Theresa Wallace decided to learn digital skills with Community Tech Network (CTN) in order “to more efficiently and effectively serve [her] community.”
“During the pandemic, I wanted to be able to communicate, but I couldn’t do it in person. I realized that I needed digital literacy to learn to do things like navigate Zoom and send emails,” she says.
As an activist, Theresa is in the process of creating her own nonprofit, which will provide mental and behavioral health services to families after they suffer the tragic loss of a loved one. Theresa is in talks with San Francisco General Hospital to ensure that families receive the initial help that they need within 72 hours. Theresa is also working with her local church, which will offer further integrative medicines, such as massages, acupuncture, chiropractic, music, and color therapies to families.
“As the chief operations officer of my own organization, I need to oversee the work of others. In order to do so, I need to understand technology so that I understand what my employees are doing. I also want to be able to use tools like Microsoft Word and spreadsheets to maintain records and perform other tasks. Learning with CTN has been a great experience. I’ve already completed my first five sessions, and I just signed up for more.”
Theresa is also active with Senior and Disability Action (SDA) and is a patient advocate at San Francisco General Hospital. Additionally, she is drafting a proposal for the Office of Public Works in order to encourage them to provide more mobile showers for San Francisco’s homeless youth population. Many of her meetings and communication switched to online formats due to COVID-19.
A friend first referred Theresa to CTN, and she says that she feels “extremely grateful.” “This is a wonderful program, especially for seniors like myself that have been out of school for eons. The version of the digital world that we know no longer exists.”
While Theresa’s new skills have definitely helped her professionally, they also enhanced her life on a personal level.
“Before, I was so out of touch with technology, but I’m in touch now. If I’m waiting at the doctor’s office, I can listen to audiobooks, I can play games. I can also video chat with my family. It’s so cool.”
“Being able to navigate my tablet and search things on Google has been extremely impactful. There’s so much out there to be learned once you can access it. Now I can watch movies online, read books, and so much more. Having this tablet from CTN has been a blessing.”
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