Bringing Hispanics into the Future: Our Generation’s Opportunity to Reshape Web 3.0

As a Latina woman and CEO of a non-profit organization, I’m used to being in rooms where I don’t see anyone like me. This is a task to be solved for future generations. As I learn more about Web 3.0, I’m wondering where the Hispanic community is in this space and why women are underrepresented. From conferences on cryptocurrencies and NFTs to VR and Metaverse events, I have found that very few projects concern the Hispanic communities or Latinos in particular.

Since these Web 3.0 tools are fairly new and most people are still trying to figure out what they are, let alone how they can be used to generate income and improve the quality of life, the problem with this separation of technologies may not be obvious. . However, as we saw with the birth of computers and later the Internet, we have learned that late starters often fail to catch up with the technology and reap its rewards later. According to the Pew Research Center, “Roughly a quarter of adults with a household income of less than $30,000 a year (24%) say they don’t have a smartphone. Approximately four in 10 adults making less than $30,000 a year do not have broadband access at home (43%), a desktop or laptop computer (41%)… “while” each of these technologies is ubiquitous among adults in households with income of $100,000 or more. year.”

We already know that from the perspective of a cryptocurrency consumer, Latin American communities are interested in cryptocurrencies. A Morning Consultant survey showed that almost a quarter of cryptocurrency users in the US are Hispanic. Perhaps this is because our communities have been left behind traditional banking institutions, or because there are no options to send “money transfers” or send money across borders. This apparent consumer interest in crypto shows a real need in our Latin American communities.

For young Californians, Web 3.0 is the future of work, how we communicate, how we learn, how we transact and how we live our daily lives. Why isn’t this taught in schools? Why is the government slow to integrate these technologies into our daily lives instead of making them more accessible so that they are equal for everyone? Instead of just discussing cryptocurrency regulation, we should discuss integration

Education is very important to my family. When I was three years old, my family and I emigrated from Mexico to the United States. My family moved to the cheapest house they could find in the best school district to give me a good education. We lived in a one-bedroom house behind a farm where we worked to make ends meet.

Facing adversity at a young age inspired me to create Celebration Nation, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping the Hispanic community and farmers through donations of food, household items, baby essentials, and more. We have grown to serve 10,000 people every month.

We are now embarking on our greatest journey as a nonprofit: building our own metaverse to educate Hispanic youth. Our metaverse includes a museum and a university where we plan to create a decentralized education system so that students can learn how to earn NFTs. We plan to open a youth resource center in Monterey County and provide virtual reality goggles to access the Metaverse. If students are interested in joining the program, we will provide scholarships for them to learn how to buy and sell their first NFTs. They will also be taught how to handle blockchain technology.

California has been a technology hub for decades. Much of this is due to the strength of our scientists, our workforce, and the government that makes policies to encourage innovation. From elected state officials to our local cities, we must promote policies that not only encourage innovation, but also inclusion and equity. We must prioritize marginalized communities that have traditionally been excluded from technology so that they can also participate in the Web 3.0 revolution.

As this technology advances, there will be more jobs for those who know how to use it. Our schools and our elected officials need to focus on cryptocurrencies, blockchain technology and the metaverse to ensure that these new technologies are taught to our young people so that we can pave the way for future employment opportunities. It’s time to do it now as these spaces are rapidly evolving so that Californians are not left behind.

For me, it’s personal. By taking the initiative, creating my own metaverse community, and teaching what I know to the next generation, I know that I am doing my best to ensure that girls like me will be alone in fewer rooms in the future.

Flor Martinez is the founder and CEO of the Celebration Nation Foundation.