INFO-BYTES

SPRING GRADUATION ATTRACTS NATIONAL FIGURES!

Valarie Ashley steps up to the microphone at Byte Back's April graduation ceremony, where more than 80 graduating students from the Microsoft Office and A+ programs sit in the auditorium. And she asks the graduating class: "What's the difference between graduation here today, and a graduation at George Washington or Howard University?"

Byte Backs Quarterly Newsletter Spring 2011

IN THIS ISSUE:
Spring Graduation Executive Directors Corner Shock Therapy: Byte Back Featured in Board Source Alumnus Hosts Fundraiser Two Teaching Sites Close Students Evaluate Byte Back Community Computer Day Perspectives from Southeast Ministry Our Corporate Donors Spring 2011 Course Listings 1 3 3 4 4 5 6 8 9 10

Eighty Byte Back graduates proudly celebrate their accomplishments with special guests. Photo credit: Kristian Whipple

She peers at the assembly of students, staff, volunteers, as well as other prominent figuresboth local and national at the graduation ceremony. Among the attendees were Commissioner of Federal Communications Commission Mignon Clyburn, Deputy Administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Deputy Administrator Anna M. Gomez, and D.C. Public Library's Director of IT Chris Tonjes. Among the crowd, there is a hush, as Ashley waits for answer. "Nothing!" she cries, to a burst of smiles in the audience. "Because you will feel every bit of pride in the accomplishments that you've made that they feel. It's about finishing something, persevering, and looking to the future, and realizing that today is the beginning and not the end." Southeast Ministry Executive Director Valarie Ashley's speech is only the beginning of Byte Back's graduation event at Dance Place in Northeast Washington D.C., where Tonjes, Clyburn, Byte Back Executive Director Kelley Ellsworth, and other distinguished speakers from the community and government proceed to deliver words of encouragement to the graduates. Every speech affirms the accomplishmentsand the futuresof dozens of Byte Back students, and Byte Back's affiliates and partners were there to lend their support.
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815 Monroe Street NE Washington, D.C. 20017 Phone: (202) 529-3995 Fax: (202) 529-4684 Email: info@byteback.org Website: byteback.org CFC #73543 United Way #8073

SPRING GRADUATION ATTRACTS NATIONAL FIGURES

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instructor Robert Waisburds Microsoft Office course, recounts enlisting her 13-year-old daughter for help in Byte Back homework (much to the audiences laughter): I thank God that I found Byte Back, that I have the skills necessary to reintroduce myself to the workforce. Other graduating students speak at their graduation as wellBrian Champ encourages graduates to spread the word, and tell them that Byte Back is there for them. Ronald Sears tells his fellow graduates, A lot of people here get the thought that, Im of a certain age and I cant do this. I didnt think that this could be accomplished. Clyburn, who delivers the last word at the ceremony before Byte Back staff distribute the graduation certificates, tells the audience: "We are here as part of an incredible moment." She tells the audience about the power of community partnerships. "You see all these entities Byte Back graduate Patricia Freeman coming together, probably speaks at her graduation. Photo credit: Kristian Whipple under any other circumstances they might not intersect," she says. "You see lobbyists and community activists, library systems and Commissionersall of these entities coming together. You know what we have in common? The love of our communities, and the power that we know is inside each and every one of us." And if community is a recurring theme at the graduation, so are the themes of courage and potential. At the graduation ceremony, graduating students speak, with pride and laughter, of new skills acquired at Byte Back: how to apply for a job, how to use Microsoft Office, how to build a computer. "All of you are the most brave people I know," Clyburn tells the graduates. "You went out of your comfort zones by recognizing that you have this ability to build upon your talentsyou already had these talentsand said, 'I want to learn this, to empower myself, to maximize my potential.'"

