ByteBack Fall 2010 Newsletter FINAL

8/7/2019 ByteBack Fall 2010 Newsletter FINAL

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Byte Back was awarded a $551,000 Broadband Technology Opportunities(BTOP) stimulus grant from the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA) inon August 18th. The grant will make it possible for Byte Back to teach PersonalComputing (PC) for Beginners and Office Track over the next two years to 1600DC residents in their at libraries in their communities. The PC for Beginners courseteaches basic computer skills such as typing and Mouse basics as well as filemanagement. In the Office Track class, students learn the ins and outs of Micro-soft Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint. Through the grant, classes will beoffered to special populations such as individuals with disabilities, senior citizens,foster children, and Spanish speakers, which will be custom designed to fit theneeds of each population served. Classes will begin on November 15 and 16 atthe Anacostia and Capital View Neighborhood Libraries. All low income gradu-ates will receive a free refurbished computer and a year of free internet service.

This grant came about after months of careful planning and a rigorous applica-tion process in collaboration with Chris Tonjes, Director of Information Technology(IT) for DC Public Libraries (DCPL) and Ken Boley, Director of IntergovernmentalInitiatives for the DC Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO). Byte Backwas asked to partner with DCPL and OCTO because of the success of the Per-sonal Computing (PC) for Beginners Seniors pilot program in partnership withDCPL in the first half of 2010. As with that program, First Time Computers will

partner to provide the refurbished computers and Cricket Communications willprovide the internet service.

We are excited to have this opportunity to provide computer skills to so manyDistrict residents right in their neighborhood libraries, said Byte Back DirectorKelley Ellsworth. This partnership will provide all the components needed to helpbridge the digital divide for low-income Washingtonians.

BYTE BACK AWARDED

STIMULUS GRANT

H I G H L I G H T S

Directors Corner 2

New Staff 3

Green Jobs Grant 4

Summer Camps 4

Success Story: JobFinders

5

Summer YouthEmployment Program

6

Strategic Plan 7

Byte Back Builds Capacity 8

Volunteer of the Season 9

In the News / ANCGrant

9

A Quarterly Newsletter

FALL 2010

INFO-BYTES
http://www.firsttimecomputers.org/default.asp


2/12

2

REACHING NEW MILESTONESAND LOOKING AHEAD TO THEFUTURE

D I R E C T O R S C O R N E R

Kelley Ellsworth, Executive Director

In our last fiscal year, which ended in June 2010, Byte Backreached an important milestone: we taught over 1000 stu-dents. We increased our enrollment from 442 in FY09 to1039 in FY10, an increase of 235%! We are proud that wewere able to increase our capacity to that level, and thank-ful to our funders, partner agencies and volunteers whomade that possible.

We could not have done this work alone. Byte Back has re-ceived a grant, technical assistance and pro bono profes-sional development opportunities thanks to service grantsfrom two agencies: the Center for Neighborhood Enterpriseand the D.C. governments Strengthening Communities Fund

[see Byte Back Builds Capacity, page 9]. A grant from ANC5C supplied needed funds as well as a vote of confidencefrom the neighborhood.

A team of twenty youth from the Department of EmploymentServices (DOES) Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP)enabled us to reach out to several new partners this summerand meet the training needs of dozens of additional students[see Summer Youth Program, page 7]. The most outstandingof these SYEP youth, Jonathan Colbert, is featured as ourVolunteer of the Season [see article, page 9].

Two very special summer camps for youth enabled Byte Backto indirectly serve a younger clientele. (These students are

not included in our enrollment figures.) While Byte Backsmission is to serve low-income adults, we were able to makeboth of our computer labs available for weekly visits by twocamps. [see Summer Camps at Byte Back, page 4 for de-tails.]

What is more important than the number of students ByteBack serves are our outcomes. It is not enough to providetechnology instruction to our students. We must also teachthem to overcome their fears of technology, to develop alove of learning, and to give them access to the opportunitiesthat can dramatically change their lives. For many of ourstudents, learning how to use the computer to apply for jobs,research their health problems and access government ser-

vices can make a big difference.

However, some of our students come to us specifically for jobtraining in the midst of a grueling economy. In FY10, 39% ofByte Back job training graduates who were unemployedwere able to find jobs. Of those who already had job, 17%received a raise as a result of their training. The averagewages were $11.80 per hour.

