“Never too old” : why digital skills in later life are proving to be vital
Anchor Housing has recently engaged the skills of Digital Voice to deliver a digital storytelling course for its residents. Digital Voice is a multi-award-winning, not-for-profit social enterprise that delivers digital inclusion projects in a variety of ways. In their storytelling course, a Digital Voice expert helps residents to tell their stories using a range of digital tools, teaching them to do everything from filming to editing the final piece.
Residents Heather and Terry talked to us about their experiences as participants on this course.
Heather
“A few years ago it was discovered I had cognitive problems which affect parts of my memory and reasoning. Fortunately the dementias have been ruled out. It has however forced early retirement on me and a certain loss of self. I find myself asking “What do I no longer remember?” Am I a different person to what I was before this?” Most retirees can sit back and recount tales of ‘remember when’. Not so much me.
Each week on the course, the two hours we shared were very informative, a wonderful session of discoveries. There was a lot to learn and we were happy for a great and patient teacher in Jan Debognies who developed a real rapport with us oldies! I felt my confidence growing each week.
Before I would just press video on my camera phone and that would be that. I now feel confident I will be able to make, edit, and share my own mini videos. Now I can cut out the boring bits, join different videos together, add text, photos, music, voice over and many many more exciting edits. I can’t wait to start my own project soon, now I have this skill and I will be able to pass on and make the most of the memories I have.
I have since made a further digital story on my own to use these skills. It tells you how you too can make a digital story and I hope it will help others to be able to pass on and make the most of the memories they have.”
You can see Heather’s video below.
Terry
“I didn’t quite envisage what a life-changing opportunity you were getting us into there, but all now has become clear. Jan, thanks so much for being so cool! What a pleasure being led and taught by you. You calmed my nervousness, eliminated my usual fear of being left behind on Day One, and with your measured “time for all” got us all the results.
I have managed to produce something, totally through your kind efforts, that I would have thought, just a short while ago, was not within reach. And I’m not really referring to the technical side of things. I’m talking of how you have inspired us to create something quite beautiful and special - to put our life experiences into a story and film.
The impact and significance of that to me, at this somewhat late stage of my life, is overwhelming. And emotional. It’s being listened to, as somebody who is perhaps now worth being listened to. Who has a story to tell. And as somebody that plans to tell more stories from here on in. So again, thank you both, it’s been a wonderful experience.”
To find out more about the work of Digital Voice, please visit their website https://www.digitalvoice.org.uk/