The Digital Unite Blog

On this November day, the fog hasn’t shifted for two days outside in Carterton, West Oxfordshire  but inside the communal room at Cottsway Housing’s  Blenheim Court, it’s definitely lifting for the residents. Following the award-winning Silver Surfers’ Day event  in May this year, the Active Communities Team at Cottsway  have taken activities further, including running a Halloween-themed event during Get Online Week in October. As well as events like these to inspire residents – and staff – to start using computers and the internet, Cottsway have kicked off their Get Digital project with Digital Unite, and the scheme is now well underway in Ryegrass and Blenheim Court. Have a look at this marvellous video  to see just how it’s working out in Ryegrass!

Here at Blenheim Court, the Get Digital scheme has enabled them to put two computers in the common room and the training is in full swing. Tutor Brian Peart  is here today running one-to-one sessions with residents. John, 67, is effusive about all the things people look for once they get the hang of being online: ‘It ranges from farm animal welfare to military history (which you’d expect with RAF Brize Norton just around the corner). It’s amazing, you can find anything on there’.  

With only about 10% of residents having their own computers, the ones in the common room offer a real opportunity for residents. The aim is that the residents will convene their own Computer Club going forward, so that the common room continues to be a hub of activity with people helping each other out to get more connected to digital technologies in a social and engaging environment.

Sam Biddle, Community Development Worker has this advice: ‘It’s easy to facilitate events: we publicised them in the newsletters, invited residents and staff to participate and were able to use the computers set up in the board room. We’ll definitely do it again. The day will be a great success if you do your research about what your organisation expects of you, get your departments on board including IT, and be clear about any costs’.

Housing schemes who want to run their own Get Digital project need  look no further: you can get access to a complete toolkit of materials for free here.

With over 9 million people in the UK still having never tried out the Internet, a creative approach to encourage people to try it out is really needed. We were really interested to see in this marvellous video how Wellingborough’s older residents have been taking computer tips from teenagers, in a lovely event at Hollowell Court, which is a Wellingborough Homes sheltered housing scheme. Schoolchildren from Sir Christopher Hatton School came along to help residents explore the wonders of the web together, as well as having a go on the Wii.

Laura Osborne, aged 90, said: “The schoolchildren are absolutely fantastic.  They’re so polite and very intelligent – they’ve taught us a lot!  Coming down and using one of the computers makes life less lonely, it’s good company.  You can explore and find out different things, it’s very interesting.”

The learning in the scheme has been made possible via the Get Digital programme. It is so heartening to see it in action: we thoroughly recommend having a look at what went on.

Do you have stories and outcomes from your events? Let us know!

Tenants in Daventry are learning new computer skills with the help of their local housing association as part of a national campaign to help older people get online. Here’s our tutor Malcolm Collins with smiling learners Frank, Jean, Dorothy and Maisie, as they get to grips with computers and the web as part of a 15-week training programme which includes one-to-one and group sessions. Daventry & District Housing (DDH) has been awarded grants through Get Digital, the programme which Digital Unite is delivering across the country, which will pay for new computer equipment and resident’s training for three sheltered housing schemes in the area: Warwick Court in Daventry, Saxon House in Brixsworth, and Henry Smith House on the Headlands estate, Daventry.

As you can see from the glamorous themed T-shirts, the scheme is also supporting Get Online week (18 – 24 October), a national event to help people of all ages get started with computers and the internet, with free events across the country.

Ciara Mcmillan, community and partnerships manager from DDH, said: “Currently just one third of older tenants in Britain have access to the internet, so schemes like this are essential to making online resources more accessible and improving facilities across our schemes. The internet can make it easier to stay connected, saving time and sometimes money, and can be a lifeline for older people.”

The training runs alongside ‘silver surfer’ web sessions hosted by Abbey Junior School, Vicar Lane, where 10 and 11 year olds have been helping over 60s to use search engines to find websites for their favourite hobbies.

If you’ve got stories and pictures about what you’ve done during Get Online Week, why not contact us and we’ll shine a light on your successes!

The BBC’s new campaign First Click is talking to people all over the country about how they are involved in helping people get online, one click at a time. Listen here (2.54 in) to our very own Digital Unite Tutor Malcom Collins and his stories from the Get Digital programme in sheltered housing.

Rory Cellan-Jones was also talking to John Humprhys on Today, with a clip of Peggy Woolsey from The Archers and Martha Lane Fox talking about the importance of the campaign as social justice.

There’s a lot going on for this year’s Get Online Week!

Delegates from across England will attend the innovative See IT in Action event in Bethnal Green on 6 October – getting their hands on and discussing new ways of using technology to make services better and more efficient.

The event features over 40 ‘market stalls’ demonstrating tried and tested new ways of using IT to deliver services in health, housing, social care, education and community safety; all of which are enabled by readily available IT tools and resources.

See IT in Action, supported by the City of London, Communities and Local Government, local authorities and civil society partners, provides a first-hand opportunity to see how local government is using IT projects to save money and improve service delivery day-in, day-out, demonstrating localism the Big Society not just conceptually, but in practice.

Digital Unite is featured at this conference in two interesting ways: first, our very own Pete Deadman will be running a workshop on how the Get Digital programme has worked in practice, showcasing the benefits to landlords, schemes and residents when they make the leap online; and secondly, the tension is visibly mounting because we’re due to announce the winners of the 2010 Silver Surfers’ Day Best Event.

So come and visit us on 6 October in the marketplace, and watch this space for news about who won the big prize!

The first successful schemes in Wave 1 of Get Digital are planning their programmes and starting to get to grips with their new computers.  Have a look at  here to see what some of our partners and learners have to say about the project.

Now we are busy planning Wave 2.  The application packs should be ready to download from our website in the second half of July.  In the meantime, why not book a place at one of 4 free Regional Events being held in London, Bristol, York and Birmingham, to help you to learn more about the project and how to apply?  More information is on the website and please email info@getdigital.org.uk to secure your place.

Get Digital is on the move!

Click the link above to watch a video about one of the first schemes to Get Digital! Wakeford Court, which is one of three Testway Housing Association schemes involved in the Get Digital Scheme. Wakefield Court is one of the first 25 programmes to get underway which are London and South East but applications are still open in the North of England for the first round of funding.

Get Digital is open to social  landlords in England who manage sheltered housing schemes. It is funded by Communities and Local Government (CLG) and will run until March 2011.  The project will work directly in 195 schemes and online via the Get Digital website with a further 300 during this time. Successful applicants will receive a package of grants, training and support to promote, deliver and sustain digital literacy skills for their residents.

For more information about the Get Digital scheme, click here.

If you are a tutor Get Digital are currently recruiting and would like to hear from people with experience especially if you are from the North of England, Lincolnshire and Cornwall.

If you are a social landlord in the West Midlands or South West of  England, you have until 5pm on Monday 31st May to submit your application to the Get Digital programme.  Successful applicants will receive a package of grants, training and support to promote, deliver and sustain digital literacy skills for their residents.

It’s not too onerous, in fact people who have completed the Application Form so far have been ‘pleasantly surprised by the straightforwardness and simplicity’ of the process. You can download the Application Pack, with a Word form for the Application and detailed guidance on how to complete it here .

There will be a free Regional Event in Bristol on Monday 10th May for everyone interested in finding out more about the Get Digital programme, particularly those in the West/South West region.

Please see here for more information and if you would like to attend, send an email to info@getdigital.org.uk