Explore the Benefits of the Community Technology Ambassador Program.
The significance of technology and its impact on society has been rampant since the pandemic, leaving our digitally marginalized communities in the dark. Many tasks like requesting a doctor’s appointment, developing and submitting a resume, or even grocery shopping, can now seem daunting to individuals who have less familiarity with technology. In 2018, Dev/Mission developed the CTA program which operates to combat this digital divide by providing direct free tech support to San Francisco residents.
The CTA program is known as Community Technology Ambassadors Program, where a graduate of the pre-apprenticeship program has the opportunity to become a CTA intern. Each intern is placed in Affordable and Low Income Communities to practice their newly acquired knowledge in tech to support our digitally marginalized San Francisco community.
The Expansion
As a CTA intern, tasks involve assisting clients with various technology needs which include troubleshooting, data backup/recovery, device setup and optimization, and email configuration. Their role as Community Technology Ambassadors demonstrates their value in supporting San Francisco residents. In order to provide this benefit to the digitally marginalized communities, it became evident that an expansion is necessary.
The original five tech support locations are: Valencia Gardens, 1030 Oakdale, 3 Harbor, Bernal Dwellings and Hayes Valley South. With our desire to expand, we have also established five brand new tech support locations throughout San Francisco.
These locations include: (1) Carter Terrace, (2) Five Keys, (3) North Ping Yuen, (4) The Arc San Francisco, and (5) The Margot. Now, with 10 total locations, this opportunity lends much easier access to free direct tech support for San Francisco’s digitally marginalized communities. If you would like access to these tech support locations, you can find a location near you by seeking our tech support page.
2024 CTA Stats
Tech Support Hours
As San Francisco continues to face this digital divide, many local residents have sought out our interns assistance. The work our CTA interns put in this previous year (2024) is a total of 1,142 hours providing 1,012 residents with any tech related questions and concerns. This number is not including the support they provide at each of our Dev/Mission Refurbathon events which adds about 2-3 extra hours per event. These free one-on-one sessions with a CTA intern provides our residents with a handful of guidance and support regarding technology knowledge in pursuit of closing the digital divide.
Devices Refurbished and Distributed
As we seek opportunities to educate our local residents, we also provide them with tangible resources on top of the intangible knowledge. In our mission to close the digital divide, our Refurbathon events and Digital Literacy courses have combined in the distribution of 309 total refurbished laptops in 2024. That’s almost one laptop a day! As the digital age is inevitable, it inspires our purpose to help support San Francisco’s digitally marginalized community by enabling them easy access to these resources.
By providing these events and resources to overlooked San Francisco communities, they gain knowledge, resources, and especially confidence in their abilities to manage through their own digital devices. Residents interested in attending future Basic Digital Literacy courses, I encourage you to check out our tech support page for more information and subscribe to our newsletter to stay up-to-date with our upcoming events.
Success Story and Impact
Whether you have no familiarity or sufficient enough familiarity with tech, assistance with any device can be inquired about at any one of our CTA locations. Our CTA program proves beneficial to all San Francisco residents as it acts as a ‘tech bar’ for residents through free tech support. Individuals inquiring about CTA services have expressed their experiences as empowering as they begin to navigate the digital world.
A CTA intern from 2024’s cohort 10, Milly, provided a client with exceptional help regarding file organization. The client, Felicia, had learned about the CTA program through the SF Public Library and scheduled an appointment at the Valencia location. Felicia shares her story of seeking guidance and the impact through Milly’s assistance.
“I’m approaching middle age and never had a lot of exposure to the technology so regularly used now. I feel very left behind… I needed some help with basic file organization. Angelo facilitated the appointment and I met with both him and a knowledgeable intern named Milly. They were incredibly helpful, genuine, and kind. I couldn’t have asked for better people to assist and guide me in a way that was comfortable. I left feeling more confident and empowered and even signed up for their free computer literacy program, which they introduced me to. I’m really grateful I stumbled upon this organization!”
Through Milly’s experience with the pre-apprenticeship program, she was able to guide Felicia with any question brought forth. Of the 1,012 clients helped out, this is one of many stories that impacted a fellow San Francisco resident with knowledge that resulted in feelings of confidence and empowerment.
Goals for the Future
From only five total locations this previous year, to doubling that number by this Spring, exposes the value our program has to offer in assisting others. The growth of the CTA program has benefited our community members tremendously, providing almost half of San Francisco with a location to receive free direct tech support. We aspire to increase the number of locations throughout San Francisco in order to provide everyone with access to free digital resources.
We would not have been able to expand to these lengths without the grants provided to our Community Technology Ambassador intern program. With acknowledgements and appreciation to Rey LaChaux, the Digital Equity Manager of the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD), Stupski Foundation, & AT&T, these initiatives have generously funded the CTA program expansion in recognition of the support our CTA interns provide. Our mission to provide free tech support at locations accessible to all San Francisco residents will decrease this digital divide and benefit our digitally marginalized community.
Dev/Mission expects to continue extending future support to local underserved communities. According to Leo Sosa, “We pay attention to where the need for digital knowledge and tech support is and provide a Community Ambassador in every affordable housing location of San Francisco.” Overlooked communities that may lack use and knowledge of technology can express their interest in our expansion to more accessible institutional spaces near them by reaching out to CTA Program Coordinator, Angelo Pasagui.
With many career paths requiring moderate to professional tech knowledge, our program is designed to expose individuals to these skill-building opportunities to gain experience helping the community. If you find yourself going through trouble with any devices or tech issues, inquire in the free tech support when necessary. Organizations in the corporate world with piqued interest in our tech support programs, I strongly encourage you to reach out to the director of Dev/Mission, Leonardo Sosa, regarding any collaborative support, partnerships, or other ways to help the community.
