Fulton County Libraries Host Digital Learning Workshops

Thanks to a recent initiative, local libraries are a new, central location for a series of our digital learning workshops in 2024. The effort is part of "Connect the Dots for Digital Equity," led by Fulton County Commissioner Dana Barrett.  

 “Digital equity is now the cornerstone to everything from education to job opportunities, to healthcare,” Commissioner Barrett explains “It's the modern-day bootstraps. We ask people to pick themselves up by their bootstraps, but if they don't have a laptop or a desktop at home, they don't have an internet connection, or they don’t know how to use internet tools, they can't actually participate in modern life.”  

 A valuable bridge 

Barrett’s passion for digital equity and her role in the community formed the perfect bridge between Fulton County Government, the Fulton County Library System, Comcast, and our organization. What’s more, Inspiredu Family Learning Workshops and Adult Digital Literacy workshops are designed to equip participants with essential digital skills for today’s needs, making them a great fit for the initiative.  

 Held at various Fulton County Library locations, there will be a total of eight workshops this year, with four already completed. So far, these sessions have served a diverse population of 201 learners, including 122 families and 85 adults. 

 Positive feedback 

 Participants find the workshops both enjoyable and beneficial. Michele Gaston and her 5th grade son Owen thought their session was fun and educational. “Plus, Owen now has a new computer he's going to use for schoolwork," Michele said.   

Similarly, Tammy Simpson-Hines, a grandmother, highlighted the impact on her family: "My daughter is a single mother with three kids. This program gives them the opportunity to get more computers in the house since her oldest, now a teenager, doesn't always want to share with the younger ones.”  

 Simpson hopes that having more devices will bring enthusiasm towards digital learning for all three children. 

 Just the beginning 

 Participant enthusiasm is just what Commissioner Barrett hoped for when she sponsored the initiative. “Now when I see the registration lists fill up and the excited faces in the room, I know we have found an effective way to get digital tools into the hands of those who need them most," she says.  

Barrett is grateful to Inspiredu CEO Richard Hicks and the entire Inspiredu team for bringing their workshops to the people of Fulton County at multiple locations throughout the Fulton County Library System, including Wolf Creek and Atlanta Central Library.