About
My brother Ben and I started Enable Me Now in 2023 after we helped a family friend with multiple sclerosis figure out their iPhone. This act got us thinking about the tech hurdles many face, and how teens like us could help.
I’ve always been drawn to STEM, and my experience with Girls Who Code opened my eyes to how tech can genuinely benefit people. I even had a hand in building the website you’re on!
We started our workshops at a New York City Department of Parks & Recreation senior recreation center in our neighborhood. People really love the help, and it’s fulfilling for us to give back.
In the workshops we provide a list of features people can get help on, and they often come with their own questions. Most common are managing transit apps, dealing with email spam, setting reminders, and adjusting settings. People also help each other after learning something new.
Our goal is to grow Enable Me Now across Brooklyn and other cities, showing other teens how their existing tech skills can be channeled to assist others.
Sophie
How a workshop actually runs
We arrive with a printed list of things people can do on their phones, and everyone picks what they want help with. Most people also turn up with a question of their own.
There are usually two or more of us at a session, so people break into small groups. Most of the time is spent talking. People pick a lot up from hearing what someone next to them is being shown, and they end up explaining things to each other — that happens at every session and it is a large part of why we run these as groups rather than appointments.
Eight to twelve people is a comfortable size. Workshops are usually an hour and a half or two hours, and we sometimes recruit friends to help with each session.
Where we have worked
- Fort Hamilton Senior Recreation Center, Brooklyn
- Brooklyn Public Library
- New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center
- Commonpoint Sam Field, Queens
- A New York City Department of Parks & Recreation senior recreation center, Brooklyn
Common questions
What happens at a workshop?
We meet at a community organization and hand out a list of things people can do on their phones, and everyone picks what they want help with. Two or more volunteers run each session, so people break into small groups. Workshops usually run an hour and a half to two hours. Most people arrive with a question of their own, and they end up explaining things to each other as they go.
Who runs Enable Me Now?
Sophie and her brother Ben, who started the program in Brooklyn in 2023, along with student chapter leaders who run workshops in their own communities.