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. According to the City of Toronto's 2021 Neighbourhood Profiles, 53.2% of Thorncliffe Park residents aged 15 and over have a postsecondary certificate, diploma, or degree, while 24.2% live in low income. People are capable and resourceful. What's missing is accessible, practical support that meets them where they are. That is why we focus on free, community-based digital literacy workshops.
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. Over time, those sessions grew into workshops on online privacy, digital safety, and AI literacy for beginners.
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. You can explore our digital literacy workshops or browse our digital safety resources to see that work in action.