Federal Communications Commission Commissioner Mignon Clyburn speaks at the April graduation ceremony. Photo credit: Kristian Whipple

Volunteers at the event came from a variety of backgrounds: some of them are law students at Catholic and George Washington University, while others are full-time service corps members working at Byte Back through DC Learns, Public Allies, and the Lutheran Volunteer Corps. Volunteer instructor Andre Woods, who teaches PC for Beginners, served drinks for guests at the bar. A number of the guests are affiliated with the Federal Communications Bar Association, which recently partnered with Byte Back to engage in education opportunities for low-income communities in Washington, D.C. Other guests, such as Kris Monteith, represent the Federal Communications Commission and the D.C. Department of Employment Services. And some speakers were not guests, but graduating students like Patricia Freeman, who told her fellow graduates, When I graduated from high school, I never imagined that my life would take the turns it took. Freeman, a graduate of volunteer

NTIA Deputy Administrator Maria Gomez addresses the graduating students. Photo credit: Kristian Whipple

Byte Back Director of Programs Debony Heart presents a graduation certificate to Microsoft Office graduate Diane Leach. Photo credit: Kristian Whipple

DIRECTORS CORNER
Kelley Ellsworth, Executive Director

IMPACTING ONE ANOTHER

This week we submitted a grant proposal that included the following directive: Share the story of the founder and what inspired the founder to start this project. Well, over the years, the story of Byte Backs founding has deteriorated like in the game of telephone, so I did not feel qualified to write this story with any accuracy myself. I decided to go right to the source. I emailed our founder, Glenn Stein. To my surprise, he answered my email within the hour. Glenn explained that he finished college with a degree in Sociology and spent his early career working with community-organizing nonprofits, on issues of civil rights, refugees, and arms control. Even though he had only taken a couple computer classes in school, he knew the most about computers in each of his workplaces, so he was always tasked with solving computer problems. In 1992, he found himself in New York City, unemployed. He rewrote his resume emphasizing his experience with computer projects, and leaving out his credentials with community organizing. Glenn received multiple job offers, and took a position on Wall Street as a computer programmerearning three times what he had earned previously. Technology, he decided, would become his career, as well as the way in which he could transform communities. By 1994, there was talk about doing away with affirmative action, and Glenn wanted to combat this change. He understood that technology is the only white-collar career where a college degree isnt necessary to success: you just need to be able to do the work. Glenn relocated and founded Byte Back in 1998 in Washington, D.C. because the city had so many disadvantaged African-Americans and such a strong IT job market. From the beginning, teachers at Byte Back have been volunteers, and so the students have impacted the teachers as much as the teachers have impacted impact the students. During the three years as executive director, Glenn held a regular technology job and worked at Byte Back as a volunteer. And now our students, who are still mostly African-American, face new challenges from unemployment, which has ravaged our disadvantaged neighborhoods and spared the affluent ones. Some nonprofits have closed their doors, while others have had to cut back (see Two Teaching Sites Close). But our students testify about how our volunteers teachers have transformed their lives (Students Evaluate Byte Back and Spring Graduation). But just as important, our volunteers and partners tells us how our students and their involvement has changed them as well (Shock Therapy and Spring Graduation). The most glorious moments are when students become teachers, mentors and donors (Community Computer Day and Alumnus Hosts Fundraiser). We are so grateful to our wonderful supporters (Our Corporate Donors and Community Computer Day), partners (Our Partnership to Fight Poverty and Community Computer Day), our volunteers, and of course, Glenn Stein.

SHOCK THERAPY: BYTE BACK FEATURED IN BOARDSOURCE PUBLICATION

Jewel Scott, the Vice-Chair of Byte Backs Board of Directors, recently wrote an article for BoardMember, the online newsletter of BoardSource, a nonprofit organization that serves and helps organize nonprofit boards of directors. Her article, Shock Therapy, is reproduced here: Sometimes, we get a little more than we bargain for when we agree to serve as nonprofit board membersand we and our organizations are the better for it. I will never forget the look on the faces of some of Byte Back's board members when, in the middle of a board meeting, Executive Director Kelley Ellsworth suddenly veered from the agenda and asked all of us to get up from our seats, walk downstairs to our classrooms, and interview our students. Our assignment: Find out, firsthand, who our students are, where they come from, how they had heard of our school of technology, how far they travel to reach our classrooms, and what they expect to receive and accomplish through their participation in our program. The experience, as it turned out, was pricelessone that a few of our more reserved members would have missed out on if they had been given a heads up or a choice. Thankfully, they were not. Shocked into action, they, like the rest of us, heard stories that we now share over and over again with our friends, family members, funders, and donorsstories that we will hold onto far beyond our tenure as board members. Like the students who have been transformed by our organization, we were changed that day as we learned of the determination and struggle that brought them to Byte Back. Sometimes, we board members need a little shock therapy to remind us how valuable our organizations are. Reprinted with permission from boardsource.org. For more information about BoardSource, visit boardsource.org or call 800883-6262. BoardSource 2011. Text may not be reproduced without written permission from BoardSource.

