For non-English-speaking individuals living in the United States, accessing resources can be difficult. Community Tech Network offers its services in eight languages, including Chinese (both Cantonese and Mandarin dialects).
In this edition of our newsletter, we’re excited to share how we’ve been helping Chinese-speaking communities across San Francisco access the devices, training, and services that they need to confidently navigate the internet.
CTN OFFERS DIGITAL LITERACY CLASSES, PROVIDES FREE DEVICES TO CHINESE-SPEAKING LEARNERS AT GLIDE FOUNDATION
CTN has a longstanding partnership with the GLIDE Foundation, as GLIDE has referred hundreds of its clients to our Home Connect program, which offers remote digital literacy training.
Recently, we offered our first in-person device training at GLIDE, where we supported 10 monolingual Chinese-speaking learners, nine of whom had never previously used any type of computer. All of the learners received a free laptop.
Says GLIDE’s Tina Huang, “A lot of the learners come from other countries and have never touched a computer or iPhone before, but thanks to CTN, technology has become a part of their lives now. It helps them stay in touch with their family and friends and has greatly improved their quality of life.” Read more about CTN’s partnership with GLIDE and our recent training.
HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR TRAINED AS DIGITAL NAVIGATOR TO HELP CHINESE COMMUNITY GET ONLINE
Xiaolin Li is just 17 years old, but has quite the impressive resume. As one of CTN’s newest bilingual (English/Chinese) digital navigators, she will help community members sign up for the Affordable Connectivity Program and will promote tech support pop-up events, among other duties.
Says CTN’s Audrey Potts: “There is a big need for her to be able to speak with our learners. She’s a real go-getter, and we are thrilled to have her. We are here to help guide her and train her to be able to assist us as a digital navigator in the Chinese community.” Learn more about Xiaolin’s responsibilities and how she will help bridge the digital divide in Chinese-speaking communities.
SUPERSTAR CTN VOLUNTEER HOSTS WEBINAR TO TEACH OLDER ADULTS HOW TO USE WHATSAPP
Volunteer Kristy Ng hosted a webinar through CTN to teach older adults how to use WhatsApp, a messaging and calling app that is commonly used to keep in touch with loved ones living outside of the U.S.
Kristy says that the webinar was a huge success and that “[CTN staff] always checked in with me and gave great, respectful feedback. With their support … I was confident enough to do this webinar and was able to find an organization (CTN) that I love.” Read more about Kristy and the webinar that she hosted.
STAY INFORMED
- Last month was Black History Month. Did you know that about one in three black adults is offline? In case you missed it, read our recent blog post explaining some of the root causes of the racial digital divide, as well as potential solutions.
- Internet plans in the United States are some of the most expensive in the world. Americans pay about 40% more on average than folks living in France, Japan, and Israel, who enjoy comparable speeds. Check out our blog to read why the internet is so expensive in the United States and how this problem can be addressed.
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