While this is quite an accomplishment given the state of theeconomy and fact that most of our students have sporadicwork histories and are either homeless or near homeless, weare not satisfied.

Over the past few months, we have established targetedrelationships with employers. In the month of August alone,Benjamin Freedman, our Employment Specialist placed fiveByte Back students in employment, with average wages of$17.00 per hour. Two of these students are profiled on page.

In spite of these great strides, our work is not done. Almostevery day last week, I received an email from a differentnonprofit asking if we would send teachers and curricula totheir computer labs. Our classes are full to capacity and have

waiting lists. Consistent press coverage spreads the wordabout our programs [see Byte Back In The News, page 9].

Our Board of Directors has created a new, carefully craftedstrategic three-year plan for the organization [see ByteBacks Strategic Plan page 7.].

Fortunately, Byte Back has been awarded a total of eightAmeriCorps volunteers who will spend the coming year withus, greatly expanding our capacity to meet the needs of thecommunity. Four of these volunteers are from DC Learns, twofrom Lutheran Volunteer Corps and two are from Public Allies.The first five arrived in August and are profiled on page 3.

Thankfully, Byte Back received two large grant awards tohelp us continue to grow our programs and capacity. ByteBack will receive $551,000 of a large grant from the Ameri-can Recovery and Reinvestment Act to the D.C. Office of theChief Technology Officer. We will partner with the DC PublicLibrary to provide free computer classes to 1600 D.C. resi-dents over two years at their neighborhood libraries. The firstclasses begin November 15th at the Anacostia Library andNovember 16th at the Capital View Library.

A $100,000 grant from the Department of Employment Ser-vices (also from ARRA funds) will enable Byte Back to launcha new and exciting programs, partnering with two otheragencies to provide training to DC residents in how to open

their own neighborhood-based computer repair shops. [Seearticle, page 4 for details.]

Even with all of this assistance, we still your help to build ourcapacity as we look to continue build upon our work for abrighter future for our students and Byte Back. If you wouldlike to make a donation to support our work or would like tovolunteer your talents, please let us know. Your help is

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3/12 3

BYTE BACK WELCOMES NEW STAFF

This August, Byte Back welcomed new volunteer staff. Threefrom DC Learns Literacy AmeriCorps, Kyle Johnson, RobertWaisburd, and Meg Davis; and two from Lutheran VolunteerCorps (LVC), Marquita Jones and Zach Kulzer. Each of theseoutstanding women and men are bringing a zeal for and com-mitment to service as well as talents and expertise that will en-

hance the services delivered by Byte Back. Meet our new volun-teer staff!

Kyle Johnson: Kyle Johnson, a Boston,Massachusetts native, is a social butterflywho enjoys the company of others. Kylesays, I love to be with fabulous, innova-tive people. Her love for creative peo-ple is one of the many factors that in-spired her to join AmeriCorps and serveat Byte Back. Prior to coming to ByteBack, Johnson volunteered with an At-lanta nonprofit called Book Bank work-ing to improve literacy. While there, shewas inspired to continue to be a changeagent for literacy, which led her to ap-ply to AmeriCorps and Byte Back. While

at Byte Back, Kyle will work as a computer instructor focusingmainly on teaching adults basic [computer] literacy skills.

Meg Davis: An aspiring lawyer and agraduate of the University of Michiganat Ann Arbor, Meg Davis is a new in-structor at Byte Back. Meg will beteaching PC for Beginners and OfficeTrack. She says that she knew shewanted to take a year off betweengraduation and applying to law schoolto do service. Meg decided to do ayear of service at Byte Back becauseshe is impressed by how Byte Backgives the community support to gainemployment and improve their ability

to use technology. Of her hopes for this year, she expresses, Ihope that my students can come to appreciate technology andthe Internet the way I do, and learn to use it in a variety ofways.

When she is not in the classroom teaching, Meg enjoys going tothe library, reading, the beach, watersports, bike riding, andplanning adventures.

