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NEW BOOST Digital Skills

Welcome to NEW BOOST™ program banner featuring a smiling woman with curly hair, promoting free computer and digital skills training.
Logo of New Boost™ Hidden Talent featuring a stylized house icon within a circular design, incorporating green and orange elements to symbolize growth and creativity.

Funds to expand award-winning NEW BOOST™ initiative, including to age 50-plus population

AARP Community Challenge logo

NEW NORTH, June 18, 2025 – New North Inc., the regional economic development corporation for the 18 counties of Northeast Wisconsin, has been selected to receive an AARP Community Challenge Grant of $20,000 to back expansion of its award-winning NEW BOOST™ for Hidden Talent initiative. Grant funds will be utilized for “Train the Trainer” support to organizations in the region that help individuals by providing digital-skilling opportunities.

Through an AARP Community Challenge grant, the New North, in collaboration with African Heritage Inc., will begin to convene digital navigator project stakeholders and host train-the-trainer sessions. Over the second half of 2025, it will identify strategic training sites, along with promoting and hosting digital training sessions, before wrapping up this grant work in December.

Read full News Release HERE 

 

New North is among 383 Community Challenge grantees – from more than 3,450 grant applications in 2025 to receive an AARP Community Challenge Grant to expand the NEW BOOST program. 

NEW BOOST™ for Hidden Talent is a collaboration of African Heritage, Inc. and New North to address barriers to employment for community members 18-years and older.

NEW BOOST™ is designed to help those who are unemployed, underemployed, underserved, or want to learn new digital skills for future employment opportunities. The initiative aims to connect participants to meaningful driver-industry employment and in-demand skills-training opportunities by providing free, basic computer skills classes.

Along with our Program Partners, our goal is to increase access to computer skills training opportunities so everyone in our region can successfully connect in today’s digital economy.

Partner organizations: AbaCor, African Heritage Inc., Back to the Basics Tutoring, Casa Hispana, College of Menominee Nation, Fox Valley Literacy, Literacy Green Bay and We All Rise African American Resource Center

For more information, see the NEWS RELEASE or connect with a NEW BOOST™ partner by emailing info@aboacor.net or contact Rebecca Deschane at rebecca.deschane@thenewnorth.com

NEW BOOST™ for Hidden Talent is powered by: Microsoft, Bay Area Workforce Development and New North

For additional Digital Skilling tools, visit TechSpark Play Book by Microsoft.

 

NEW BOOST™ was named the 2023 recipient for the Talent Attraction, Development and Retention CEDA Award from the Wisconsin Economic Development Association.

Microsoft logo featuring a four-color square icon and the word "Microsoft" in gray, representing the technology company's brand identity and innovation in software and services.
Logo of the Bay Area Workforce Development Board, serving multiple counties in Wisconsin including Brown, Door, Florence, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Marinette, Menominee, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawano, and Sheboygan.
Logo of New North, featuring a modern design with a green and gray color scheme, representing innovation and growth in the northern region.

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Community Skilling Initiative (CSI)

Special thank you to our top investors. For a full list of New North investors, go to Our Investors
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