The Digital Skills courses and drop-in sessions at Mayfield Nurseries are proving popular with the local community as they help individuals build confidence online and connect digitally.
The 2019 Consumer Digital Index showed that 22% of the population do not have the digital skills needed for everyday life in the UK and that people with a disability are 35% less likely to have essential digital skills for life. Using free connectivity from Vodafone, Solent Mind and Mayfield Garden Centre are tackling this digital exclusion which can contribute to loneliness and isolation. The Digital Skills project supports individuals to get online to help them connect with support services and their loved ones- this is set to help hundreds of people in the area.
Simon Walters, Digital Skills Co-ordinator said:
I love seeing the progress through the courses and the pure joy on users faces, when they can connect with family member’s they have lost contact with on social media, or they found the one Epsom Derby horse race from 1957 that they never had the opportunity to watch. It just shows how essential this service is and that everyone should be given the opportunity to connect online. I am so proud to be a part of it
The Digital Skills Project includes a free 8-week course called Let’s Get Digital, based upon the Department of Education’s Digital Framework. The course will cover everything from browsing the Internet safely, communicating safely with others online, booking online appointments, shopping and banking. The courses are held at Mayfield Nurseries in Southampton and at other community locations around Hampshire.
Vodafone’s charities.connected initiative is part of its commitment to tackle digital exclusion and connect one million people by the end of 2022. This initiative is open to any registered charity that would benefit from free connectivity, either to improve its digital capability, extend its services or help the individuals and families it supports get online.
Emma Reynolds, Head of Communications, Sustainability and Regulatory Affairs at Vodafone UK said:
We are committed to tackling digital exclusion. We hope that by providing free connectivity to The Digital Skills Project and the other amazing charities across the UK who have such an enormous impact on their local communities, we can help create a more inclusive digital society. We urge any organisation who thinks they can benefit to apply online and look forward to hearing how this connectivity has helped.
If you are interested in finding out more about the Digital Skills Project:
Please contact Simon Walters on 07966 474 188 or send an email to [email protected].
