Getting Connected: how digital skills impact on wellbeing and health
Digital Exclusion: “The lack of access or ability to engage in digital activity, which excludes people from equal opportunities to engage in social, political, and economic life.”
(Institute for Public Policy Research, 2021)
In the North East, the percentage of people considered digitally excluded is the highest in the UK and this is not split equally across the population. Older people, those who are financially vulnerable and those who live with a condition that impairs their use of communication services are more likely to be digitally excluded.
Behind these statistics and percentages are real people with real struggles and, whilst we can’t solve everything, Digital Voice’s work has a big impact.
Digital Voice improves people’s lives with technology, here’s one way we do just that.
Our inTouch interGen programme is a great example of work that is happening in the region to foster digital equity in a really engaging and creative way. The six-week programme, which teaches digital skills, recently brought together children from Rowland’s Gill Primary School with local older people. The children, who are of course digital natives, help the older people to use an iPad in a fun way, for example taking a photo together and then showing how you can crop, edit or enhance the photograph or exploring where Google Earth can take you from the comfort of your armchair.
The feedback from the older people has been so positive:
“I get energised, I feel a lot healthier, I feel a bit more confident and I feel happier in myself. My mental health is improving.”
“The photos and what you can do to them is brilliant … I’ve enjoyed the whole thing.”
As for the young instructors, the positive effect on their own confidence is clear, as their teacher observed:
“I’ve seen people coming out of their shell [...] some of the children in our group are a little bit quiet but they’re not being quiet here, which is lovely to see.”
One pupil has really enjoyed being a ‘buddy’:
“I really want to be a teacher when I grow up and it’s been really good having the experience of doing it now and it’s been really nice teaching Alan.”
What makes this project so successful and so much more than digital skills, is the connection between people of different generations, which has had a real impact on their sense of community.
Steph Sewell, Older Person’s Housing Manager from Gateshead Council reflects:
“Everyone struggles with social isolation; there’s not that many initiatives running anymore, clubs and community hubs have closed so it’s just brightening everyone’s day a little bit.”
To see what the course is like for yourself and hear the feedback in this heart-warming little film.
If you have a group who would benefit, please get in touch, we’d love to hear from you.
Thank you to Gateshead Council for funding inTouch interGen.