Cecilia Zavala on helping formerly incarcerated people learn digital skills

“For people returning to their communities after years or even decades behind bars, learning how to navigate the digital world can be an important step toward starting over.

“About a dozen formerly incarcerated people recently gathered inside the Ypsilanti District Library for a digital literacy workshop designed to teach skills that many people take for granted, including using a computer mouse, sending an email, and completing an online job application.

“The workshop is part of From Prison to Pro: Bridging the Digital Divide, a program launched this summer by the nonprofit Nation Outside.

You can’t really be a part of functioning society without those skills.

“Organizers say technology can be one of the biggest barriers facing people who have spent significant time incarcerated.

“‘A lot of people spend significant time incarcerated, 10 years, 15 years,’ said Nation Outside Executive Director Cecilia Zavala [Leading with Conviction™ 2023]. ‘So they come out. The world is different. And today we rely on technology for basically everything.’

“Without basic digital skills, returning citizens can have difficulty participating in everyday life, organizers said.

“‘If you don’t know how to use it, you can’t really be a part of functioning society without those skills,’ Zavala said.

“The program is designed to meet participants at their individual skill levels.”

Read the full story at ClickOnDetroit.com.