Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Boston Tech Day gives city residents computer support

About 100 low-income Boston residents received free technical support from volunteers from the business and academic sectors as well as from Boston Public School students during the third Boston Tech Day last weekend.
The program was hosted by three nonprofit groups: Open Air Boston, Castle Square Tenants Organization and the Boston Public Schools’ TechBoston program.
The 40 volunteers providing tech support assisted low-income residents who had been unable to afford the cost of fixing or replacing computer equipment. The volunteers diagnosed and fixed computer problems and taught the owners new programs and skills.
“Having a working computer at home is becoming a necessity,” said Gabriel Fishman, the event’s lead organizer. “Families need information technology for schoolwork, to find jobs, to access government services and to feel like they aren’t being left out of today’s culture. We’ve seen too many families invest money in a computer that they don’t know how to fix.”