Community Tech Network Community Tech Network
Transforming lives through digital literacy. DONATE
  • Home
  • About
    • Our Mission & Impact
    • CTN History
    • Staff
    • Board
    • Partners
    • Funders
    • Jobs
    • Contact Us
  • What We Do
    • Capacity Building
    • Direct Services
  • Impact Stories
    • Videos
    • Case Studies
      • San Francisco Responds to COVID-19 (PDF)
      • The Pandemic Pivot (PDF)
    • Newsletters
    • CTN In the News
    • Volunteer Spotlights
    • Learner Spotlights
    • Partner Spotlights
    • Funder Spotlights
    • CTN Advocacy
    • Sign up for CTN eNews
  • WORK WITH US
  • Volunteer
    • Become a Digital Coach
    • Volunteer Heroes
    • Application
  • Resources
    • Request a Digital Coach
    • Training Schedule
    • SF Connected Calendar
  • Donate
Community Tech Network Community Tech Network
  • Home
  • About
    • Our Mission & Impact
    • CTN History
    • Staff
    • Board
    • Partners
    • Funders
    • Jobs
    • Contact Us
  • What We Do
    • Capacity Building
    • Direct Services
  • Impact Stories
    • Videos
    • Case Studies
      • San Francisco Responds to COVID-19 (PDF)
      • The Pandemic Pivot (PDF)
    • Newsletters
    • CTN In the News
    • Volunteer Spotlights
    • Learner Spotlights
    • Partner Spotlights
    • Funder Spotlights
    • CTN Advocacy
    • Sign up for CTN eNews
  • WORK WITH US
  • Volunteer
    • Become a Digital Coach
    • Volunteer Heroes
    • Application
  • Resources
    • Request a Digital Coach
    • Training Schedule
    • SF Connected Calendar
  • Donate
Jul 13

Volunteer Spotlight: Derek Slater

  • July 13, 2021
  • General, Volunteer Spotlights

Derek Slater wants to create a more open, secure, and inclusive world through access to information. He currently serves as the Global Director of Information Policy at Google — a hefty title with a range of responsibilities. On some days, it might be asking big-picture questions about free expression and engaging users with high-quality content. On other days, it might be testifying in front of Congress about online misinformation, hate speech, and terrorism.

As a passionate advocate for community and connection, he also serves as a volunteer digital coach for Community Tech Network. “My whole self is meshed with the rational, speed, scale, automation stuff,” reflects Derek. “But that doesn’t fill my soul in the same way that working with my community does.”

Derek’s interest in technology dates back to his early years. With a software developer for a mother and a rabbi as a father, Derek grew up at the intersection of technology and community organizing. He was simultaneously excited by the policies of the early internet and invested in the daily lives of those around him. At age 16, he began writing and publishing articles about information and internet policy. What was intended for a small audience blossomed into something much bigger. He soon found himself traveling across the country and in conversation with like-minded people.

Fast forward through college and various stints in different policy roles, Derek continues to integrate his passions for people, technology, and democracy into his career at Google, as well as other parts of his life. (His better half, Lila Bailey, is policy counsel at the Internet Archive, a nonprofit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites, and more.)

After connecting with CTN’s Kami Griffiths years ago, Derek began volunteering with us in 2015. Back then, all of our programs were conducted in person. Every Friday, Derek would enjoy a short walk from his home to the Rosa Parks community center to engage with learners and offer tech support. “There would be somebody who needed help getting a job, or wanted to move their photos into Google, or just needed someone to talk with,” reflects Derek. “I could just be around for them. It was a great experience.”

Eventually, Derek had to halt his volunteering as a new position led him to travel around the world. It wasn’t until this past winter that Derek felt something was missing: “I want to do my job, but I also want to be here rooted in San Francisco with this community.” When he reached back out to CTN, we were eager to set him up as a digital coach for one of our Home Connect learners.

So how does a tech-savvy Google executive teach digital skills to total beginners? It starts with getting out of his comfort zone. “Being a leader at this company and sort of having this bird’s eye view, it’s not easy to see the little things,” Derek reflects. “It’s a good sort of discomfort to take a step back and see things through their [the learners’] eyes … see how confusing technology can be sometimes,” he says.

Indeed, teaching internet skills to a newcomer is no easy task. It requires that we stop taking for granted that access to information and technology is enough. After all, the tools and actions that feel intuitive to some can be confusing to others — that the magnifying glass icon means to search, or that the left arrow means back, for example.

In the end, the challenges and breakthroughs are all worth it for Derek: “To listen to my learner reset, take a breath, then see her turn the corner and get a little bit better week after week, that totally fills my heart.”

CTN is grateful to have such an enthusiastic and talented volunteer on our team. Want to join in? Consider donating an hour of your week to help build a more digitally inclusive world for all.

Related

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Reddit
  • Pinterest
  • Google+
  • LinkedIn
  • E-Mail

Related Posts

  • Volunteer Jared Boddum’s Long, Rewarding Journey with CTNApril 23, 2021
  • 13 Years of CTN: Our PeopleMarch 3, 2021

Comments are closed.

CTN Stories

  • Videos
  • Newsletters
  • CTN In the News
  • Volunteer Spotlights
  • Learner Spotlights
  • Partner Spotlights
  • Funder Spotlights
  • CTN Advocacy

Stay Connected with CTN by signing up for our email list.

Recent Posts

  • Learner Spotlight: Damaris
  • Federal Communications Commissioner Geoffrey Starks Visits CTN and Hamilton Families
  • Older Americans Month: Seniors’ Lack of Internet Access and the Resulting Public Health Crisis
  • Help Bring Digital Literacy to Your Community – Apply for the DigitalLIFT Program!
  • April 2022 Network News

Follow us on Facebook

Today is World Day for Cultural Diversity! Thanks to technology, we are able to bridge the gap between cultures like never before. Today, we celebrate cultural diversity, both in America and around the world. ... See MoreSee Less

16 hours ago  ·  

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Consider giving to CTN's #OlderAmericansMonth fundraising campaign! This month, we are highlighting the connection between seniors' #DigitalAccess & #HealthOutcomes. Learn more & give:http://ow.ly/b7FH50J2nqy ... See MoreSee Less

1 day ago  ·  

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Community Tech Network believes that access to the Internet is a human right and that those without the skills to use a computer are at risk of social and economic disadvantage.

Contact Us

San Francisco Office
1390 Market Street, Suite 200
San Francisco, CA 94102

Austin Office
2407 S. Congress Avenue, Ste E387
Austin, TX 78704

General Questions
inquiries@communitytechnetwork.org
855-983-0318

Press
press@communitytechnetwork.org
855-983-0318 x 3636
Media Kit

Explore job opportunities with CTN

Send us a note:

©2022 Community Tech Network. Privacy Policy | Terms of Use