BYTE BACK ALUMNUS HOSTS FUNDRAISER FOR COMPUTER LITERACY

This March, Jose Reyess delicious enchiladas, fajitas, pupusas, and tamales helped raise money for Byte Backand helped us bring the issue of the digital divide to greater attention to the Washington, D.C. Offering up a taste of Salvadoran and Mexican food to the Adams Morgan neighborhood, El Tamarindo is one of the best-known Latino restaurants in Washington D.C. Jose, the restaurants owner, is a supporter of Byte Back and he is also a graduate from Byte Backs computer literacy courses. As a way of giving back to our mission to provide adult education to D.C.s underserved communities, the former student helped us raise money by holding a fiesta-style fundraiser at El Tamarindo. More than 50 guestsincluding Byte Back students, staff, volunteers, and board membersvisited Joses restaurant for brunch, lunch and happy hour all day on March 19 to help raise money for Byte Back. Alan Roth, the senior executive vice president for U.S. Telecom, a corporate supporter of Byte Backs mission, personally stopped by for lunch, as did Boradband Bridge, which is currently working on setting up free neighborhood wireless access points throughout the country. Many of Byte Backs students who visited our fundraiser at El Tamarindo came from their homes in Ward 8for some of them, it was their first taste of Latino food. Meanwhile, Jose arranged to have Telemundo cover the fundraising event for international broadcast, which, at the end of the day, raised $1,080 for Byte Back! We owe a lot to community members like Josewho simultaneously learn from, support, and donate to Byte Back.

From left to right: Byte Back Board of Directors members Jerryl Guy and Dahlia Shaewitz, Executive Director Kelley Ellsworth, and El Tamarindo owner Jose Reyes

TWO BYTE BACK PARTNER SITES CLOSE COMPUTER LITERACY PROGRAMS

In tough economic times, many local non-profit community organizations find themselves facing very difficult decisions. We regret to say that one of our partner sites, Neighbors United, has closed entirely, and that another partner site, Catholic Charities, is no longer able to offer computer education classes through Byte Back due to budget cuts and downsizing. Neighbors United was a community facility in Southeast D.C. dedicated to promoting youth recreationin the form of basketball, soccer, martial arts, and danceand health education among local youth. Neighbors United also provided peer-topeer math tutoring, adult education, and GED test preparation for adolescents and young adults in D.C.s Eastern Market and Capitol Hill neighborhoods.. Instructors from Byte Back taught PCs for Beginners and Office Track courses at Neighbors United from fall 2010 to spring 2011. Although our partnership with Neighbors United was short-lived, the effect it will have on Southeast D.C.s residents will last longer. As former Neighbors United Executive Director Betsy Calloway has said, I know in just as small amount of time, our community members benefited greatly from the computer literacy courses that we were able to facilitate because of Byte Back. Catholic Charities, a social services agency, operates dozens of community programs in dozens of locations throughout the D.C. area, but recently closed several of its program sites, including its computer literacy classrooms, due to financial constraints. Byte Back instructors taught the PCs for Beginners and Office Track courses at Catholic Charities for many years, up until this spring when the agency needed to convert the computer lab to much-needed office space. Catholic Charities continues to serve D.C. communities by providing adult education programs, such as its Professional Counseling Education program and English as a Second Language course, as well as employment training and job search services. Other social servicesincluding food assistance, housing assistance, healthcare, emergency rental and utility assistance, legal counsel for immigrants and refugees, and child careare available through Catholic Charities as well. We are sorry to see both these partnerships with the citys human services agencies end. Nevertheless, we are proud to have collaborated with Neighbors United and Catholic Charities to make computer education accessible to the disadvantaged communities in Washington D.C. and bridge the digital divide.

STUDENTS EVALUATE BYTE BACK COURSES

At Byte Back, were always thrilled to be making a difference in the lives of our students and improving the workforce capacity of the D.C. community. Its an honor to be able to serve through computer education, and to have our classrooms and curricula utilized by our students. At the same time, we feel its vital to regularly track or analyze how well a job were doing here at Byte Back, so that we can strengthen what were already doing welland improve upon our weak spots. At the end of every PCs for Beginners and Office Track course, we administer an online end-of-course survey to our graduating students. We also administer a phone outcome survey to students who have graduated from our job training programs. Since July 2010, we have tallied these survey results from our graduates of both classes: These following numbers reflect how our instructors are succeeding , and how our students feel about our efforts to bridge the digital divide.

