The COVID-19 pandemic devastated the world and severely impacted refugee communities as they lacked digital literacy skills and access to technologies. Unlike others who have evolved with the digital revolution, proper training in technological resources remains vital for the refugee community.

When the pandemic began, the need for digital literacy among members of the refugee community was urgent and desperate. EMBARC responded to this call, launching the IT Navigator project to assist the community with digital literacy training. The project provides more than training by nurturing trainees to become trainers for their own community. As EMBARC recruited community members to learn and teach digital skills, hope emerged for improved digital literacy in refugee communities.

One of the students of the project, Za Aung, realizes online learning is one of the most critical technological needs in her community due to COVID-19.

“Especially during the COVID crisis right now, students like kids need laptops or desktops to keep studying because they can’t go to school,” Aung said. “But most of our parents don’t know how to use a computer. I think parents should have some knowledge of basic computer skills to help their kids that are very young.”

To meet these needs, Aung said she wants to teach several topics after the IT Navigator training. Due to the increased importance of video conferencing at work and in everyday life, she plans to teach parent groups how to set up and use virtual meeting applications. Aung would also like to teach the importance of digital footprints and online privacy.

“I want parent groups to understand both the pros and cons of using social media to guide their children better with their use of the internet and social media,” she said.

Aung applauds the IT Navigator curriculum for covering basic computer skills along with other topics related to using technologies.

“The IT Navigator training, the structure, and curriculum is very useful, especially for students, I think because they cover everything. Career search, social media, PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, Excel, and so many other topics,” she said.

She also recognizes learning how to craft and structure a cover letter as the most valuable information from the course applicable to her career.

The IT Navigator project provides an invaluable learning experience not only for students from the refugee community but also for the team members of the project. One of the IT mentors and the EMBARC Cybersecurity Intern, Destiny Luong, reflects on her first time teaching a course while managing the young adult student group.

“Since I’m a teacher in a way, it’s pretty rewarding seeing how much they learn, and it’s like ‘oh wow,’ this is how teachers feel,” she said. Luong expresses a gratifying feeling from observing the progress and growth of her students in training.

With the upsurge of internet crimes and scams over various media, Luong indicates one of the positive functions of the course is that it’s a preventative resource for the refugee community.

“The refugee community will get a better understanding of technology,” Luong said. “Because technology is growing, you have to be more aware of attacks and other security concerns.”

Another student of the project, Alex Niyonyishu, recognizes how the IT Navigator project supplements his ongoing efforts in helping his community with technological challenges.

“I’ve been helping a lot of members in my community with online applications, online shopping, and applying for citizenship. I’m also helping kids learn online with visual learning because some students don’t even know how to use computers, so I feel like the program goes along with what I’m already doing,” he said.

In addition to community support, Niyonyishu finds the program useful for his career in accounting and financial management of his church. He’s excited about his improvement in typing skills and appreciates the IT Navigator project for providing him a chance to refresh his knowledge of softwares.

“I remember doing Word, Excel, and Microsoft Office. But I don’t work with them daily, so going over them again reminded me and refreshed my mind,” Niyonyishu said.

He prides himself on his newfound confidence with technology after the course and plans to apply these skills toward serving his community.

“I know a lot of people in my community do not know how to apply for jobs online. A lot of my community does not know what’s going on right now, like they aren’t able to go online and search for news. So now I am able to provide good assistance to whoever needs it,” Niyonyishu said.

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EMBARC’s IT Navigator Project Fuels Digital Literacy and Community Outreach

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