Program aids teen computer literacy

Learning to use smartphones, tablets, netbooks and the cloud can be a bit daunting to anyone, but several highly trained local teens are ready to help those lost in the land of fiber-optics and gigabytes.

The Urban League of Greater Chattanooga graduated 16 people ages 14 to 21 from its Digital Connectors service program last week.

Participants learned how to use the devices that increasingly define Americans’ daily lives.

Student teachers put in about 60 hours of community service each.

“They seemed to enjoy it. They learned a lot,” said James McKissic, chief operating officer of the local Urban League. “They have a pretty broad range of topics that they cover.”

The Urban League is a civil rights group aimed at helping the disadvantaged become economically self-reliant. They are now recruiting a second round of Digital Connector students for a Saturday program to run during the school year.

In addition to knowledge, those who complete their community service hours and participate in at least 85 percent of the courses will get $500, a netbook and a Flip video camera.

The program puts participants halfway to Cisco and Computer Technology Industry Association certification, which helps with job placement in fields such as computer sales and technical support, the group said.

The program is funded by the Urban League, global nonprofit group One Economy and Comcast.