Vodafone

VODAFONE

Bridging the Digital Divide

Vodafone Ireland Foundation’s community programme which, in partnership with Active Retirement Ireland and ALONE, works to empower older people to enter the online world through online and in-person courses

Hi Digital face-to-face digital skills training class at Tyrrelstown Community Centre

Ireland has one of the lowest digital literacy levels among older people in the EU, with only 19 per cent of over 65’s having basic digital literacy skills, compared to an EU average of 25 per cent. The pandemic exacerbated the digital divide, as more services and communities suddenly moved online.

Everyone has the right to a digital life; the comprehension and confidence to explore all the possibilities the internet has to offer. That’s why Vodafone Ireland Foundation, in partnership with Active Retirement Ireland and ALONE, created the Hi Digital, a first-of-its-kind programme, to help digitally upskill older people, giving them the essential tools needed to become digitally independent.

The beauty of the online course is that it can be completed at home, either independently or with help from friends, family or other people in the community. And it can be done at whatever pace suits.

Not only does Hi Digital offer free digital skills training, inperson classes are there to offer further support with plenty of other Active Retirement Ireland Digital Ambassadors offering similar services around the country. The community groups bring people together and offer a fantastic opportunity to socialise and forge new relationships offline, in the real world. EVERYDAY SKILLS The free Hi Digital training course covers basic and essential digital skills, which help older people manage everyday things, which younger digital natives take for granted—such as reading the news online or managing their banking. A simple, user friendly online learning platform has been created at hidigital.ie to start learning basic and essential online skills including:

• What the internet is and what you can do there • How to use your smartphone • Keeping in touch with family and friends (e-mail, social media, WhatsApp) • Looking up information for hobbies or travel • Reading, watching and listening to news and entertainment • Online shopping • Online banking • Using your phone to take and share pictures or videos • Planning hobbies and travel using the internet • Online safety and more

There is also a mentor guide for friends and family who want to help a loved one through the training at home.

In person Hi Digital classes run by Active Retirement Ireland’s own Digital Ambassadors are run across the country. Active Retirement Ireland links in with various community centres throughout the country to ensure everyone who wants to has the opportunity to access the internet to learn online skills.

ALONE is also training individuals

VODAFONE

Eugene Phillips

from organisations that support older people to become Digital Champions through online and in-person workshops.

MAN ON A MISSION Hi Digital is helping Clare man Eugene Phillips connect his peers. His goal is to do all he can to

improve basic digital skills among over 65’s in Ireland. This includes demonstrating to others the basics of modern technology which many of us take for granted – the likes of video calls, e-mails and searching for information online. It’s not long since the Co. Clare man completed Vodafone Ireland Foundation’s Hi Digital programme, designed with the support of partners, Active Retirement Ireland and ALONE.

Now he is one of the first Active Retirement Ireland Digital Ambassadors appointed by the programme. Eugene was inspired by the simplicity of the tuition to share what he learned with others. “I had done some courses over the years, but I found I didn’t learn enough because the people doing the teaching were speaking to me at a level I didn’t understand. With Hi Digital, the

emphasis is on the basics which is what beginners only want to know, and it teaches people in a language that is on their level and easy to understand.”

Research shows that 64 per cent of older people would be more comfortable learning new internet or digital skills if they had someone to help them and Eugene is doing just that. The 75-year-old – who is the Regional Development Officer for Active Retirement Ireland in the mid-west – has undergone intensive technology training. “I figured what Hi Digital did for me it could do for others, and I wanted to show my peers that getting online is not too big a task for anyone even if they feel they have been left behind.”

Eugene is spearheading in-person classes in his own area to support the Vodafone Ireland Foundation Hi Digital platform. “I am looking forward to guiding and supporting people to show them that they really can do it just like me.”

The aim is the same: bridge the huge digital divide in Ireland by supporting more than 230,000 older people to learn basic and essential digital skills.

WITH HI DIGITAL, THE EMPHASIS IS ON THE BASICS WHICH IS WHAT BEGINNERS ONLY WANT TO KNOW, AND IT TEACHES PEOPLE IN A LANGUAGE THAT IS ON THEIR LEVEL AND EASY TO UNDERSTAND