In September, we launched our new Adult Literacy Empowerment program in West Homestead, which incorporates educational elements that will help our adult population who struggle daily due to illiteracy and poor computer skills.  We are thrilled that our adults have begun to dive into our literacy workshops this month, where we incorporate introductory computer skills. Digital literacy is part of the secondary effort to reduce disparities and promote economic mobility in the community of Homestead.

Our Instructor found 100% of adults participant surveyed expressed a high need for work purposes, furthering their education, assisting their children, applying for services, and leisure. The content covered throughout the first workshop included learning the parts of a computer, turning a computer on and off, logging in, utilizing the Google search engine, connecting to the internet, accessing the control panel, changing to the preferred language on websites, keyboard definitions, and uses and settings.

At first, many adults were overwhelmed and expressed their struggles; however, their patience, determination, and focus allowed them to learn things they had never known before. Towards the conclusion of the class session, the participants expressed how thankful they were and how they are looking forward to more computer literacy classes in the future.

We know that this opportunity will have a lasting impact on our community; therefore, we will continue to host literacy classes to help new learners gain skills and confidence to increase their capacity for economic and social mobility.