Join us for an innovation-education adventure
bringing together creative mentors, industry professionals, and Northern New Mexico youth
to make invisible infrastructure visible for the next generations!
bringing together creative mentors, industry professionals, and Northern New Mexico youth
to make invisible infrastructure visible for the next generations!
Collaborating to build awareness of essential infrastructure and infrastructure careers in New Mexico.
Infrastructure Literacy
Why is it Urgent?
Communities rely on hidden systems.
Infrastructure careers remain largely unseen, therefore are not approachable.
Modern life depends on increasingly complex infrastructure that can lead to community impacts.
Infrastructure Literacy makes invisible systems visible.
Infrastructure careers remain largely unseen, therefore are not approachable.
Modern life depends on increasingly complex infrastructure that can lead to community impacts.
Infrastructure Literacy makes invisible systems visible.
Program Goals for Participating Youth:
- Belong to a real-life, life-long learning cohort with creative mentors and industry professionals
- Learn digital skills needed for creative and economic resiliency through innovative learning opportunities
- Work collaboratively on an Innovation Team with creative mentors and industry professionals to:
- research essential infrastructure and infrastructure careers in our state
- write and publish a children’s book/coloring-book to grow the Infrastructure Literacy series
- collaborate to implement a creative campaign to build momentum and educate others
~ promote the book and secure donors of books for schools and libraries
~ recruit and coordinate community leaders, vip’s, and volunteers to read the book
Infrastructure Literacy Initiative - Phase One (Launch 2026)
After initial orientation, team-building, and introduction to project management basics, the Learning Cohort will work collaboratively to implement a coordinated outreach and reading campaign to educate and inspire our communities about the work and wonder of Fiber Optics! More than 500 “Follow the Light” books will be read by volunteers to more than 5,000 students and community members and then donated to libraries, schools, and agencies across the state during National Digital Inclusion Week October 4-10, 2026.
|
Meet the Book That Makes Fiber Optics Fun!
This simple but inspiring STEM adventure shows how fiber optics light up our world. Meet the Author in New Mexico! This book was created by a broadband engineer and mom named Alli Bone. Join volunteers reading the book to students! Innovation Team and youth will invite and coordinate volunteers to read to students during Digital Inclusion Week. The growing list of volunteers include NM Office of Broadband Access and Expansion Director Jeff Lopez, City of Albuquerque Office of Broadband Director Catherine Nicolau, New Mexico Public Education Department Cabinet Secretary Mariana Padilla, and more... Participating Youth may also serve as Infrastructure Ambassadors and present the Infrastructure Literacy Initiative to event attendees at:
|
Youth will learn to:
|
Infrastructure Literacy Initiative - Phase Two (2026-2028)
|
The Learning Cohort will work collaboratively in Innovation Teams (including both youth and industry professionals guided by creative mentors) to research, write, publish, and promote additional Infrastructure Literacy books and coloring books over the next 3-5 years. Participating Youth will be supported in developing leadership, digital, and entrepreneurial skills while co-creating and co-authoring a children’s book, may learn-to-earn a computer or laptop, and may receive both a stipend for participation and a portion of proceeds from ongoing book sales. Participating Youth who complete the program may also be invited to serve as Youth Leaders and mentor future participants.
Additional publications will be developed based on student interest and community need and will address additional essential infrastructure and infrastructure careers in New Mexico that may include renewable energy, wind and solar power, transportation, electric vehicles, traffic management, energy and electricity, water and waste management, emergency response, radio. communications, broadband, cybersecurity, and more. Additional publications will also be promoted and presented at events with creative outreach efforts similar to the “Focus on the Light” campaign including distribution of donated books to libraries and schools, as well as mobilization of volunteers to read the book to students and families. The Infrastructure Literacy initiative is facilitated by a collaborative of Creative Mentors including leads from both CommUNITY Learning Network (CLN) and O&M Publishing:
|
Youth will also learn to:
|
|
Next two publications
pending in the Infrastructure Literacy Series and to be co-created with students and professionals include: |
Network Operator
To be created with industry professional John Osmon of ABQIX, an Internet Exchange Point in Albuquerque, NM, that provides reliable and low-cost interconnection between internet member networks. Participating Youth may also serve as Infrastructure Ambassadors and present the Infrastructure Literacy Initiative to event attendees at a range of events including the annual ABQNOG Network Operators Conference in Albuquerque September 2027 and the annual NM Broadband Job Fair and Networking Event in Santa Fe in May 2027. |
Telecommunications
with Catherine Nicolau, Broadband Program Manager for the City of Albuquerque and prior telecom professional who worked to improve telecommunications services to rural and tribal areas. Participating Youth may also serve as Infrastructure Ambassadors and present the Infrastructure Literacy Initiative to event attendees at a range of events including the New Mexico Association of Counties Legislative Conference in Santa Fe January 2027 and Arizona New Mexico Telecommunications Association events. |
Open the Door to Opportunity
"Infrastructure Literacy" was launched by Alli Bone and O&M Collective to "make invisible systems visible."
Follow Infrastructure Literacy on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/infrastructureliteracy
Follow Infrastructure Literacy on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/infrastructureliteracy
