A Digital Inclusion Week Highlight
As part of our 2025 Digital Inclusion Week celebration, digitalLIFT hosted five in-person workshops across the Bay Area. One of the most engaging sessions took place on October 6 at the historic Mechanic’s Institute in San Francisco. The topic, Online Shopping Best Practices, focused on helping older adults shop safely and confidently online.
This event brought together a new partnership between digitalLIFT and the Mechanic’s Institute, recently approved by the Department of Aging and Adult Services (DAS) as one of our key community sites where we place our trained volunteers. These volunteers provide weekly drop-in tech support and quarterly workshops, helping to make tech confidence a part of everyday life for local residents.
A Shared Mission and Strong Support
This workshop was proudly sponsored by eBay, whose generous $1,000 contribution helped cover administrative costs and provide refreshments and fun swag for participants. Even more meaningful, five eBay volunteers joined us in person, bringing both professional expertise and personal enthusiasm to the session.
eBay’s Cordelia McGee-Tubb, who also serves on the digitalLIFT Board of Directors and is a former volunteer, helped lead the effort. She says,
“I’m so grateful to my eBay colleagues who volunteered for this workshop, sharing actionable insights on online shopping safety with the group and working 1-on-1 with participants to answer their questions.”
Her teammates – Elise Zimbardo-Ensor, Kimberly Chen, Luke LaValva, Goutham Ponnada, and Amanda Wall – each played a vital role in guiding attendees through both the presentation and hands-on practice sessions.
Learning in Action
The two-hour workshop was structured to blend instruction and interaction. During the first hour, participants learned the essentials of safe and successful online shopping, covering topics like spotting scams, understanding secure payments, and choosing trustworthy sites.
The second hour opened the floor for practice and personal questions. Attendees navigated e-commerce sites, practiced checking for security indicators, and asked real-world questions about topics like returns, price comparisons, and digital payment safety.
“Online shopping can open up a world of convenience and savings, and our goal is to help participants feel confident and safe while doing it,” said Sabrina Tam, digitalLIFT’s Associate Director of Programs. “We’re thrilled to partner with eBay to host this hands-on workshop for older adults, and we hope it inspires more companies to give back to the community in meaningful ways.”
Her words captured the spirit of the day – a true blend of learning, connection, and community partnership. A total of 18 participants attended, including four who traveled from the East Bay to join. Their energy, curiosity, and willingness to learn made the afternoon a success.
Partnership in Action
Planning for the event began in July, giving our teams nearly three months to coordinate details, prepare materials, and ensure every volunteer completed background checks and digitalLIFT’s basic training for digital navigators. That preparation paid off.
The event would not have been possible without the collective effort of our partners and community advocates. We extend heartfelt thanks to the Mechanic’s Institute for hosting and to the Curry Senior Center for helping promote the event to their patrons.
Moving Forward
This workshop was more than a one-time event. It marked the start of an ongoing collaboration between digitalLIFT and the Mechanic’s Institute to make technology more approachable for older adults. Through shared commitment and creativity, we’re helping Bay Area residents gain the confidence they need to connect, learn, and shop safely online.
Interested in bringing a workshop like this to your organization? If your company or community group would like to host a hands-on digital skills event, we’d love to partner with you. Contact us today at inquiries@digitallift.org.
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