Robert Waisburd: A graduate ofSUNY Purchase College, RobertWaisburd believes that the sky is thelimit, and hopes to show Byte Backstudents just that there no limit to howfar they can go; a concept that hebelieves should be conveyed to allstudents so that they are aware oftheir limitless potential. Robert will beteaching a variety of courses rangingfrom Microsoft Office to International

Core Certification 3 (IC3). Robert deeply believes in the workthat Byte Back does. He says, I believe the services that ByteBack provides for the community in the form of computer liter-acy classes is essential for individuals who need skills to attainor retain jobs in the expanding electronic/technological world.

Marquita Jones: Marquita Jones, Direc-tor of Communications and Developmentbelieves that sharing the stories of service,and the achievements that result fromservice is just as important as the serviceitself; a belief that she will apply to herwork on Byte Backs newsletter, blogs,and other written communications. Mar-quitas main responsibilities will includeoverseeing Byte Backs communications,and assisting Kelley Elllsworth, Byte BacksExecutive Director with development work,which includes researching and develop-ing grants proposals and fundraising.

During her year at Byte Back, Marquita hopes to build strong astrong communications brand for Byte Back. Marquita is a nativeof Miami, FL and a graduate of Lenoir-Rhyne College (now Uni-versity). In her spare time, she enjoys reading, writing, photog-raphy, and exploring museums.

Zack Kulzer: During his year of ser-vice, Zack, a Des Moines, Iowa native,will serve as a computer instructorteaching computer classes to Byte Backstudents. When asked what quote bestdescribes his outlook on life, Zackchose: Be the change you wish to seein the world by Mahatma Gandhi. Headds, To me, being the change I wishto see means that I need to embody thekind of person who can make a differ-ence. For him, that means not just talk-ing about impacting change, but takingaction and being proactive. People

always talk about improving the lives of others, but unless somepeople are willing to get their hands dirty and pitch in, changecomes too late for so many people. Exemplifying this commit-ment, Zack is also serving as Interim volunteer coordinator until apermanent replacement is found.

Zach decided to serve at Byte Back due to his passion for elimi-nating social justice. I applied to Byte Back because I have apassion for working towards social justice and a major factorthat often gets overlooked is the technological gap..I want toalleviate the problems that stem from the technological gap.He adds, If I complete my year and know that I have positivelyaffected someones life, that will be gratification enough.


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4

GREEN JOBS GRANT

Over the summer, Byte Back was the site of the PediatricAIDS/HIV Care (PAHC) summer camp, which is the onlyurban day camp for children and youth ages 12-18infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS that is federallyfunded.

Camp participants spent the summer learning life skillscommunication, and decision making skills needed to leadmeaningful adult lives. PAHC participants used Byte Backcomputer labs weekly during the summer. Open DoorSummer Camp also used Byte Backs computer labs.

Kelley Ellsworth, Executive Director states, While ByteBack does not directly serve youth, we do however openour computer labs to organizations and programs, andother worthy causes that do.

SUMMER CAMPS AT BYTE BACK

Byte Backs Computer Repair, Refurbish, Recycle Program,a partnership with First Time Computers and WashingtonArea Community Investment Fund (WACIF) has receivednew funding through the Green Jobs grants. Awarded bythe Department of Employment Services (DOES), the Dis-tricts labor and workforce development agency, the

Green Jobs grant aims to provide employment opportuni-ties to DC residents in green fields such as weatherization,energy efficiency, green building services, green auditingskills training, and computer recycling.

In a DOES press release, DOES Director, Joseph Walshstated, These investments will develop a skilled workforcethat is essential to our economic recoveryand will pro-vide hope and opportunity to individuals and families inthe District who are struggling to make ends meet and getback to work.

In August, Byte Back was selected as one of five GreenJobs grant recipients. The grant, totaling $100,000 willmake it possible for Byte Back and two partners agencies,to provide training DC residents in computer repair andrefurbishment as well as how to start their own computerrepair business. Furthermore, by securing the grant, ByteBack was able to hire Michael Bradley, an alumni of ByteBacks A+ Certification Program. Michael, who was thefeatured success story in the spring issue of Info-Bytes, isalso a self-employed contractor of Information Technology(IT) services. It is fitting that Bradley is teaching the A+Certification classes; the very same course that helped him

to become self-employed. He will not only be a teacher, buta source of inspiration and invaluable knowledge for stu-dents. I hope to show each student that having a companyof your own as a full-time or part-time option is a great stepforward.

