This week’s SoroptiVoice blog comes from Linda Bradbrook, President of SI Mendocino-Sonoma Coas, and Carole Bennet, President of SI Novato. Together, these ladies are developing an innovative project providing IT training to rural women in the USA. CSW56 opens on Monday and the priority theme is centred on rural women. However, often the difficulties facing rural women in ‘developed’ countries are forgotten. This project reminds us that rural women all over the world experience difficulties in accessing the enabling opportunities they need to develop their skills sets – and that where there is a Soroptimist will, there is a Soroptimist way as Linda and Carole demonstrate!
How do you learn to operate a
computer when you are a mature woman living in a very small, remote, community,
two hours away from adult education programs or community colleges? Private
tutoring may be available but beyond most women’s financial means. This
challenge is not just a need for mature women in remote communities but it is
also a need within Soroptimist clubs as more and more support services from our
Regions and Federations come to us electronically.
Soroptimists are educated
business women who have served our communities diligently, but in this new age
of electronics, many of our members may be embarrassed by lack of computer
knowledge, struggling, and possibly dropping out or refusing to move into
leadership roles.
In December 2011 President Linda
of S I of Mendocino-Sonoma Coast saw the email signature of President Carole of
SI of Novato who is a computer instructor at a community college,= and she
contacted Carole. At first, the discussion was about Carole traveling two
hours of twisting remote roads to teach classes, but that was not realistic.
Putting their creative heads
together they decided to develop an online step-by-step instructional pathway
for anyone to learn about computers, with the goal of preparing women to access
online college classes for further education. Today advanced studies in many
fields are available through online education, but without the computer
knowledge to register for and take online classes, it is impossible to utilize
the education available.
Carole had experience developing
YouTube videos to supplement her online college instruction and knew about the
tremendous resources available online. The task seemed to be one of organizing
instructional material in a step-by-step manner with a user-friendly online web
site. Experimenting with a variety of approaches, the two of them settled on
adding pages to the existing Novato club’s web site.
Carole obtained assistance from
club member Brandy Donahoe who coached her in the development of the web page. The next step was developing a step-by-step outline of computer knowledge. The
goal was not just for beginners. They also wanted to provide videos and tools to
perform specific fundraising tasks and projects. This outline will continuously
evolve as the links slowly come together taking viewers to YouTube
movies.
The introductory video was
developed by Linda and Carole, and tells about the Soroptimist interest in
meeting the computer needs of rural women. Here is the eight-minute
introductory YouTube movie:
Realizing the need to
efficiently glean through thousands of YouTube movies to add to the links in the
outline, local clubs were requested to help “shop for free” the tremendous
YouTube inventory for quality movies that would assist in supporting the
step-by-step outline.
Anyone with suggestions of
quality helpful YouTube videos, please send links (the URL or web addresses) to
be added to the list. Please provide your feedback and suggestions. When a
video cannot be found to fill a need, Carole and Linda will attempt to develop
it!
For a preview of the growing
site, visit:
http://soropnovato.org/becoming-a-computer-user/
or, www.soropnovato.org and
click on VIDEOS on the Navigation Bar. Either way will get you to the
site.
To quote SISWP President Yvonne’s
earlier blog:
"Education provides the bridge
between our present and the future, between the current and the potential. It
enables and empowers us to move forward with confidence and in peace."