Cathy Reed spoke about mentoring through
ISisters. She spent ten years as an
educational software trainer and consultant, eventually tiring of the
mobile lifestyle of eating out, of using little hotel soaps. “I woke
up one morning and realized that what I was doing didn't matter to me.
It was great, but I had a huge void. … Shortly after that, ISisters
was founded.”

ISisters builds community centers that help women on social assistance
learn how to use technology. Cathy described one Inuit woman: “Very
cool to watch a grown woman send her first e-mail, and then a week
later, see 12 emails from her family and friends up north whom she
hadn't connected with in a long time.”

She also mentioned the Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance – Women
in Technology (CADA-WIT), which has just opened a Toronto chapter.

Cathy spoke about her passion for the technology and the effect that
sharing this passion had on the women she taught. Through
encouragement, sharing and being a positive role model, she transforms
the lives of the teenage mothers, natives, and new immigrants who go
through iSisters.

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I'd love to help out with something like that when I'm older. That
way, I can not only help people become more comfortable with
technology, but also help them make the most of life.