Tech and AI could leave some in the Modesto area behind. A new class offers help
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- Nonprofit launches bilingual AI and digital literacy classes for 300 residents.
- Program offers eight-hour courses, free devices for qualifying low-income attendees.
- Partnerships and BUILD framework connect community groups, small businesses and funders.
Marking its first year as a nonprofit, yüda ayüda is launching a program to make technology more accessible for rural and working families in the Central Valley.
The program, Cafecito y Computadoras — “Coffee and Computers” in Spanish — offers bilingual classes that combine digital fundamentals with AI literacy for up to 300 residents throughout Stanislaus County.
“Yüda ayuda is not duplicating existing work, we are filling a critical gap,” said co-founder Karlha Arias. “From classrooms to boardrooms, we are making sure technology serves our communities instead of leaving them behind. And we are doing it in English and Spanish, with compassion and corazón.”
In partnership with local nonprofits and community organizations, classes are available in both morning and evening sessions. Supported by funding from the California Public Utilities Commission and the Stanislaus Community Foundation’s Adelante Fund, the nonprofit is now seeking additional community sponsors to help expand its reach.
Those interested can sign up at www.yuda.io/basics.
Classes will kick off mid-January. Qualifying attendees who complete the eight-hour course and have proof of low-income status — such as an EBT card or signed waiver — will receive a free device for continued learning.
Founded in July 2024 by Daisy Mayorga, a computer scientist, and Arias, a rural community activist, yüda ayüda embodies their own experiences with exclusion in the tech industry — particularly as Latinas, who make up just 2% of the tech workforce.
The two also have seen the everyday challenges their communities face, like parents struggling to navigate school portals, workers grappling with app-based healthcare systems and families locked out of essential services that increasingly require digital access.
“Technology can open doors we never thought possible,” Mayorga said. “As a Latina in computer science, I’ve often been the only one in the room, and I know how isolating that feels. With yüda ayuda, my hope is that our communities won’t just be invited in, they’ll feel like they truly belong.”
At the core of yüda ayüda is its BUILD framework: Begin with Basics, Understand Tools, Invest in Learning, Link with Communities and Develop Solutions. The model gives individuals and organizations a clear, step-by-step path to gain confidence, practical skills and real-world solutions in a digital world.
The organization also partners with small businesses and nonprofits through technology audits, workshops and community presentations, teaching digital skills and AI fluency.
The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025 predicts that 39% of workers’ skills will be outdated by 2030, with AI, digital literacy and tech fluency among the fastest-growing demands. Yüda ayüda is working to ensure rural and working-class families do not get left behind as the workplace landscape evolves.
This story was originally published October 21, 2025 at 2:02 PM.
