Written By: Daniela Ramirez Arias
The Latino community in the United States continues to face significant challenges in accessing and using technology. According to UnidosUS, approximately one in four Latino adults relies solely on their smartphone to connect to the internet, which limits their opportunities for education, employment, and communication. In response to this reality, programs like Digital Skills for Life (DS4L) / Basic Computing at Mi Casa Resource Center play a key role by providing training in digital literacy for both daily life and the workplace.
The testimony of one of our participants clearly reflects this impact:
“The importance of studying this computer class is learning about different software and hardware programs, which can be used in daily and work life—for example, organizing files or searching for information more safely online. Thanks to what I’ve learned, I can now communicate with my family through video calls, send emails and messages, talk with my mother’s doctor and hospital, pay bills online, make medical appointments, and organize my activities in the calendar. I also look up news, recipes, listen to music, and watch movies. The digital world is very broad, and I loved learning more in this class.”
This testimony shows how digital literacy strengthens family communication, makes access to health services easier, encourages personal organization, and opens new opportunities for participation in social and cultural life.
Within the framework of Grandparents’ Month in September, it is especially meaningful to recognize how technology allows many Latino families to maintain emotional bonds through video calls and messages, even when physical distance separates them. Likewise, during Hispanic Heritage Month we celebrate how these technological skills not only promote digital inclusion, but also help preserve and share our traditions, culture, and values with new generations.
In this way, DS4L contributes to reducing the digital divide and empowering the Latino community with essential technological tools for their overall development, the strengthening of their families, and the celebration of their cultural identity.
Interview with Flor:
Our participant is Flor de María Vera Castillo. She has participated in the Digital Skills in Spanish and Accounting Bootcamps, and she will be attending Digital Skills and ESL again this fall.
What is the most valuable thing you have learned in Mi Casa’s Basic Computing class?
“The importance of studying this computer class is learning about different programs like software and hardware, which can be used in daily and work life—such as organizing files, searching for information more safely when using the internet, and the different programs that can be used to stay connected to the digital world, which is very necessary for communication today.”
In what ways has what you learned helped you in your daily life or with your family? Or, how has technology helped you share, preserve, or celebrate your traditions and culture with your family or community?
“I learned to communicate with my family through video calls—we even have coffee together in the mornings, even though we are far apart. The internet keeps us connected. I send emails and messages asking about my mother’s health; I can communicate with the doctor and hospital where she is hospitalized. I can also look up news, recipes, or any address I need. I can now pay bills online, make medical appointments, and organize my activities. I use the calendar to remember different tasks, practice tests for what I’m studying, listen to music, and sometimes watch movies. The digital world is very broad, and I loved learning more in this class.”
If you or someone in your community could benefit from computer classes, please contact:
Daniela Ramirez Arias
dramirez@micasaresourcecenter.org
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