Claudia teaches the skills adult students need for work and everyday life, including computer basics, Microsoft Word and Excel, email, file management, cloud storage, online safety, resumes and online job searches. But she does not follow one lesson plan for every group. She begins by asking why each student is there and what they hope to accomplish. “It’s student-led. Tell me what you want to learn,” she explains. She then builds real-life activities around those needs so students understand not only how a tool works, but how to use it outside the classroom.

Claudia makes it a point to create a classroom where adults can admit they are unsure, try something new, and make mistakes without embarrassment. Students practice skills repeatedly, ask questions, and help one another. Claudia often waits before stepping in so a student who has mastered a task can guide someone else. “Once they can help or teach somebody else, I’m like, now you understand it,” she says. “It builds confidence.” That confidence is increasingly important as healthcare, banking, communication, and employment continue moving online. Claudia reminds her students, “It’s prevalent. We use it every day. It’s not going away.”

Students are already putting what they learn into action. Deborah, who is preparing to return to work after 25 years with the Postal Service, says, “Because of this class, I can now move around my computer more comfortably.” George has used Word to update his resume and Excel to organize records for the car repairs he provides to friends. “It will help me down the road,” he says. These changes: greater confidence, independence and readiness for what comes next, take place each week inside YLI’s Digital Literacy classrooms. As Claudia explains, YLI provides a bridge between the opportunities students want and the skills and tools they need to pursue them.

We are grateful to the Kinsley Family Foundation, whose generous grant makes YLI’s Digital Literacy Program possible.