Kelley Ellsworth, Executive Director of Byte Back states, I amvery excited about this new program, which has the potentialto solve so many problems at once: recycling computers, cre-ating new jobs, and providing affordable computer repair inunderserved neighborhoods. Byte Back is thrilled to be part-nering with WACIF and First Time Computers.


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SUCCESS STORY: JOB FINDERS

Employment Specialist Benjamin Freedman works with students.

At the heart of Byte Backs achievements are the successstories of our students, many of whom are unemployed,underemployed. Byte Back students are not only able tosucceed despite the odds because of their resilient spirits,and because of the high level of caring, guidance, andsupport provided by Byte Back staff. This is especially trueof the work that our Employment Specialist BenjaminFreedman has done with two Byte Back students, who suc-cessfully obtained employment! Here are their inspiringstories of success and determination.

Juan Nino, Byte Backs top A+ graduate in thefall 2009 cohort began working with Benjamin upon com-pleting his A+ certification. With Benjamins assistance,Juan was able to format his resume as well as learn thefiner points of resume writing and polish his interview skills.I was getting job offers six weeks after our first meeting[with Freedman] Juan, says. After eight weeks of aggres-sive job hunting, he was hired by IT company where hedoes tier1 helpdesk work as well as blackberry activationand troubleshooting.

Juan, a native of DC, came to Byte Back to further his com-puter skills, realizing that computer skills open doors tomany career opportunities. The experience of being a stu-dent at Byte Back was wonderful and life changing for

Juan. Byte Back has made a major difference in my lifegiving me the opportunity to achieve my goals for technol-ogy and reassuring me that anything is possible with dedi-cation and hard work. He adds, The services and thestaff, and the classes that Byte Back offers will allow youto reach monumental goals and give you the solid founda-tion needed to propel you in the right direction.

Matilda Spio-Garbrah attests to thedoors that Byte Back classes can open in the world of em-ployment. After being out of work for several months,

Matilda knew that she needed enhance her skills in order togain employment. To achieve this, she turned to Byte Backand beginning in April 2010, she took two courses: OfficeTrack and QuickBooks. It was absolutely necessary [to takethe classes] because I had been out of work for somemonths..the courses gave me a good overview of Word, Ex-cel, and PowerPoint 2007. Her coursework gave her a new-found confidence. I have been very pleased with the rele-vant courses which made me more confident when I took atest with an agency or a prospective employer.

While taking QuickBooks, Matilda began working with Ben-jamin focusing on career choices and exploration as well asresume and cover letter. She recalls how invaluable his ex-pertise was in her jobs search, He took the time to go overmy mistakes and explained the importance of having an ex-cellent resume.

Thanks to her hard work and Benjamins help, she was ableto obtain employment at the World Bank through AspenStaffing Agency. At the World Bank, Matilda does a varietyof duties including supporting the Executive Directorwith word processing, assisting with distribution of importantdocuments for Board meetings, and overseeing travel detailsfor employees. Her time at Byte Back greatly prepared herfor all the tasks that she has to do at work. The courses cer-tainly gave me confidence in the features of the Advancedlevel and has made it easier to work in the office..I havebeen able to produce work at a faster rate because I knowhow to use the right word processing features Matilda ex-pressed.

Benjamin Freedman teaches a job readiness class at Woodridge Library.

The Byte Back familyextends a hearty congratulations

to Matilda and Juan!


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SUMMER YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM

This summer was a busy, exciting time at ByteBack! There were a number of summer pro-grams at Byte Back most notably the SummerYouth Program. Sponsored by the Departmentof Employment Services (DOES), the summerprogram is a short-term employment and train-ing program for DC youths ages 14-21 with thegoal of offering young people opportunities togain skills needed to compete in the world ofwork. The program provided a total 21 of par-ticipants.

The theme of Byte Backs Youth Program thisyear was a Train the Trainer program, inwhich participants spent a week learning ByteBack curriculum and teaching methods. Uponcompletion of training, program participantsspent the rest of the summer teaching twocourses, PC for Beginners and Office Track toadults at five locations: Byte Back, WoodridgeLibrary, Coalition for Economic Empowerment,Mayfair Mansions, and Southeast Ministries. Inall, Youth Program teachers taught PC for Be-ginners to 65 students and Office Track to 54students.

