One of GHC’s newest programs is getting attention: in late 2015, we implemented an innovative Tech Training project that seeks to bridge the generational gap in digital literacy which many of our families experience.
Click here to access the full article published in Inside CI.
In the article, Gads Hill Center CEO Maricela García says of the youth in our programs, "even if we worked with them to improve their grades, they needed to develop leadership skills to make them more desirable college applicants." At the same time, Maricela and GHC staff recognized that parents were becoming heavily reliant on their mobile devices, but lacked basic technology skills.
"Banking is online. Getting jobs is online," Maricela said. "If the parents don’t move along faster, they’re going to be left behind." And when it came time to apply for college financial aid, parents had difficulty navigating the online process.
With a $15,000 grant from the Comcast Foundation, Gads Hill Center is now addressing both sides of the challenge. In 2015, we trained more than a dozen technology-savvy teens to lead their parents through digital literacy workshops. Twice a month, youth offer training in topics such as setting up and checking email, conducting school and college research, and applying for job opportunities.
While still in its early phases, the program shows how the community can benefit when nonprofit and corporate partners collaborate to tackle an unmet need.
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