Thanks to funding from the WNY Digital Equity Coalition, a Tech 360 program has been launched at First Shiloh Baptist Church. The sessions run on Tuesday and Thursday mornings with around30 participants currently.
The program at First Shiloh is targeted to help seniors learn computer skills and access digital resources.
“The church is connected to a large senior population and had recognized their need for technical ability and the lack of resources for them,” said AmeriCorps VISTA Anahbelle Gregg. “Mission: Ignite is giving the means for us to teach and aid them in becoming proficient and/or comfortable to thrive in a digitally-focused world. And the computers they get to keep at the end of the classes will encourage and extend that learning process as well.”
“Tech 360 at First Shiloh consists of learners of the senior age population,” said Program Director Natalya Dean; “therefore, some of the training materials are custom-made to meet the trainee's specific needs.”
What makes Tech 360 special is its program model that partners with an agency to find the digital literacy needs of their community and meet those needs. “Tech 360 is important,” said Dean, “because the program meets people where they are and targets areas that need improvement for the focus of training.”
In the post-pandemic world, common resources and public activity largely exists in the digital space, so providing computer skills education to everyone is essential to ensuring everyone can access these resources.
“I hope that the participants of the program learn and retain skills that help them navigate and participate in the digital realm of society,” said Gregg, “so that they have the confidence and ability to build connections, help themselves, and continually grow in knowledge.”
For more information on Tech 360, check out our program page and if you’re interested in hosting a Tech 360 program at your organization, please contact conner@missionignite.org