SYEP teachers and graduates after summer graduation

At the conclusion of the program, Byte Back hosted a graduationceremony for the teachers and their students. Graduationfestivities included guest speakers, Sheila Robinson from JubileeJobs, Rodney Brooks form Brookland/Edgewood Family SupportCollaborative, Geanie Kase of the Center for NeighborhoodEnterprise, and Lowell Dodge from First Time Computers. Gradu-ates had the opportunity to share their final PowerPoint presenta-tions and to speak to the crowd. Their personal stories of tragedyand triumph were deeply moving.

It was truly a heartwarming event, which culminated in Byte Backstop SYEP teacher, Jonathan Colbert [see related article, page 9]

receiving a high-end refurbished laptop to much applause. Con-gratulations to all teachers and graduates!

SYEP teachers meet with Debony Heart, Director ofPrograms at Byte Back Headquarters

Kalonji Mack, SYEP teacher helps a students atMayfair Mansions

SYEP teacher, Dionna Tyler assists a student at Southeast Ministries


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BYTE BACKS STRATEGIC PLAN

In May, Byte Backs Board of Directors met for a StrategicPlanning Retreat to chart the course of the organization overthe next three fiscal years. The groundwork for this meetingwas laid during the several previous months, during whichExecutive Director, Kelley Ellsworth worked with consultant

Ruth Tillett to conduct an environmental scan and a Strengths,Opportunities, Weaknesses, and Threats (SWOT) analysis.

Ms. Tillett interviewed Byte Back staff, board members, stu-dents, volunteers, funders and partners about the organiza-tions Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.The findings of this research were presented at the retreatby Ms. Tillett, who also facilitated the retreat. After manyhours of discussion, the Board of Directors settled on the fol-lowing key goals for the next three years:

Increase Revenue

In order to meet the increased need for computer literacyand job training in our region, Byte Back must secure addi-

tional financial resources. Looking carefully at vital areas forcapacity growth, the board has passed a budget in June forFY11 of $875,450, a 38% increase over FY10.

While this may seem overly optimistic in the midst of a chal-lenging economy, Byte Back was able to increase our reve-nues by 29% from FY09 to FY10, and the organization hadgood reason at the time to anticipate receipt of a largestimulus grant. [See related article on page 1.]

The Boards top priority for raising additional revenues is bygrowing our individual donations through House Parties heldby individual board members and through capitalizing onthe recent honors received (Honorable Mention for the 2010

Washington Post Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Man-agement and selection for inclusion in the 2010-2011 Cata-logue for Philanthropy).

Secondary priorities were placed on securing funding fromthe American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, increasingcontract revenues through the Department of EmploymentServices, and securing grants from local and federal gov-ernment and local and national foundations.

Increase Enrollment

The Board of Directors set a goal of continuing to increasethe number of students served by Byte Back, with a particu-lar emphasis on increasing our Office Track and certification

students. The Metropolitan Washington Council of Govern-ments came out with a report recently predicting that futurejob market will feature much higher growth in mid-level jobs

than entry-level jobs. Mid-level jobs are those which requiremore than a high school degree, but less than a college de-gree.

Our second tier Office Track courses, such as QuickBooks andHTML, and our certification courses such as Net+ and Micro-soft Certified Application Specialist, are designed for pre-cisely these types of jobs. Our specific enrollment goals are:

Increase enrollment in PC for Beginners to at least 1000students

Increase enrollment in Office Track to at least 300 stu-dents

Increase enrollment in certification courses to 24 in IC3,36 in MCAS, 60 in A+, 14 in Net+, and 12 each in Linuxand MS Project

Improve Student Recruitment, Retention and Job PlacementOutcomes

The Board of Directors looked carefully at all three stages ofour programming and set some priorities about how toachieve these goals. Student recruitment can be improvedthrough targeted advertising, strategic partnerships withother agencies and connections with special populations suchas the Latino and Deaf communities.

Retention can be improved by fully informing our beginningand intermediate students about our advanced course offer-ings and the career and income benefits that they bring. JobPlacement Outcomes can be improved through identifyingand increasing job placement partnerships.

