Celebrating 10 years of the UBC Learning Exchange pop-up Tech Café

How an innovative free program bridges the digital divide, encourages transformative learning and builds skills in the Downtown Eastside.

The UBC Learning Exchange, located in the heart of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES), offers a range of community-based programmes aimed at helping residents improve their lives through personal development and new social networks. It also supports faculty who wish to offer experiential learning opportunities to their students and researchers who want support with community-based research.

The Tech Café is one such popular program which happens multiple times a week in various DTES locations. It was developed by Dionne Pelan, the Digital Literacy Coordinator at the Learning Exchange, in collaboration with the DTES Literacy Roundtable. At the sessions, UBC student volunteers and community ambassadors assist with a range of technical questions related to Android, iPhone, tablets, social media, laptops, e-mail and more.

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