Following on from the success of our previous loan programme, we have successfully secured further funding to be able to extend and reach out to support families in need of laptops.

During our first cohort, we were able to support a handful of local residents by providing laptops for remote learning, job applications and to freshen up their digital skills.

One resident has been able to access Zoom classes and keep up with meetings on his laptop, even taking it with him on holiday which allowed him to stay connected.

Another resident has been using his loan to take part in a technology course at Lambeth College, has been able to use it to complete assignments as well as make a CV and successfully apply for a part-time job at a Dental Surgery.

“I have no words to say thanks, it’s beyond thanks”

The next stage of this programme is to reach out and support families with children who are in need of laptops to support their remote learning. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted an already existing gap in support for families unable to access devices. Both primary and secondary schools require students to complete their homework online, access learning portals, and during isolation or lockdowns, attend classes online.

With the future of the pandemic still uncertain, support for families needing computer access at home is still critical.

We know that families who don’t have access to the devices they need have been dealing with extra stress and anxiety struggling to take turns on a single slow computer, or straining to do their homework on a tiny phone screen. We hope that with these laptop loans we can help families access the resources they need and take some of the pressure off so they can focus on what’s important to them.

We have a small number of laptops available for short and medium-term loans. Alongside this we are able to provide one-to-one support and signposting to other helpful resources in the community.

“This is a good scheme for people who haven’t got a laptop or for people who can’t afford to go out and buy them at the moment.”

This project has been funded by the Lambeth Digital Inclusion fund and our ongoing support by the Thrale RIN fund.

If you live in Lambeth and have children; you work in a school who would like to talk to us; or know of anyone who could benefit from this scheme, then more info can be found here.

We’ve been little quiet of late as we have been working back out in the community.

Mondays and Wednesdays we can been seen at the Tessa Jowell Health Centre or Blackfriars Settlement alongside Link Age Southwark delivering a program of ‘Digital Awareness’ talks to help older people build confidence either access the internet for the first time or to fill in some of the niggling gaps in knowledge we all have.

Being safe online and managing email better are core subjects for us, building upon Essential Digital Skills.

We’ve run activities on checking password strengths, having a strategy about what you share or not within a personal profile, recovering passwords and using maps and journey planning – all really useful stuff!

It’s been fantastic to meet some people in person – some we know, some we know of and some new faces completely.

It’s also been an opportunity to spend individual time again with people in a more social setting and we have a lot more to come.

These sessions with Link Age Southwark will continue in September to please check our calendar for further information and how to book.

http://clearcommunityweb.co.uk/calendar/

ClearCommunityWeb have partnered with the West London Mission to deliver a new training course designed for volunteers looking to support people digitally – The Digital Volunteer Toolkit.

Over four 2hr sessions each cohort will explore the barriers people may have to technology, develop an approach to supporting people both in person and remotely and learn through examples and role-playing.

There will be 2 cohorts in July and will be free for Lambeth residents or those working for Lambeth based organizations.

This course is suitable for both staff and volunteers.

You don’t need to be an IT expert, just have an everyday knowledge of using the internet, email and things like Zoom. It’s more important that you are patient and happy to try and work out problems alongside people.

Cohort 1
Mon 5 July, Wed 7 July, Mon 12 July & Wed 14 July 2021
10am-12 noon

Cohort 2
Mon 19 July, Wed 21 July, Mon 26 July & Wed 28 July
2pm-4pm

Cohort 3
Tues July 27th, Thurs 29th July
1pm-4pm

To find out more or book please contact Abel on:
Tel: 07903 629544
Email: abel.solomon@wlm.org.uk

The team have been busy bees!

We have been working alongside Kings College Students to test the viability of a learning journal to help people learn digital skills more easily, retain important information and be safer online.

Early workshops have been successful, and we see this as a vital tool for all our learners and the community partners we work with.

When learning something new, it’s vital to build confidence at your own pace with resources you are familiar with – so telling someone unused to technology to ‘Go Google It’ simply wont cut the mustard.

It will be designed specifically, with older people in mind, those living with dyslexia as well as learning difficulties BUT its clear and simple layout will be useful for all

So help us product test, print and distribute a learning journal to help older people learn better about digital technology and vote for ClearCommunityWeb in the Kings College Civic Challenge.

http://bit.ly/civic-challenge