AFN Right Click News                                                                             December  2016
Empowerment Through Technology

Greetings from the Executive Director


With the holiday season upon us, we at Austin Free-Net are happy to provide the Austin community with the services they need to connect with the world. 

In November, we offered online support and Internet access for 57 families during the Austin Police Department's Operation Blue Santa program and launched a new two-week Senior training class for AARP.

The need for public access to the Internet is so crucial during these months so that our community members can gain access to social services, job resources, and connect to distant family members. We are proud to serve the Austin community, and we are constantly striving to find new ways to close the digital divide and create opportunities for everyone to succeed.

We are looking forward to 2017 and the many possibilities to break down digital barriers. Have a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year!

Sincerely,

Juanita Budd
 
Program News
Connecting Seniors to Technology

What is Skype? How can I avoid internet scams?  How do I send friends photos of my grandkids?   These are just a few of the many questions our senior students are asking in a new program we launched in November.  AFN partnered with the Austin chapter of the AARP to teach 50 seniors basic computer skills. 
  
AFN Awarded a national  #DeluxeCARES Grant

We are excited to announce that AFN was awarded a $10,000 Short & Tweet Grant from Deluxe Corporation Foundation. To celebrate it's 100th anniversary, Deluxe established a special grants nomination program via Twitter.  Austin Free-Net was one of 10 nonprofits across the country to receive a $10,000 grant to help non-profits tackle digital inclusion and some of the biggest issues in our community today. Thank you DeluxeCARES for supporting AFN and the Austin community.


Youth Web Space Program Celebration

This year, AFN had the unique opportunity to teach the next generation of technology developers - High School students. Through a one year grant with the City of Austin's Health and Human Services Department and partnership with the City of Austin's Youth and Family Services department, we offered multiple six-week Website design classes in Austin and Dell Valle school districts. 

New Saturday Technology Workshops
Thanks to the enthusiastic volunteer support from members of Lambda Alpha Nu, a computer science fraternity at the University of Texas, we recently offered two intermediate level technology workshops; Intro to Google Drive and Intro to Web Development
Sign Up for DECA Working Group

Closing out 2016, the City of Austin Office of Telecommunications & Regulatory Affairs (TARA) staff led the last Digital Empowerment Community of Austin (DECA) meeting for the year on December 9.  Launched in 2015, DECA is a network of digital inclusion organizations and stakeholders working to improve our community's ability to participate in a digital society. AFN has partnered with TARA to lead this initiative.
 
At the recent meeting, participants were asked to select action oriented sub-groups centered around the following objectives: 

1. Offer Train the Trainer Skills-based workshops
2. Coordinate with TechHire: Workforce Development Initiative
3. Create Digital Literacy Standards
4. Develop a Standardized Client Survey

AFN Holiday Hours

Austin Free-Net will be closed the following days in December and January for the Holidays.

Thursday, December 22
Friday, December 23
Monday, December 26

Monday, January 2

Have a wonderful Holiday!

In This Issue
Holiday Giving

Can't decide on a Holiday gift?

Give the gift of 
Digital Literacy 
by supporting
 Austin Free-Net. 

Through the generous support of you and our partners, we can continue to provide free training and Internet access to those in need in our community.
Daybreak Games

We want to again thank Daybreak Games for the wonderful equipment donation to AFN on #GivingTuesday, November 29! They graciously donated several high end computers, servers, monitors and accessories. The hardware was formerly used in the creation of online games. We look forward to working with Daybreak Games in the future to help break down digital barriers in Austin.

AFN Supporters
Thank you to our 2015-2016 Supporters & Partners







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