inTouch: basic skills with a big impact
In a digital world it can be very easy to take for granted the access we have to devices which in turn, give us access to shopping, banking, communication, prescriptions and travel. If you have limited access to a device, or don’t know how to use the device you own, then the world can feel inaccessible and difficult. That’s where Digital Voice can help. Our inTouch courses are genuinely for beginners and our supportive approach means that people are able to grow in confidence at their own pace. There have been some wonderful results.
At St Martin’s Centre, in Newcastle’s West End, older people have been learning how to getting familiar with the technology through swipes and gestures, understanding accessibility functions, how to use email and apps, understanding how to use AI (Chat GPT) to find information, and embedding how to keep safe online within all sessions. It has been great to see the participants growing in confidence and how their new skills are impacting their lives.
For one participant it was shopping online:
“I've got a lot more confidence. I am always told that because I'm old, I'm not so good. But when I’ve done this, and I go home, I think that I can do this. My main thing is, I am going to have a go at doing my own home shopping. I have achieved that. Thank you very much, it has been a well run course.”
For another, it has enhanced her life in terms of accessibility, as she has a hearing impairment:
“I could have cried when I found that. It’s helped me so much.”
Julie Nicholson, Managing Director of Digital Voice, understands the importance of getting more people online and confident with their devices:
‘I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that it changes people’s lives, often in small ways but still making things easier for them. One participant had asked to be shown how to use a local travel app and was amazed when they could see where the bus was on a map and know when it would arrive. To see people who are often quite afraid to use a device at the beginning, grow in confidence and gain a new sense of independence, is so satisfying!”
At St Vincent de Paul in Newcastle, we delivered 6 weekly digital inclusion workshops. These workshops included group consultation to enable the course to work with the needs of the participants, and ensure that what was covered was really relevant to their lives. Participants were able to use tablet devices provided by us.
Ronnie Johnston has been running this course and has seen for himself the difference it can make:
“One participant keeps expressing how grateful she has been for the course. She does not have any smart devices and currently uses the library to do anything that needs done online. She has told me that in the new year, she is going to buy a smartphone and a tablet due to the confidence gained during the course. Another participant has loved coming and learning how to use different apps. He enjoyed using Google Earth to look at his home country of Mauritius in street view. He is always engaging in the session and using it as an opportunity to learn English.”
“Thank you so much for inviting me to the digital course, I have managed to stick at it and have found it really helpful and thoroughly enjoyable.”
- Participant
If you have a group that would benefit from basic digital skills and the confidence that comes with it, please do get in touch, we’d love to help!
Thanks to Dynamo Fund and The Mayor's Opportunity Fund at Community Foundation North East for making these projects possible.