Success Story
Finding her way
JACQUELINE BURKE SUCCESS STORY
I was standing at the reception desk of Chandler Mowat community centre and talking about a computer program we were to start. That is where Jackie Burke’s story started…..
Jackie lives in the neighborhood and in pre-Covid times, came often to the community centre. She overheard me and walked over. She mentioned that ‘years & years’ ago she had attended a computer course, had not learnt much and was eager to learn more. She told me that she was always asking her son to help, who according to her, took over and did what she wanted to do, but she did not learn! This had frustrated them both! With a keen desire to learn, she joined our basic computer session and became the most persistent learner with almost perfect attendance!
She had basic knowledge of WhatsApp and Facebook but did not know how to set up her own page. She had used Outlook before but not Gmail. With our training, she was able to set up a Gmail account and started using it extensively. She next learnt to use Google drive and quickly uploaded her pictures onto her Google drive to save space on her laptop. She was thrilled to be able to send PDF files as attachments with her Gmails! She learnt to use Google maps and was soon helping her sons and fiancée to navigate while they drove!
For her, the success was when she created her own Facebook page called “Creative Women’ which has 45 members now! It is a forum for women to showcase their creations like crafts, cookies, masks, and baby blankets! Jackie herself sewed masks and showcased them on this page and also successfully sold many! Now, she is showcasing baby Afghans and bunting bags! She did not stop at her own page! She helped a friend by taking over administrative duties for her when the friend had health issues. This forum shares helpful healthy tips, like benefits of eating pineapple, benefits of the smell of Orange, what are detoxing foods etc. Jackie is the primary contributor to this particular page!
Once she got started, there was no stopping her! She then joined another group called ‘Coronation Street’. Here she posts news and events, and others post their comments leading to healthy discussions!
With this digital literacy training, she has found ways for information sharing, staying connected, and motivating others to join chat groups to learn from each others’ views!
The hands-on learning made her tech-savvy and now she can take advantage of other available resources online. The group learning offered networking and led to forming new friendships, that helped her to overcome some of the isolation caused by the pandemic. With using Google maps, it was like opening doors to the world beyond her community. We also took the class for a visit to the Clay and Glass gallery and in their own words, this helped them step out of the box and get to know what our region has to offer!
