, entrepreneurs and investors in the South. More than 2200 attendees gather in gorgeous Charleston to make deals, share the latest digital trends and build relationships. Curated tracks include emerging technology, business growth, digital marketing, and blockchain-fintech. The 2019 theme is “What’s Your Story?” Greg McKeown, New York Times best-selling author of Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, will headline DIG SOUTH Tech Summit.

Share on Facebook

Tweet

Follow us