Kristy Ng, a recent graduate of the University of San Francisco with a degree in business administration in management, first learned about Community Tech Network when CTN’s Pat Jew spoke in her community-engaged learning (CEL) class.
Kristy began volunteering with CTN in person at our partner sites, such as the I.T. Bookman Community Center, the Sequoia Living Aquatic Park Senior Center, and the Stonestown Family YMCA. Her duties included hosting tech support drop-in hours and helping people enroll in the Affordable Connectivity Program during pop-up workshops.
Last fall, Kristy took her volunteering skills to the next level when she and a classmate, Alicia Yue, decided to offer 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 in countries outside of the U.S.
What made the presentation really unique was its accessibility. Says Kristy: “When I was volunteering in person, I helped a woman that had arthritis and struggled to do the two-finger scroll to use the touchpad on her laptop. The experience helped me realize that, even with all of today’s technology, things are not always accessible. This encouraged me to make my presentation as accessible as possible. I used animations so that people could easily spot the things on the screen that I was talking about. I used a lot of arrows, boxes, transitions, and circles and showed everything step by step. Most of the learners were still new to technology, so I wanted to cover as much information as possible without overwhelming them.”
According to Kristy, the webinar was a huge success. “It was a really proactive group. The learners were very engaged and asked a lot of questions. They were genuinely interested.”
She continues: “Gaining digital skills on platforms like WhatsApp brings us closer together. It allows us to keep in touch with fellow community members and family. Technology is so important, and I was excited to be able to support CTN in its work. We had a lot of fun delivering this webinar and working together. I was very dedicated and passionate about putting this together and very satisfied with the results.”
Kristy said she has had a great experience with CTN. “Pat [Jew] was so kind and always responded to my messages in the most professional and thorough ways. She and Josh [Chan] always checked in with me and gave great, respectful feedback. With their support, I knew I could do anything. With their support, I was confident enough to do this webinar and find an organization [CTN] that I love.”
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