PCs for Beginners Survey Results

Please rate your satisfaction with the course: Very satisfied: 82.5% Somewhat satisfied: 7.5% Are you planning to take another course at Byte Back? Yes: 82.5% No: 7.5% Maybe: 10% I am more comfortable using a computer. Strongly agree: 58% Agree: 37% No opinion: 0% I feel more confident with my computer skills. Strongly agree: 47% Agree: 45% No opinion: 0% Would you recommend this course to others? Yes: 95% No: 2.5% Maybe: 2.5% Were you able to understand the teachers instructions? Yes: 92.5% No: 0% Sometimes: 7.5% I use the computer more frequently. Strongly agree: 47% Agree: 37%

No opinion: 8%

I feel I can apply what Ive learned outside the classroom. Strongly agree: 58% Agree: 32% No opinion: 8%

Office Track Survey Results

Please rate your satisfaction with the course: Very satisfied: 80% Somewhat satisfied: 16% Are you planning to take another course at Byte Back? Yes: 75% No: 8% Maybe: 17% I am more comfortable using a computer. Strongly agree: 55% Agree: 39.5% No opinion: 4% I feel more confident with my computer skills. Strongly agree: 50% Agree: 43% No opinion: 3% Would you recommend this course to others? Yes: 99% No: 0% Maybe: 1% Were you able to understand the teachers instructions? Yes: 93% No: 0% Sometimes: 7% I use the computer more frequently. Strongly agree: 38% Agree: 41%

No opinion: 12%

I feel I can apply what Ive learned outside the classroom. Strongly agree: 58% Agree: 39.5% No opinion: 1%

How have you used your computer after having taken classes at Byte Back?
To stay in touch with family and friends: 51% To stay on top of the news: 51% To search for jobs: 49% To update my resume or cover letter: 49% To apply for a job online: 46% To manage my health , such as researching illnesses or diets: 31% To get involved with my community, such as joining a listserv: 26% To manage my money: 26% To pay attention to my government, such as visiting my councilmember's website: 23% To research colleges and higher education opportunities for my family: 23% To participate in government, such as emailing a letter to the city council: 20% To help family members with homework: 20% To obtain government services: 17% To communicate with my childs school and teachers: 17%

BYTE BACK HOSTS FIFTH ANNUAL COMMUNITY COMPUTER DAY

Community Computer Day is Byte Back's way of showing the Washington D.C. community what we do at our central office at Brookland and at our 13 computer education sites across the city, from Columbia Heights to Anacostia. We host this annual event for our students, donors, volunteers, teachers, and the neighborhoods we serve, in order to give them a taste of the work in computer literacy being done at Byte Back. This May 7, nearly 300 people attended the fifth annual Community Computer Day showcasing the technology instruction that our instructors provide to Washington D.C.'s disadvantaged communities. Of course, we also love to contribute to our neighborhood and have fun with our students, celebrating their successes and enabling them to share the fruits of their education! To that end, we not only held 20 computer education workshops from morning to evening on Community Computer Day, but we also had free barbeque and cotton candy, live music courtesy of DJ Captain Fly, a moon bounce and face painting for the children, and a giveaway of prizes to our visitors and students. We were able to offer a wide variety of computer literacy workshops, thanks to volunteer instructors from not only our fulltime D.C. Learns, Public Allies, and the Lutheran Volunteer Corps service corps members, but also Byte Back donors and four members of our Board of Directors. Starting at 10 a.m., visitors were able to learn how to create and post on their own blogs, create a Facebook account and use to follow their friends and families' lives, digitally edit photographs, learn new languages online, and take a tour through the inside of a computerthis last topic taught by recent A+ certification graduate, Marvin Jones, who was recently hired by First Time Computers! In the afternoon, until 5 p.m., our instructors continued their lessons in how to use the Internet to renew a driver's license, obtain grocery coupons, edit video footage, upload videos to YouTube, use Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, and use Gmail and Google Calendars. While our volunteer instructors provided our guests with a taste of Byte Back's commitment to ensuring that all D.C. residents are familiar with basic software and Internet applications, other Community Computer Day instructors led workshops on job readiness. Board of Directors member Dahlia Shaewitz taught our visitors how to work as an event planner, and Board Member Mario Burney showed how to use the social networking site LinkedIn to prepare for a job interview. The variety of workshops that Byte Back offered on Community Computer Day reflected our the depth of our mission: We want

