Digital Skills Class Fosters Community Do you struggle to use your computer or cell phone? Do you find the internet overwhelming? Are you unsure about artificial intelligence or scared of falling victim to a cyber scam? If you answered yes to any of these questions, consider signing up for the tenweek digital skills class beginning midJune at the Monterey Library. The class is a partnership between Tech Goes Home (TGH), a Massachusetts-based nonprofit that works to provide communities with equitable access to digital skills training, and the Alliance for Digital Equity. Classes are taught by staff from the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) and are limited to no more than fifteen learners. The June class will be the second one held in Monterey, with the first having begun in late March. A similar class recently wrapped up at the Lanesborough Council on Aging, and another is slated to start in June at Dalton’s COA. Aleesha Siddiqui, BRPC’s Lead for America/American Connection Corps Digital Equity Fellow, led the first class in Monterey. The class met Tuesday mornings at the Monterey Library and covered a range of skills and subjects, from laptop and email basics to defending against cyberattacks and scams. Students also helped tailor the class to their needs by suggesting topics they wanted to learn outside the TGH curricula. Recently, Aleesha added a class on artificial intelligence (AI) after students expressed interest in learning how to identify AI-generated text and images. The class starting in June will include lectures, hands-on group activities, and discussions, all filtered through Siddiqui’s energetic and humorous approach to the digital world. Annie Rye, a student in the first Monterey TGH class, remarked that “Aleesha is an amazing instructor with dazzle and delight, but she’s more than a highly skilled professional -- she engages her students, going above and beyond the course curriculum.” Other students are reflecting on the way the class changed not only how they understand technology but also their sense of community. Student Mayra Rodriguez marveled at how the class “created a community of learners where we can take tech risks and support each other’s learning.” She shared that the class helped her observe “how technology allows us seniors to navigate the web in a safer and inclusive manner; technology minimizes the social isolation that comes with aging.” A unique aspect of the Tech Goes Home class is that students who attend all ten classes receive a free Google Chromebook and a free Wi-Fi hotspot subscription for a year. If you’re interested in signing up for the next TGH class starting mid-June at the Monterey Library, contact BRPC’s Aleesha Siddiqui at asiddiqui@berkshireplanning.org, or call her at (413) 442-1521, ext. 33, to register. — Aleesha Siddiqui AmeriCorps Lead for America Fellow