Cisco Webex, Covenant House Use Technology to Help Youth Move Toward Independence, Podcast

By Doug Green “We’re not just giving them a home. We’re giving them an office and a connection to the next world.” In this Technology Reseller News podcast recorded at WebexOne in Austin, Saleema Sayed of Cisco Webex and Anthony Flynn of Covenant House Texas discuss how technology, financial support and mentorship are helping young people experiencing homelessness move toward education, employment and economic independence. Covenant House Texas serves young adults ages 18 to 24 and is part of a broader Covenant House federation with 33 sites across five countries. Flynn stresses that Covenant House is much more than a shelter. Young people receive housing, healthcare, mental health services, meals, career support and other wraparound services designed to help them build sustainable, independent lives. Cisco has become a major technology and financial partner in that mission. Through Cisco Meraki networking and Webex collaboration devices, Covenant House can provide secure connectivity, interview rooms and access to the tools young people need for education, job searches, mentorship and remote work. For a young adult without reliable connectivity elsewhere, that can be transformative. “They can walk into Covenant House, get on a Webex device, connect through secure Meraki networking and actually do their jobs,” Sayed says. Cisco’s support also extends well beyond donating hardware. Sayed says Cisco teams help maintain, update and support the technology, treating Covenant House much like a customer rather than dropping off equipment and walking away. Flynn says Cisco has invested more than $20 million across the Covenant House federation over the years through technology, financial resources and human capital. He shared the story of one young woman who came to Covenant House after losing her mother, becoming homeless and later being robbed while making deliveries. Within nine months, Flynn says she had moved into independent living and secured a job at a major law firm earning nearly $70,000 a year. “That’s what an investment in Covenant House can do,” Flynn says. Cisco employees and partners can also participate through Covenant House Sleep Out events, where executives and other supporters spend a night outside while raising funds and awareness around youth homelessness. For the broader technology community, Flynn says there are opportunities to contribute money, technology, skills, mentorship and time. Visit CovenantHouseTX.org to learn more about Covenant House Texas and ways to support its work. The post Cisco Webex, Covenant House Use Technology to Help Youth Move Toward Independence, Podcast appeared first on Telecom Reseller / Technology Reseller News.