Visitors, volunteers, students, and Byte Back staff enjoy the sunshine and outdoors barbeque for Community Computer Day.

to bridge the digital divide in low-income, disadvantaged communities in Washington D.C. by giving them the educational resources to use computers, but we also want to prepare and teach them how to search for jobs, succeed at resume-writing and job interviews, and build a stable, long-term career. As for the fun and games at Community Computer Day, we're glad to say that there was plenty of it! Our longtime Brookland neighbor, Colonel Brooks' Tavern, provided us thirty delicious pounds of ribs, and DC Learns volunteers helped us with face painting and children's activities. We also held a raffle drawing, and presented technology prizes to Community Computer Day visitors, including an Amazon Kindle, a digital camera, an $800 tablet computer (donated by T-Mobile), a 32 gigabyte iPod (donated by Cox Communications), and ten modems and wireless Internet routers (donated by Motorola)! We were honored that many of our friends and partners from the District government stopped by to share in the fun, and to give words of encouragement. D.C. Council Chairman Kwame Brown and Ward 5 D.C. Council member Harry Thomas visited us, as did At-Large D.C. Councilmember Phil Mendelson, who also participated in last year's Community Computer Day. We were also visited by Chris Tonjes, the IT director at the D.C. Public Library, and John Capozzi, from the DC Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO). Both agencies partnered with Byte Back for a federal stimulus grant from the Department of Commerce to provide free computer training classes at neighborhood libraries to 1,600 D.C. residents over two years. Community Computer Day has always had a powerful impact on visitors, students and the volunteers themselves. The community at large is able to experience the extent of our adult and computer education. Guests at the event are able to sample content of our PCs for Beginners and Office Track courses, and the free workshops whet their appetite for morefor greater knowledge of computer use, for greater mastery of office and Internet applications, and for greater empowerment that comes with being able to handle technology. Program graduates and teachers at Community Computer Day benefit from it as well, being able to share their knowledge of technology, whether newfound or professional, with eager learners. Community Computer Day was sponsored by Cox Communications.

A visitor to Community Computer Day learns new skills at a workshop. Photo Credit: Kristian Whipple

Council Chair Kwame Brown presents prize winners with a wireless modem. Photo Credit: Kristian Whipple

Visitors learn cooking tips from Grace Kohs Google Recipes workshop.

OUR PARTNERSHIP TO FIGHT POVERTY

One of the distinguished speakers at Byte Back's April 2011 graduation ceremony, Valarie Ashley is the Executive Director of Southeast Ministry, which serves Washington, D.C.'s low-income neighborhoods through adult education and job readiness training. Valarie reflects on how organizations like Byte Back and Southeast Ministry can collaborate to serve at-risk communities in the city. Southeast Ministry was founded in 1980 as a grassroots Washington, D.C. community organization dedicated to social justice. We are a separate 501(c)3 ministry of the Lutheran Church of the Reformation on Capitol Hill, and although we are a faith-based organization, our services are secular and we do not proselytize. In 1998, we purchased the row house that serves as our program site and are now located at Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue in Southeast D.C. Since its inception, Southeast Ministry has worked on the premise that education, for both individuals and communities, is the path out of poverty. Our programs aid our client base, which is composed of mostly African-American D.C. residents, to break the cycle of poverty by giving them opportunities to develop useful employment and career advancement skills. We offer our education programs, including the Anacostia Mentoring and Employment Network (AMEN) around the entire year for Southeast D.C.'s community. And like Byte Back, we are served by a small staff: Our full-time staff members, as well as three AmeriCorps service volunteers, whom we are very fortunate to have, help us expand our services. The partnership between Southeast Ministry and Byte Back was sparked when Byte Back Execute Director Kelley Ellsworth and I both attended a professional development session last summer. Later over lunch, I explained to her my concern about the huge gaps in computer literacy that were affecting our clients at Southeast Ministry, and in return, Kelley asked me if we would be able to support a computer lab through her partners at First Time Computers. Within mere weeks, Byte Back and Southeast Ministry had set up a beautiful functioning computer lab at one of our program sites, with Byte Back instructors teaching the PC for Beginners and Microsoft Office Track courses in Southeast D.C. By fall, Kelley had assigned a Byte Back instructor to teach classes at the site for the remainder of the year. Kelley and I have built a working relationship that enables each of us to empower and support the other's organizations. We are passionate about our roles in transforming the way people think about adult education and computer literacy in Washington, D.C.