Create and Implement a Marketing Plan

Byte Back has come to the conclusion that the single most limit-ing factor to our ability to meet the needs of the community ispublicity. Most of our courses are free to most of our students,and we have a strong reputation in the community for provid-ing high quality instruction. Our instructors are volunteers, andalmost every week we are contacted by other nonprofits re-questing that we send instructors and curricula to their com-puter labs.

(continued on page 8)

Byte Back Board of Directors Strategic Planning Retreat


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BYTE BACK BUILDS CAPACITY

Building the capacity of an organization and its employees isone of the many factors that are central to an organizationssuccess. Recognizing this and the continuous need to build capac-ity, Byte Back recently applied for and received capacity build-ing assistance from two agencies: Center for Neighborhood En-

terprise (CNE) and Strengthening Communities Fund (SCF), aprogram of the DC government.

Each agency provided a variety of free workshops ranging fromboard development, human resources, and outcome measure-ment for Byte Back staff and board members. In addition toworkshops, Byte Back also received independent organizationalassessment and technical assistance from both agencies. Techni-cal assistance was provided by CNE through consultant, RuthTillett.

Ruth conducted an environmental scan and a SWOT analysis(Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats), which involvedinterviewing Byte Back staff, Board of Directors, volunteers, stu-dents, partner agencies, and funders. The purpose of this work

was to help Byte Back prepare for its annual Strategic PlanningRetreat. CNE assisted Byte Back by awarding a grant for$10,000 for the purchase of new computers.

SCF builds the capacity of nonprofit organizations to addresseconomic recovery issues including helping low-income individu-als obtain and retain employment as well as other economicopportunities by providing grants, which are funded by the Re-covery Act. In addition, SCF plans to provide Byte Back with amarketing consultant for the development of a marketing plan.

(Strategic Plan, continued from page 7)

Top: SCF Class of 2010Bottom: SCF with Sean Gordy of the Department of Employment Services

Our model is extremely cost effective. The more the com-

munity knows about Byte Back, the more donors, partners,volunteers and students we will have. Towards this end, theBoard of Directors opted to increase our marketing budgetfivefold, from $4,000 in FY10 to $20,000 in FY11. Boardand staff are tasked with finding new board members andvolunteers with expertise in marketing, advertising andpublic relations, and to craft a marketing plan to maximizethe effectiveness of these new marketing funds.Strengthen and Diversify Board of Directors

To meet the needs of the community, Byte Back will needstrong leadership at all levels. While our Board of Direc-tors has always been very diverse in terms of race andethnicity, this is a goal that must be emphasized and contin-ued.

Furthermore, our Board would benefit from additional di-versity in the areas of occupation and expertise. Two keypriorities are determining the precise diversity needs andboard recruitment. Additional goals include improving ourboard training and retention procedures.

Keep Pace with Changes in Technology

This goal has two important aspects. First, Byte Back mustmake sure to keep our curricula up to date with changes intechnology, whether that is updating our curriculum fromOffice 2007 to Office 2010, or adding smart phone and

social networking modules to our courses. Second, Byte Back

should be ever-mindful of ways in which new technologies canimprove our own organizational capacity.

Ensure Byte Backs Organizational Capacity Meets Our Needs

As Byte Backs programs grow, the Board of Directors wants tomake sure that our organizational capacity grows as well. Thismeans identifying the growing requirements of our facilities, ourinfrastructure and our resources and finding ways to meet theseneeds.

Align Board Committees to Organizational Goals

In order to successfully meet our strategic goals, the structure ofthe Board of Directors must reflect those goals. This may meanchanging the makeup of both standing and ad-hoc board commit-

tees and even perhaps the creation of an Advisory Board as well.In addition, each committee will need to focus on and track theprogress towards targeted goals.

Align Organizational Goals with Staff

Key to the implementation of the above strategic goals is ensuringthat staff positions, job descriptions and work plans are alignedwith these goals. Two priorities in this area are the hiring of aDirector of Communications and Development, to assist with ourmarketing and fundraising goals, and the creation of a volunteerplan and manual, as Byte Back volunteers are the heart of ourprogramming activities.


