With more and more services moving online it is more important than ever to make sure that everyone has the skills, knowledge and access to the digital world. Many many people have delighted in the ease with which they have been able to connect with people and services online during the pandemic, while others have been pushed further to the margins due to lack of confidence, skills or simply access. We want to combat this and do as much as we can to end digital exclusion and open up a world of possibilities for people at their fingertips or in the palm of their hand. We want to offer volunteer lead sessions where participants will have access to computers and the help and guidance of volunteers to show them what to do and support them to use the computers and the internet for a range of activities from job search and applications, to benefits claims and contacting council services as well as using the internet and social media to keep in touch with family and friends.

What we'll deliver:

• Volunteer supported IT and internet access sessions
• Open access computers for the community to use

Why it's a great idea:

during the pandemic many services that could once be accessed face to face or over the phone moved online as this made it easier to access them from home, for both the work force and on the surface to the users. while this is true in many cases for many disadvantaged groups this move further marginalised them. Likewise as social interactions moved online many people found how rewarding this could be, again those without the skills or the facilities to access the online world were further isolated from loved ones and the rest of the community. Our project aims to redress this and to make sure that those with access but not the skills are able to develop them in a relaxed, informal and supportive session, while at the same time allowing those who have the skills but currently lack the access to drop in and access the internet either during one of the volunteer sessions or to use an open access terminal in the reception of the centre. thus providing new skills and combating isolation

Steps to get it done:

• Purchase the laptops and desktops needed for sessions to start
• start promoting the sessions, starting with one session a week
• recruit more volunteers so that we can have more support per session and run more than one session a week
• have desk top computer installed in reception so that we can provide open access to the internet for the local community