Southeast Ministry Executive Director Valarie Ashley speaks at Byte Back's April graduation ceremony. Photo Credit: Kristian Whipple

And so, our partnership has become straightforward, mutual, and effective. Byte Back provides us with a teacher and curricula for two basic computer education courses at Southeast Ministry. In turn, we provide the space for the classesas well as the students who benefit from them. Through this relationship, Southeast Ministry can now bridge the digital divide that has affected so many of our students. Consider: Before 2010, we had no more than three computers in our classrooms; now we have 14 machines across two computer labs. Our students are learning to use e-mail, search the Internet, and open themselves up to expansive, empowering possibilities of the technological world. Byte Back's PCs for Beginners class helps students who have never before used computers learn in a safe environment, while we have also implemented a distance learning option for our students who aren't always

able to make it to the classroom in person. Southeast Ministry and Byte Back are both about empowering people. For many of us, computer literacy is so ingrained in our lives that we don't actually consider what it means to lack the knowledge to use a computeror to lack access to one. The communities we serve have, unfortunately, individuals without e-mail addresses, without a computer at home or in their neighborhood, and this lack of computer literacy can make them afraid or unwilling to use technology to empower themselves. When we introduce computer literacy to the disadvantaged populations in the city, we empower them because we give them one more muscle by which they can participate in their communities as students, workers, and family members.

Southeast Ministry and Byte Back are both about empowering people.

CORPORATE DONOR SPOTLIGHT: U.S. TELECOM ASSOCIATTION

Byte Back is thrilled to have the support of the United States Telecom Association (USTelecom) as one of its corporate donors. The trade association for broadband service providers recently made a generous donation of $2,500 to support our purchase of a new database, and to promote computer literacy and Internet access throughout Washington D.C. "Many people don't understand what broadband can do for them, because they don't yet have the skills to make use of computers or the Internet, said USTelecom President Walter McCormick. We hope to help our fellow Washingtonians gain those skills by tapping the resources Byte Back providesso they can gain the benefits that flow from having broadband in their lives." USTelecom's philanthropic efforts support organizations that empower communities through broadband technology. USTelecom has partnered with One Economy, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. McCormick urged computer organizations like Byte Back to seek out partnerships with USTelecom companies: "If you know of nonprofits in other parts of the country who are trying to start or grow programs like Byte Back's, we'd encourage them to be in touch with their local broadband providers to form partnerships similar to the ones Byte Back is creating in D.C.."

CORPORATE DONOR SPOTLIGHT: FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS BAR ASSOCIATION

Corporate giving is more than just giving moneyit often includes volunteering time and talents. Our corporate partner, the Federal Communications Bar Association (FCBA), which organizes professionals working in communications, technology, law, and policy, embodies this belief through its partnership with Byte Back. In November, Byte Back was selected as one of the recipients for FCBA's Pay It Forward initiative, a philanthropic program that aims to foster broadband adoption and utilization, by sending FCBA members to volunteer at partner agencies. Since then, members of the FCBA have volunteered their time at Byte Backs tutoring events, assisting students with computer literacy skills, including typing, email composition, and online research, as well as employment readiness skills such. FCBA members enjoy providing hands-on training and mentoring from teaching basic computer literacy to resume development for Byte Back students, says FCBA President Bryan Tramont. Our members have been truly inspired by seeing the power of the technology they work with every day changing the lives of so many students. FCBA has a long history of charitable giving, helping needy high school students attend college through its scholarship program, which has supported over 110 students attend a university since 2004. In Washington D.C., the FCBA has also partnered with community services organizations Marthas Table and McKennas Wagon.

SPRING 2011 COURSE LISTING

Interested students must register in person, from Monday to Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For more information, please contact our registrar, Aditya Mandavia at amandavia@byteback.org or (202) 529-3395, or visit our website at byteback.org. For details regarding our advanced courses, contact Advanced Curriculum Coordinator Carine Umuzayire at cumuzayire@byteback.org or (202) 529-3395.