9/12 9

Jonathan Colbert, Byte Backs Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) standoutteacher recalls with fondness his experiences with Byte Back this summer. [Byte Back]put me in a great position to help people that are older than me. Jonathan, a senior atCalvin Coolidge Senior High School, spent the summer teaching Office Track at ByteBack headquarters.

For most high school students, teaching adult learners would be a daunting task, butJonathan says that while it was challenging in the beginning, he learned to be patientand confident so that his students would be at ease as well. Debony Heart, Director ofPrograms at Byte Back supervised SYEP teachers over the summer wholeheartedlyagrees that Colbert did an outstanding job this summer. He was meticulous aboutlesson planning and making sure that his students had the resource aids he thought theyshould have.

For Jonathan, the benefits of his experience at Byte Back are tremendous, for hisstudents and himself. It [Byte Back] brings new insight to you and you learn so muchabout yourself. This is especially true for Byte Back students, including Jonathans astaking classes at Byte Back opens doors into the world of technology and economic

opportunity and they learn that they can overcome barriers finding a newfoundconfidence in their abilities. This aspect of the Byte Back experience made his work all the more meaningful! When askedwhat he would like to say to readers, he said, I just want to say thank you to the whole Byte Back staff for all they havedone for me.

VOLUNTEER OF THE SEASON: JONATHAN COLBERT

BYTE BACK IN THE NEWS

On the heels of receiving an Honorable Mention for the 2010Washington Post Award for Nonprofit Excellence in June, Byte

Back has been the subject of much media coverage.

During the month of August, ABC Washington aired a seg-ment and posted an article on their website about the loss ofSummer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) youth workers,both of which in-cludes Byte Back.The articles high-lighted the differ-ence that Byte Backis making lives ofadults, particularlyhelping adults over-come their fear ofcomputers and tech-nology. DeborahEliot, a Byte Backstudent praised theSYEP teachers stating, Their comfort with the comfort with thecomputer is remarkable because they know their stuff. Im53people my age, its foreign to us.

In September, NBC Washington aired a feature about ByteBacks partnership with Back On My Feet. To review eachfeature in greater detail, visit Byte Backs website atwww.byteback.org/newsroom/press media.

To support Byte Backs workto provide computer classes

and employment services toits residents, The AdvisoryNeighborhood Council(ANC) 5C awarded ByteBack a $5,000 grant. Thegrant helps cover the costsof Byte Back courses forANC 5C residents.

ANCs resemble a city coun-cil, but on a smaller scale.According to ANC 5Cswebsite, an ANC is the bodyof government with the clos-est ties to a neighborhood making a wide range of policydecisions impacting their neighborhood such as economic de-velopment, street improvements, and recreation.

Byte Back is extremely excited to partner with ANC5C andequally pleased by their commitment to residents. Kelley Ells-worth, Byte Back Executive Director says, I think it is wonder-ful that ANC5C has taken such an interest in the employmentopportunities of the neighborhood residents that they arewilling to commit funds to this end. Kelley adds, Byte Back isvery grateful for this generous grant.

ANC GRANT


10/12

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PC BEGINNERS

October 25-December 8 (at JUB3)

Monday & Wednesday Afternoons3:00 am to 5:00 pm

October 25-December 8 (at SEM1)Monday & Wednesday Mornings

10:00 am to 12:00pm

October 25-Dec 8 (at PS2)Monday & Wednesday Evenings

6:00-8:00pm

PC BEGINNERS FOR SENIORS (55+) October 26-December 8 (at JUB3)Monday & Wednesday Afternoons

