Jul 27, 2025
We were invited to the recent Get Online London Meet Up hosted by the Good Things Foundation to discuss our approach to Digital Champion and training.
We focused on our three keys areas that include:
Supporting Peer Volunteers:
The notion that those needing digital support will often respond better to someone who knows a little bit more and has lived their experience. ‘Experts’ can also be intimidating and tend to ‘take over’. A peer volunteer is on their own digital inclusion journey and supporting others with challenges they have just overcome is hugely empowering and develops troubleshooting skills.
Building work placed skills and community resilience:
Supporting others hones keys skills around active listening, giving clear instructions and translating new concepts. These are exactly the type of skills required in thr working place and cannot always be taught – you need space to practice this!
Creating opportunities for Digital Ambassadors
We’ve aways thought that digital support could be enhanced though intergenerational work and but providing work experience and placement opportunities we have finally found a format where there is genuine exchange of experience between generations that can also lead to unexpected positive outcomes
We grown from 3 to 32 volunteers in the last 4 years and have reached and similar amount through our volunteer training whilst supporting other organizations.
This is just the beginning!
Jun 14, 2025
With summer coming up, we have crafted two different events to help you connect with the community and be safer online.
On Wednesday 16th July at 11am, we will running our next Digital Horizons event at Anerley Town Hall. This follows our successful event in Orpington earlier in the year.
We will have a range of speakers talking about being online, scams, managing our health online and a few other activities.
We will also have a range of community stalls with information about other services and groups to connect with in the local community.
There will be a chance to win a Chromebook and a Smart Phone. This is being delivered in partnership with Penge PCN, Crystal Palace Community Trust, Clarion Housing and Good Things Foundation.
You can turn up on the day or pre-book a ticket here (which will help us manage refreshments and be eligible for the prize draw
Next, we announce the inaugural Croydon Cyber Crime Awareness Day which will take place on the evening of the 22nd July at the Braithwaite Halls in central Croydon.
This is in partnership with Croydon Neighbourhood Watch who work tirelessly across the Borough to raise awareness an keep local people safer from crime.
Join us for a range of speakers from CrimeStoppers, MET CyberCrime unit, Neighbourhood Watch and more.
It will be an evening of information about what we can do to recognize online crime and support ourselves as well as our loved ones and neighbours. There will also be opportunities for you to get involved and access training.
Booking is essential for this and is set to be a fantastic evening.
See you there
May 10, 2025
We’ve always felt deeply connected to our local community, and our work with the Upper Norwood Library Hub has been a cornerstone of that connection right from the start. As a local employer, we see ourselves as an integral part of the vibrant “business community” here. So, when the Library Hub invited us to participate in their Creative Communities project – an initiative designed to encourage local residents to express their thoughts and feelings about their community through art – we were immediately intrigued.
Initially, we pondered our approach. We aren’t a traditional community group, but we firmly believe in our role as connectors, providing access to the vital services and support that people need. It was from this perspective that we landed on the powerful concept of “Equity in Digital Inclusion.”
Over three engaging sessions, facilitated brilliantly by Tony Cealy and the talented @asmaeatsart, participants delved into some crucial questions about what it truly means to be digitally included in 2025:
- What does digital inclusion look like in today’s world?
- How does it impact you and our wider community?
- What does it really mean to be ‘connected’ in this digital age?
- How do you envision technology influencing the world around us?
The results of these explorations were nothing short of amazing. The artistic expressions that emerged were thought-provoking and deeply insightful. The subjects tackled ranged from the pervasive influence of Artificial Intelligence in our lives to the often-felt isolation between different generations navigating technology. Participants eloquently explored where “we” fit within this rapidly evolving digital landscape.
This collaboration with the Upper Norwood Library Hub has not only been a fantastic opportunity to engage with our community in a new and creative way, but it has also reinforced the critical importance of addressing digital equity. It’s a conversation that needs to continue, and we’re proud to have played a part in sparking these vital reflections.
May 10, 2025
Since last September, we’ve been thrilled to partner with the fantastic team at Community Tech Aid to deliver a vital programme: Digital Skills for Parents.
The idea behind it is straightforward, yet incredibly impactful. We know that parents of primary school-aged children often juggle a multitude of responsibilities, leaving little time for themselves and opportunities for meaningful connection. Layer on the rising cost of living and an uncertain job landscape, and many parents find themselves making tough choices, often at the expense of their own needs and development.
Our programme offers a simple yet powerful solution. By providing parents with a laptop and a focused digital skills refresher course right after school drop-off, we’ve witnessed truly empowering and engaging results.
This short window of time becomes a precious opportunity for parents to invest in their own learning. For many, it sparks an interest in crucial topics like family online safety – a significant concern for so many in today’s digital world.
At the heart of everything we do is a commitment to placing individuals at the centre of their own learning journey. We aim to equip them with the skills and confidence to feel less overwhelmed and more in control, particularly crucial when navigating the complexities of family life.
Programmes like this are incredibly important, and their impact is amplified through strong partnerships. Our collaboration with Community Tech Aid has allowed us both to leverage our unique strengths and deliver a project that neither of us could have achieved alone.
Thank you to the Walcott Foundation for making this happen
May 10, 2025
Ready to bloom with new digital skills? Our popular Community Learning courses are back this June, and trust us, you won’t want to miss out!
Unleash Your Inner Designer with Canva!
Dreaming of creating stunning visuals for your community project or just for fun? Our 6-week “Get Creative with Canva” course will take you from blank canvas to finished project. Learn to plan projects, master Canva’s templates, edit your photos like a boss, and share your creations with the world.
- Where & When: Mondays at Thornton Heath Library & Fridays at We Are 336, Brixton.
Be the boss with “Managing My Computer”!
Is your computer desktop a digital jungle? Our 6-week “Managing My Computer” course is your guide to file organization and digital decluttering. Get organized for work, life, and everything in between!
- Where & When: Wednesdays at Anerley Town Hall.
Ready to dive in? Click here for all the dates, times, and to register your interest. We’ll be in touch with all the enrolment details soon!
Don’t let this opportunity spring away!
Apr 26, 2025
It was great to invite Vera from Roehampton University to review the Digital Ambassador placement scheme, ensuring we meet our objectives and to hear from placements about the progress on their individual projects.
Alongside supporting local residents with their digital skills and our fight against digital exclusion they have each been working to either research or develop a real business situation for us at ClearCommunityWeb.
It has been a huge learning curve for both students and staff and we have certainly had some successes.
Its crucial to work alongside a partner like Roehampton University to provide real world situations to supplement their skills for work syllabus and to equally learn from them on how to structure something meaningful.
The Digital Ambassador projects have been varies and we look forward to seeing them complete so we can put into action.
They have included:
✅ Impact assessment and focus groups to understand our work in Thornton Heath
✅ Structuring our data and supporting the migration to a new M & E tool
✅ Supporting the launch of a Family Learning and Home-Schooling Centre in Stockwell
✅ Researching the firsts steps to Information & Advice accreditation
✅ Understanding different governance structures and developing an stakeholder board
✅ Developing social media templates and improving the way we plan and structure content calendars
✅ Researching the Digital Gap within the skills for work environment and helping to craft a content plan for a new programme
✅ Researching new digital tools and platforms and the launch of our BlueSky Account
Not bad eh!
