AFN Right Click May News!

AFN Right Click News MAY 2016

Empowerment Through Technology

Greetings from the Executive Director

Thank you for joining us for Austin's first Digital Inclusion Day and Digital Resource Fair, May 13! It was great to see so many adults and families at ACC's Highland Campus. Working with our partners Austin Community College, Skillpoint Alliance, Google Fiber and the City of Austin, our purpose for the day was to highlight the online resources available to enhance the lives of Austin residents.

Based on the City of Austin's 2014 Digital Assessment, we know that approximately 44% of those who do not use the Internet were not interested, %42% were without someone to teach them relevant skills, and others found the Internet too difficult to navigate. Our job at Austin Free-Net is to help bring these people online in a welcoming environment. It's also important to demonstrate the value of the Internet and teach them the skills they need to use it effectively. We hope that the Digital Resource Fair encouraged more people to go online and connect with digital inclusion organizations such as AFN.

Lastly, we want to thank Google Fiber for being the lead sponsor of this event. Google Fiber has gone beyond providing high speed Internet access to Austinites. They invest in organizations and digital literacy programs to ensure that no one gets left behind in the digital economy.

Help us continue to break down digital barriers and provide educational opportunities by donating today or volunteering your time.

Sincerely,

Juanita Budd

Program News

Digital Inclusion Day Connects Austin

With the reading of a proclamation from the Mayor's office, Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo officially kicked off Digital Inclusion Day on Friday, May 13. It was an exciting day for digital inclusion. We want to again thank our, sponsor Google Fiber, event partners and vendors for making this inaugural event a huge success! More than 200 people visited the Resource Fair at ACC Highland Campus and talked with 35 organizations.

Read more. See event photos!

Community Outreach Walks with COA Council Members

Thanks to the support of City of Austin Council Members Greg Casar and Ora Houston, our dynamic team of community volunteers and AFN staff we were able to connect with more than 1,000 households in May.

Our community walkers knocked on doors in the East Austin S

pringdale and Georgian Acres neighborhoods. They had over 200 conversations with residents about free classes, the importance of the Internet and digital literacy resources available to them - including our recent Digital Resource Fair + Tec Feria.

We also want to give a big thanks to Google Fiber and the students of the Community Leaders Program at The University of Texas at Austin. We would not have been able to organize these efforts without their work and support!

AFN & UT Students Launch Data Dashboard

What impact is AFN making on the community?

Thanks to the extensive work of students from the University of Texas and Google's Community Leadership Program, we now have an online Data Dashboard that shows viewers the impact we make every day, in real time.