3:00-5:00 pm

October 26-December 9 (at BB)Tuesday & Thursday Mornings

6:00 pm to 8:00 pm

MS OFFICE TRACK

September 13-December 6 (at BB)Tuesday & Thursday Afternoons

1:00 pm to 3:00 pm

September 13-December 6 (at SEM1)Monday & Wednesday Afternoons

1:00 pm to 3:00 pm

September 14-December 9 (at PS2)Tuesdays & Thursdays Evenings

7:00 pm to 9:00 pm

September 14-December 9 (at BB)Tuesdays & Thursdays Evenings

6:00 pm to 8:00 pm

September 14-December 9 (at BB)Tuesday & Thursday Afternoons

1:00 pm to 3:00 pm

October 25 to November 4 (at BB)Monday-Thursday Mornings and Afternoons, daily

10:00 am to 2:30 pm

October 25-November 12 (at BB)Monday-Thursday Mornings and Afternoons, doily

10:00 am to 2:30 pm

November 15-September Dec 7 (at BB)Monday-Thursday Mornings, Daily

10:00 am to 2:30 pm

IC3

October 25-November 10 (at BB)Monday & Wednesday Afternoons

3:00 pm to 5:00 pm

MCAS EXCEL

October 19-November 12 (at BB)Tuesdays & Thursdays Afternoons

3:00 pm to 5:00 pm

October 19-November 12 (at BB)Tuesdays & Thursdays Evenings

6:00 pm to 8:00 pm

MCAS PPT

November 16-December 7 (at BB)Tuesdays & Thursdays Afternoons

3:00 pm to 5:00 pm

November 16-December 7 (at BB)Tuesdays & Thursdays Evenings

6:00 pm to 8:00 pm

MCAS WORD

September 28-October 14 (at BB)Tuesdays & Thursdays Afternoons

3:00 pm to 5:00 pm

September 28-October 14Tuesdays & Thursdays Evenings6:00 pm to 8:00 pm

HARDWARE & HOME NEWTWORKING

September 14-September 29 (at BB)Mondays & Wednesdays Evenings

6:00 pm to 8:00 pm

October 5-October 20 (at BB)Tuesdays & Thursdays Evenings

6:00 pm to 8:00 pm

October 26-November 16 (at BB)

Tuesdays & Thursdays Evenings

MONEY MANAGEMENT 101October 16-November 13 (at BB)

Saturdays Afternoons10:00 am to 12:00 pm

1 Southeast Ministry is located at 3111 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SW2 The Perry School is located at 128 M Street NW5 Jubilee Housing the Ritz is located at 1631 Euclid Street NW

FALL 2010 CLASS SCHEDULE

This season no registration fee; contributions always welcome. Classes are for low-income individuals and must be full to start. Formore information contact Aditya Mandavia (Email: [email protected]/ Tel: 202-529-3395) or visit our website atwww.byteback.org. Register in person Monday-Friday 10:00 am - 5:00 pm.


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Please mail or fax this form with your contribution to

Byte Back

815 Monroe Street, NE

Washington, DC 20017

Fax 202.529.4684

I am also interested in learning more about volunteer

opportunities in:

Teaching

Mentoring

Event Planning/Marketing

Designing Curriculum

Other:______________________________

Signature

Credit Card # Exp. date

YES, I want to help students achieve better payingjobs and independence. Enclosed is my donation of

$_____________________

Name

Address

Phone/Email

City/State/Zip

Method of Payment

Check

American Express

Visa

MasterCard

Byte Back , I n c . i s a 501(c ) (3 ) non-prof i torganization, teaching a broad range of computerand office skills to underserved youth and adults.Our mission is to improve economic opportunity byproviding computer training and employmentreadiness skills to low-income residents of theWashington Metropolitan area. Our ultimate goal isto promote successful futures, one student at a time!

The majority of our students are female (62%),African American (78%) and either homeless orliving temporarily with friends or relatives. ByteBack enables our economically disadvantagedstudents, most of whom reside in Wards 5, 7, and 8,

to acquire the marketable skills needed to findemployment, hold on to a job, and/or advance intheir careers.

The average cost of one student graduating fromOffice Track, not including donations of materialsand volunteer time, is $1,384. The average costper student of our Introduction to PCs class, whichfirst connects youth and adults to our tech-savvyworld, is $346.

Byte Back succeeds with generous donations fromindividuals, foundations, and corporations. YOU canhelp our students by:

teaching a class;

providing an internship or job; or, donating funds.

With volunteer teachers, donated equipment, and acommitted staff, Byte Back today serves over 400individuals each year. Our main classrooms are inNortheast Washington but we partner with othernon-profits to serve the greater Metro area.

Volunteersgiving time and energy to our studentsand donorsproviding essential funding - makeour work possible.


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ByteBack Fall 2010 Newsletter FINAL

Documents

Transcript of ByteBack Fall 2010 Newsletter FINAL