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voicesfromthelabs

Many students in Technology For All’s basic computer classes have two basic needs: English fluency and computer knowledge. Without both skills, students face severe limitations in employment, safety, education and more.

At the Spring Branch Family Development Center, students get both from the same computer. When they begin using online resources in their English as Second Language (ESL) classes, they can also take computer basics in Spanish.

The students benefit from the complementary classes; Eloina says she’s hearing and seeing her lessons through online programs. “I learn more English using the computer than I do in ESL classes.”

Although Houston’s Spring Branch neighborhood is predominantly working-class Hispanic, the students agree English and computer skills are necessary for life. But the students agree relying on others’ translation is not always reliable. Effectively communicating with bosses, children, stores and hospitals requires English, while most paperwork requires computer access. “All applications are done through computers,” Yelba, an Avon saleswoman, says. “No one wants to spend money on paper.”

Many students take more control of their children’s education as well. Since all school material is in English, Eloina can speak personally with her children’s teachers instead of relying on email or her children’s translation. Many of her fellow mothers also use Wikipedia and other websites for homework help. Seberina’s kids said she couldn’t learn computers. Now, when they leave for school, “I grab the computer and study it.”

Computers connect more than immediate families. For example, students like Magaly read newspapers from their homelands online. And gone are the days of expensive calling cards to Central America. “We talked three times a week. Now, we talk every day.” With webcams, they can even see relatives’ faces. Some go deeper, walking the streets of their past through web mapping applications like Google Maps. “We’ve asked for the [computer] program for a long time,” Yelba says.

When the students started computer classes, TFA’s Program Specialist Elmer saw frustration. “They were afraid to touch the computer.” Eloina jokes she turned computers off, so she couldn’t break them. Now, it’s her husband that’s frustrated; she’s always online.

“Everyone’s on the same level,” Imelda adds. “It would be distracting if someone was slower, but we learn together.”

If you’d like to support people acclimating to a new way of life, you can help.

The Spring Branch Family Development Center hosts a children’s center, a Boys and Girls Club, a community health center and more. For more information, call 713-996-8781 or visit 8575 Pitner Road.

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When one of the many Spring Branch Family Development Center’s (SBFDC) classes invited Director Ricardo Barnes to their class, he wasn’t sure what to expect. What he got was a formal presentation asking for a community computer lab. “When I explained we would need $30,000 to $50,000 for it, they were very surprised.”

But they were not daunted. Soon, community members were raising money and computer donations. And recently, a public computer center was formed through a relationship between SBFDC and Technology For All. 

Although the public lab answered public demand, many community members were skeptical of the proffered free computer access and training. Computer technology is not prevalent in the multicultural Spring Branch community, and this lack of knowledge puts many at risk of scams. One scam, Barnes explains, offers a computer for a low down payment. “But the computers are junk. They break in a month, and the people are left paying off a computer they can’t even use.” 

But when community members join a computer class or use the lab during an open session, homework and job searches replace skepticism and distrust. “Everything has spread by word-of-mouth,” which Barnes declares the best kind of promotion in this community. “We have 20 computers in the lab,” he continues, “and all 20 are filled every day. Our classes have waiting lists. The community absolutely needs this.”

If you’d like to support community development and unity through computers, you can help.

The Spring Branch Family Development Center hosts a children’s center, a Boys and Girls Club, a community health center and more. For more information, call 713-996-8781 or visit 8575 Pitner Road.