Westward Housing Group is a major housing association in the south west. They joined the Digital Champions Network as part of their Bee Online digital inclusion project and their team of Digital Champions have so far delivered over 100 teaching sessions to help residents develop basic digital skills.
Amanda Lynn is a Customer Involvement Officer who was nominated by her team to become a Westward Digital Champion.
Amanda said: “I really enjoy being a Digital Champion – when you teach someone something on the computer and then see it click with them that’s such a great feeling. One lady I taught was 87 years old and had a daughter in New Zealand and a granddaughter who was on her travels. She had a computer but didn’t know how to use it and had to rely on her husband all the time. I helped her to turn the computer on, send emails and also set up her own Skype account. When she Skyped her granddaughter during one of her sessions she was delighted!”
“Another resident was in his 60s and wanted to learn about internet banking but was a bit scared about sharing his details over the computer. I showed him how to set up an online bank account and also how to download pictures of his family from Facebook which made him very happy.”
“I’ve definitely learnt lots along the way. The online courses were really good and taught me some very useful tips about online shopping and banking – I thought I knew quite a bit but they gave me lots of new ideas. I have also learnt how to be more patient; it’s easy to forget that something you take for granted like using a mouse and keyboard is not always that simple for other people.”
Dot Vickery is a Finance Officer at Westward Housing. Dot said:
“I don’t get to interact with many of the residents as part of my day job so being a Digital Champion has been a great way of getting out there and meeting our customers. I enjoy passing on knowledge and helping others so being a Champion has been ideal for me and I have been pleased to give something back.
“I have completed all of the Network’s online courses which helped me understand some of the technical jargon and I can pass this on to my learners.
“One of my best moments was when I helped one gentlemen with exchanging emails with his sister. He had a computer and a tablet but had difficulty remembering things so was keen to just learn about the aspects he wanted to know. I showed him how to do web browsing to help him pursue his interest in steam railways. He was really pleased when I helped him find videos about stream trains online.
“My next learner understands about computers but has a fear of shopping online and sharing bank details so I hope to help her through my own experiences as well. It’s amazing when you come out of a teaching session with a learner to know they now have more knowledge than when they started and that you have truly opened up their world.”
Westward’s Bee Online campaign - Champions train through Digital Unite’s Digital Champions Network and then go out and share their knowledge in a very hands-on way through ‘show and tell’ informal learning. No-one need be a technological whizz and courses are just half an hour and easy to understand and absorb. Westward customers can contact their customer involvement officer to train to become champions or to have a free half hour course visit at a nearby community centre, café or library.
Westward Housing Group provides more than 7,000 affordable, high quality homes and housing related services across Devon and Cornwall. They work through Westcountry Housing and Tarka Housing, in partnership with local authorities to meet the needs of local people in the greatest need of housing.