About
Technology should work for the neighborhood.
We help residents understand, access, use, question, and shape the technologies that affect everyday life and economic opportunity.
- Understand
- Access
- Participate
Mission
Born in East New York. Building from the block outward.
Real Life Digital Institute is a community technology institution based in East New York, Brooklyn. We do public research, explain what we find in plain language, teach practical skills, and point people to opportunities we have checked.
The future should have more participants. That means people here should be able to understand the systems that affect their money, housing, work, and privacy, get access to the tools, and have a say in how those tools are used.
We start with East New York and work outward. When we compare, we compare fairly. When we do not know something, we say so.
Approach
One pipeline, from a question to a public record
Every product on this site is a stage of the same process, using the same topics, sources, and review rules.
- ListenQuestions from residents, workshops, and partners set the agenda.
- ResearchFind primary sources and public data. Record what they can and cannot show.
- ExplainPublish plain-language answers: ENY Real Talk, explainers, and Record updates.
- TeachTurn explanations into guides and workshops people can use.
- ApplyConnect people to resources they can use this week.
- ConnectPoint to verified education, career, and business opportunities.
- MeasureTrack indicators over time with versioned, sourced snapshots.
- Publish / ArchiveDate everything, keep old versions, and say what changed.
History, 2020 to now
From ENY Crypto to Real Life Digital Institute
We list only dated events we can document or that the institute states directly. Each undocumented entry says so.
East New York Crypto Institute starts
The institute begins in East New York under the name East New York Crypto Institute (ENY Crypto).
Stated by the institute; source document pending
First Neighborhood Record release
The ZIP Activity Pulse publishes ACRIS property-record activity for every covered NYC ZIP, as of August 31, 2026.
Neighborhood Record Bulletin covers eight neighborhoods
The Bulletin replaces the Pulse with neighborhood reports, coverage notes, and a common comparison window.
The institute becomes Real Life Digital Institute
ENY Crypto widens its scope from digital money to the technology that shapes everyday life, and keeps its East New York base and history.
Stated by the institute; source document pending
Heritage
East New York Crypto Institute
The institute began as the East New York Crypto Institute (ENY Crypto). The new name reflects a wider focus on the technology people deal with every day, not only digital money. The East New York base, the community, and the Record started under ENY Crypto all carry forward.
The ENY Crypto interlocking-ring mark remains part of our history. We will show the original artwork here once its source file is added to the brand library; we will not redraw it from memory.
Partnerships
Who we work with
No partnerships listed yet
We list a partner only after both sides confirm the relationship.
Contact
Email team@rldi.org. We are based in East New York, Brooklyn, NY.
Get involved
Subscribe, bring a question, collaborate, or host a workshop.