PCs for Beginners

May 16June 27, at Byte Back Mondays and Wednesdays, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. May 16June 27, at Byte Back Mondays and Wednesdays, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. May 16June 27, at Anacostia Neighborhood Library Mondays and Wednesdays, 12:45 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. May 16June 27, at Jubilee Housing Mondays and Wednesdays, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. May 16June 27, at Northwest One Neighborhood Library Mondays and Wednesdays, 12:45 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. May 16June 27, at the Perry School Mondays and Wednesdays, 7:00 p.m. to 8:40 p.m. May 16June 27, at Southeast Ministry Mondays and Wednesdays, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. May 17June 23, at Byte Back Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. May 17June 23, at Capitol View Library Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12:45 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.

July 5July 8, at Capitol View Library Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Wednesdays, 1:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. July 5July 8, at Lamond-Riggs Library Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays, 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. July 5July 8, at Woodridge Library Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Wednesdays, 1:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. IMPACT is also available from July 11July 14 and from July 18July 21 at these sites.

Advanced Courses
Byte Back offers Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) Certification, MOS Master Certification, Microsoft Project (MCTS) Certification Preparation, A+ Certification Preparation, Net+ Certification Preparation, Linux+ Certification Preparation, and Security+ Certification as advanced courses throughout the year. For additional information, please contact Advanced Curriculum Coordinator Carine Umuzayire, at cumuzayire@byteback.org, or (202) 529-3395.

Byte Back Course Sites

Anacostia Neighborhood Library: 1800 Good Hope Rd. SE Byte Back: 815 Monroe St. NE Capitol View Library: 5001 Central Ave. SE Dorothy I Height/Benning Library: 3935 Benning Rd. NE Jubilee Housing: The Ritz, 1631 Euclid St. NW

PCs for Beginners in Spanish

May 16June 27, at Mount Pleasant Interim Library Mondays and Wednesdays, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

PCs for Beginners for Seniors

June 7July 22, at Byte Back Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays; 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. June 7July 22, at Byte Back Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays; 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Lamond-Riggs Library: 5401 South Dakota Ave. NE Mount Pleasant Interim Library: 3162 Mt. Pleasant St. NW Northwest One Neighborhood Library: 155 L St. NW Perry School: 128 M St. NW Southeast Ministry: 3111 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE Woodridge Library: 1801 Hamlin St. NE

Office Track IMPACT for SYEP Youth

July 5July 8, at Dorothy I Height/Benning Library Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays, 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

YES, I want to help students achieve better paying jobs and independence! Enclosed is my donation of $_____________________
Name Address

City/State/Zip Phone/Email

Method of Payment
Byte Back, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides computer literacy and employment readiness skills to underserved communities throughout Washington D.C. Our mission is to improve economic opportunities by providing computer and technology courses to low-income residents in D.C., and to bridge the digital divide, one student at a time. Byte Backs students are predominantly African-American, and many are homeless or have temporary shelter. Byte Back enables economically disadvantaged residents in D.C., most of whom reside in Wards 5, 7, and 8, to acquire marketable job skills needed to find and keep employment or to advance in their careers. The average cost to graduate one student from our Office Track course, is $1,384; the average cost to graduate one student from our PCs for Beginners class is $346. Improving computer literacy can have a substantial impact on the city economy, with each dollar invested in Byte Back generating $11 in income for graduatesmore than a ten-fold return on investment in community education! Byte Back succeeds through donations from individuals, foundations, corporations, and even its own alumni. You can also help Byte Back by volunteering at our office or classroomswe are especially in need of volunteer instructors, as well as volunteers to help us design curricula. With its full-time and volunteer staff, Byte Back served over 1,000 students last year. Although we are based in Northeast D.C., we partner with the D.C. Public Library, the D.C. Department of Employment Services, and human service nonprofit agencies throughout the city to make our mission of computer literacy possible.

Check American Express Visa MasterCard

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Signature

I am also interested in learning more about volunteer opportunities in: Teaching Mentoring Event Planning/Marketing Designing Curriculum Other:______________________________ Please mail or fax this form with your contribution to Byte Back 815 Monroe Street, NE Washington, DC 20017 Fax 202.529.4684

815 Monroe Street NE Washington, D.C. 20017 Phone: (202) 529-3995 Fax: (202) 529-4684 Email: info@byteback.org byteback.org CFC #73543 United Way #8073