Issue link: https://takingitglobal.uberflip.com/i/1477966
65 # R I S I N G Y O U T H C O M M U N I T Y I M P A C T V O L . 2 There were people in my community who shared one digital device while there were others who just didn't know how to adjust as quickly to the various platforms and technology being used and were struggling to catch up... W hile information may now be available at the click of a button, there are many who lack the the skills and resources to navigate it. With the rise of online learning due to COVID-19, this gap in knowledge grew ever wider with detrimental effects on families from lower socio-economic backgrounds or other marginalized communities who do not have access to the resources or support in navigating technology. Recognizing this issue and experiencing it firsthand, Myera Iftikhar organized a series of online digital literacy workshops/modules aimed to help parents better support their child's online learning at home while also encouraging parent engagement. "There were people in my community who shared one digital device, while there were others who just didn't know how to adjust as quickly to the various platforms and technology being used and were struggling to catch up," Myera shares. "There was no system in place to Teaching Digital Literacy in An Era of Online Learning Myera Iftikhar support them. Given the barriers I saw in my community, I thought, why not build a system myself to help support families?" And that she did! With the support of an adult digital literacy consultant to help develop the curriculum, volunteer secondary and post-secondary students delivered the workshops and modules. Myera took a small group learning approach and included 14 people to take part in the workshop series. "The real impact of my project was the sense of empowerment I could see from participants by the end of each workshop session," Myera proudly continues. "There were session participants taking notes, helping each other out during one of our activities, and even parents with their children watching the session together. It felt like the project was creating this space that wasn't there before for the families, and they were thriving!" A special thank you to Mind Your Mind and Let's Get Together for sharing the #RisingYouth grant opportunity with Myera to make this project possible. Let's Get Together's website, on which you can learn more about Myera's project.