Fold Residents Get IT Savvy

Fold residents have been getting ipad classes from both Advice NI and The Digital Age Project over the past year. GrainneMullin and Deborah Sparks form the Housing team attended a Digital Age seminar in June this year, which showcased the project. The seminar featured two residents from Dean Crooks Fold who appeared in Digital Ages short film telling how their lives had been enhanced by learning to use IT. Bob who is 90, from Dean Crooks, explained how he now regularly speaks to his son in Australia using Skype. 

Since the seminar, Deborah has been working with Business in the Community to help roll out other digital inclusion projects across schemes throughout Northern Ireland.  For example the Lloyds Volunteers programmes means that tenants from Fold have been able to access one to one digital support for mobiles, tablets, cameras or computers. This could entail the volunteer showing the tenants how to download photographs, set up an email account, get connected on Skype, bank or shop online. BT also has a programme where they invited tenants along for one to one tuition with their staff volunteers. It also included a tour around BT Tower in Belfast.

Deborah says, ''''The feedback from tenants and coordinators has been very positive. The tenants have really enjoyed the one to one support which means they can ask questions specific to their needs so they get exactly what they require from the sessions.''''

She added, ''We''re hoping that more tenants from more schemes will benefit from the one to one during BITCs Get on Line Week 13  17 October. BITC are currently recruiting IT savvy volunteers who will share their knowledge with tenants in Fold schemes throughout the week.''''

Pictured above: Residents from Glen Fold who took part in some digital sessions with BT recently.

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