In December, Saheli will have completed its fifth session of computer literacy classes in Quincy. This year, the program introduced Online Profile Development, Networking and Productivity Skills with a workshop held in collaboration with Studley Group of Quincy. Fred Studley of Studley Group spoke about Profile Management and presentations. Volunteer teachers also facilitated workshops on LinkedIn profiles, Trello Project Collaborations, Facebook Networking and Documents. Library Assistant Director Clayton Cheever and Saheli Board Member Usha Vakil awarded certificates to students and volunteers.
These skills development classes help many women meet their professional needs to gain essential experience in technology, teaching, presentations and growing their networks to further economic mobility in the community. Many participants are looking forward to another session in the Spring of 2017 to advance their skills, while others are already testing the waters with technological advancements in their careers and personal lives.
The classes were initiated in 2015 by South Shore Coordinator Vandana Sharma as a project for Saheli’s Economic Empowerment Program. Saheli and Thomas Crane Public Library collaborated and began offering a free “Basics in Computers” course, which has drawn interest from a diverse group of people with varying needs. Library Assistant Director Clayton Cheever and his staff have been instrumental in providing the space and computers for this program. Saheli volunteers also played a major part in making these sessions functional. These volunteers ranged from teachers, class aides and registration attendants. The program has grown four graduating batches with twelve participants in each session. The participants in each batch developed work and personal skills and earned certificates in Basics, Intermediate and Advanced Microsoft Office Documents.
