In Defense of the Digital Navigator Program
Dear City Manager Huang,
I am writing to offer my strong support for a small, but very important program offered by the Cambridge Public Library - Digital Navigator Program.
Today I took advantage of this program by having a 30 minute 1:1 session with Dana Grotenstein. We met in the basement of the Central Square Library, right next to the ESL program where I volunteer every week to help recent immigrants create resumes, search for jobs, navigate the DMV website, access government services, and navigate a host other digital challenges in order to simply survive.
Although I am “computer literate”, I had been feeling very overwhelmed by some storage and back up concerns, and anxious about recovering precious family photos from to old computers that no longer functioned or accessed the internet because they weren’t supported by software updates,
In just a half hour, Dana was able to help me figure it all out and make a plan. Instead of feeling ashamed at not having kept up with the latest computer knowledge, I left feeling very relieved and confident. Dana apparently left a position as a software engineer because they wanted to help people feel empowered - so being a Digital Navigator has been perfect. Dana is a real teacher, teaching you “how to fish” rather than just fixing your problem.
I wanted to make a plan to return for a different problem and was so disappointed to hear that it is a pilot program that ends in June! I want to advocate personally for you to find a way to make the digital navigator position a permanent position as a library employee. This is coming from a social justice angle.
Unfortunately we live in a world where computer literacy/access is required for almost all aspects of life. To deal with immigration issues, find housing, access any government services, travel, call a cab, be on social security, get health care, apply to programs or college, get a driver’s licenses … you have to have a working phone and computer. But unlike reading literacy, with digital literacy it is hard to stay up to date on all the knowledge if you don’t work in the field or have access to tech support departments through your job. On top of this - computers, phones and internet storage are controlled by monopolies and are designed to become obsolete quickly, and the software and skills evolve too rapidly for most of the population to retain mastery.
All this means that our must vulnerable residents are left on the other side of a tech chasm - elderly and retired people, low income people without extra funds to spend on endless storage plans, refugees and immigrants who may not be fluent in English yet, or have had access to tech in their home countries, people without access to college educations, people in low-paying service industry jobs or in the trades who don’t have work computers, tech support and the time to figure it all out in their own - these are all parts of our population who can benefit from access to a Digital Navigator.
The Digital Navigator Program is a way to bridge the gap and support people as they use computers and phones and iPads to solve problems of living, and also to participate in society - to research, connect, create and keep learning.
I would love to see our city embrace this program as an innovative social justice program that says we all belong and all can participate in the ways we need to, and the ways we want to be in the world.
Please do everything you can to find funding for this critical program.
Sincerely,
Isabel
I am writing to offer my strong support for a small, but very important program offered by the Cambridge Public Library - Digital Navigator Program.
Today I took advantage of this program by having a 30 minute 1:1 session with Dana Grotenstein. We met in the basement of the Central Square Library, right next to the ESL program where I volunteer every week to help recent immigrants create resumes, search for jobs, navigate the DMV website, access government services, and navigate a host other digital challenges in order to simply survive.
Although I am “computer literate”, I had been feeling very overwhelmed by some storage and back up concerns, and anxious about recovering precious family photos from to old computers that no longer functioned or accessed the internet because they weren’t supported by software updates,
In just a half hour, Dana was able to help me figure it all out and make a plan. Instead of feeling ashamed at not having kept up with the latest computer knowledge, I left feeling very relieved and confident. Dana apparently left a position as a software engineer because they wanted to help people feel empowered - so being a Digital Navigator has been perfect. Dana is a real teacher, teaching you “how to fish” rather than just fixing your problem.
I wanted to make a plan to return for a different problem and was so disappointed to hear that it is a pilot program that ends in June! I want to advocate personally for you to find a way to make the digital navigator position a permanent position as a library employee. This is coming from a social justice angle.
Unfortunately we live in a world where computer literacy/access is required for almost all aspects of life. To deal with immigration issues, find housing, access any government services, travel, call a cab, be on social security, get health care, apply to programs or college, get a driver’s licenses … you have to have a working phone and computer. But unlike reading literacy, with digital literacy it is hard to stay up to date on all the knowledge if you don’t work in the field or have access to tech support departments through your job. On top of this - computers, phones and internet storage are controlled by monopolies and are designed to become obsolete quickly, and the software and skills evolve too rapidly for most of the population to retain mastery.
All this means that our must vulnerable residents are left on the other side of a tech chasm - elderly and retired people, low income people without extra funds to spend on endless storage plans, refugees and immigrants who may not be fluent in English yet, or have had access to tech in their home countries, people without access to college educations, people in low-paying service industry jobs or in the trades who don’t have work computers, tech support and the time to figure it all out in their own - these are all parts of our population who can benefit from access to a Digital Navigator.
The Digital Navigator Program is a way to bridge the gap and support people as they use computers and phones and iPads to solve problems of living, and also to participate in society - to research, connect, create and keep learning.
I would love to see our city embrace this program as an innovative social justice program that says we all belong and all can participate in the ways we need to, and the ways we want to be in the world.
Please do everything you can to find funding for this critical program.
Sincerely,
Isabel