Changing the world: Teens train 270 learners in digital skills
Atlanta, Ga. (April 22, 2025) - A group of strong girls in Atlanta came together to spread digital literacy and online safety awareness in their communities, making an impact on 270 lives in less than one month.
The Empress and Pearls Inc. is a nonprofit organization serving girls ages 5 to 18 that is committed to youth development and "changing the world, one Black girl at a time.” Its mentees, also referred to as the Pearls, each complete a minimum of 25 hours of community service per year that apply five core pillars: college and career preparation, entrepreneurship, social-emotional learning, financial literacy, and etiquette.
This March, the Pearls planned and facilitated a series of internet safety workshops through Connected Nation’s Teens Teach Tech (TTT), powered by AT&T, program. The teens took full ownership over the workshop content, training 270 adults in just 11 days, including 76 senior citizens.
Not only did these classes serve their community, but they enhanced the girls’ public speaking and communication skills as well.
“These sessions were part of a blended learning approach to give the Pearls broader exposure to both in-person facilitation and virtual engagement — valuable experiences in today’s digital world,” said Tamika Adams, founder of The Empress and Pearls.
Sharing their knowledge both in person and online gave the girls insight into how to effectively facilitate classes with different structures.
One of the girls noticed that things often move quicker in online classes and recognized how to adapt the training for future workshops. She also realized that having an assistant trainer in both virtual and in-person workshops helped the classes move along at a steady pace.
Most of the classes were held virtually, and although some learners were not as tech savvy, the Pearls said the trainings went well. Class participants had lots of good questions and were excited to share what they learned and what they already knew. One of the most popular topics among older learners was how to detect scam calls and emails, which is vital to protecting one’s identity and information.
One elderly participant shared that she was almost scammed when someone messaged her saying she owed $0.23 for a parking ticket. She almost paid it, until her daughter noticed that it was a scam. The Pearls reviewed the website during the training and discussed how to tell that it was fraudulent — because there was no padlock icon, indicating an unsecure connection. Since the class had just discussed the importance of looking for padlocks on sites, it was the perfect example to tie everything all together.
This is what makes the TTT program so impactful — the classes offer opportunities to discuss real-world situations and turn them into applicable lessons. The teen trainers learn how to make these connections and build their leadership skills.
“Our mission at The Empress and Pearls aligns closely with Teens Teach Tech by empowering youth to lead, educate, and uplift their communities through purposeful, skill-building initiatives,” Adams said.
By partnering with TTT, teens get the invaluable experience of working with older generations and building career skills that will help them excel in the future.
“We're excited to continue creating meaningful collaborations and impactful learning experiences for young leaders,” Adams added.
Interested in creating these learning experiences by setting up your own TTT team? Reach out to Connected Nation HERE to learn more.