Get involved · Community & Mission

Help make the room possible.

A place to meet. The tools to learn. Someone patient enough to show the way.

Free technology programs take people, space and resources. Palanca is looking for host sites, sponsors and community partners across Greater New Orleans to help bring the first programs into the room.

Programs are in planning. Locations and dates will be announced as partners are confirmed.

Find your way to help

How to take part

Bring what you can. Build it with us.

Tell us where you are, who you work with, and what you have in mind. We’ll work through the practical details together.

Host a program.

A familiar room makes it easier to walk through the door.

Libraries, community centers, churches and other local organizations can help provide a place for people to learn. Start with a room and reliable internet; we’ll discuss the program, schedule and what the space can support.

Bring to the conversation: Your location, available space, internet access, and the people you would like to reach.
Work out together: The program fit, session schedule, equipment, and the roles of the host and Palanca.

Talk about hosting

Connect the people.

You know the community. Help shape a useful program.

Workforce and re-entry organizations can help connect learning to the tools people will use at work. Local employers can help identify practical needs, sponsor a series and meet the people it trains.

Bring to the conversation: Who you serve or hire, the digital skills that matter in their day, and where access is getting in the way.
Work out together: The right audience, a useful program focus, and how the partnership can support learners.

Talk about a partnership

Show the work

Specific support. A clear record.

We agree what the program needs and how the work will be documented before it begins.

A defined program.

The audience, place, activities and responsibilities are part of the conversation. Programs launch when the needed host arrangements and partners are confirmed.

Resources tied to the work.

Equipment, instruction, materials and documentation. A sponsorship is shaped around what a particular program needs.

A Lift Report at the close.

A plain-English account of what was delivered, what the support made possible, and what comes next. The same commitment to showing our work carries into community programs.

Illustration of an instructor helping an adult learner use a laptop — AI-generated illustration, not a photograph of program participants.

What we’re preparing

Practical skills. Free to participants.

Digital Skills for WorkEveryday technology for adults heading into a new job or returning to work.
Beignet BytesA first experience with coding, with no previous experience assumed.
Robotics & Maker StationsHands-on building and electronics for young people.

All programs are in planning.

See the program details

A few practical answers

Before we get together.

Do you already have dates and locations?

Not yet. Programs are in planning and will launch as host sites and partners are confirmed. Dates and locations will be posted on the programs page.

Can we discuss a particular audience or neighborhood?

Yes. Tell us who you would like to reach and where. The starting point is a practical conversation about the program, the setting and the resources it needs.

Does Palanca also help our organization’s technology?

Yes. Nonprofits, churches and schools can engage Palanca for technology work such as records cleanup, workflows, migrations, security and websites. Those are paid engagements with scope and price agreed first. Explore help for organizations.

How do we begin?

Send Mike a short note about your organization, whether you would like to host, sponsor or partner, and what you have in mind. We’ll reply within two business days and work through the next step together.

A conversation starts here

Have a room to lend, or people to hire?

Start a conversation Call (504) 222-2550