TechGuides was co-founded by Liza Ong and Regnard Raquedan in Toronto.
We started TechGuides because we saw a gap between the digital skills people in our community needed and the support available to them. In Thorncliffe Park, 49% of residents have a post-secondary education, but 25.5% live on low income. People are capable and resourceful. What's missing is accessible, practical support that meets them where they are.
Our first workshops were small. We partnered with a local community organization and a church in the neighbourhood, set up in a room, and walked people through real scam examples on a screen. Demos, discussion, and a few things to try on their own devices if they brought them.
What we learned is that the people who came didn't come because of a flyer or a website. They came because someone they trusted told them about it. That insight shapes everything we do: we build trust first, and the learning follows.
We're still small. We're still learning. And we're building the tools and resources we wish already existed.