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

A year ago in the face of lockdown we took a gamble which paid off.

We moved a small class of older people, unsure about how to use their computers, into the online Zoom world, providing a weekly opportunity to socialise, learn more about their laptops, tablets & mobile phones; building confidence as we went along.

We’ve demonstrated Test & Trace, using maps, sharing via WhatsApp and how to use iPlayer.

We’ve learnt about each other and the subject we cover all come from the learners themselves

Underlying all of this is learning to be safer online and helping each other.

So today is our birthday, so where are we?

We’ve conducted 42 classes, with 51 different learners popping in: a total of 442 attendances.

We are chaperoned around the internet by our tireless and very friendly Sue Gauge and we now have two volunteers from the class who help researching subjects and crowd control within the class – Thank you David and Eulalee.

We’ve had a learner as far afield as Beverly in Yorkshire and an enquiry from New York. Not bad for a “local” organization.

This class could never have been possible without the support of the Upper Norwood Library, but also, Crystal Palace Community Trust, Age UK Croydon, Croydon BME Forum, LinkAge Southwark & Age UK Lambeth.

More importantly this could never have been possible without our regulars who turn up, unmute, raise hands and join in. THANK YOU

So what next?

Well, that would be telling…

Today though is about eating cakes and awards- so ask me tomorrow