Dorset Council introduces 'Digital Champions' sessions
11% of residents in Dorset are completely offline and another 20% lack all the essential digital skills needed to get online
Dorset Council has introduced ‘digital champions’ sessions to help members of the community who find themselves “digitally isolated” and unsure how to use their phones, laptops or tablets.
11% of residents in Dorset are completely offline and another 20% lack all the essential digital skills needed to get online.
Digital Champion, Mike Watson said: “society is moving ahead quicker than people are catching up, so our job is to get people up to a level where they are willing to try.”
Patrick Ennals, a ‘digital champions’ learner, echoed these sentiments, saying: “My generation has been left behind in this modern digital age. There are millions of us that don’t understand it and we haven’t been taught it, yet we are expected to know it.”
As society continues to become more interconnected and we grow to be more reliant on the internet, Mike stresses the importance of getting people “online safely” and “helping them get the most out of the internet”. This includes showing people how to use the NHS Website to book appointments, send emails, set up online banking or just start a Zoom call.
Patrick Ennals told us he doesn’t know how to order food online so he either has to physically carry shopping home or bother his neighbour to do it for him. He said: “it’s important for people, like me, to be able to do that buy groceries online because we are becoming less mobile and as we become less mobile, we need the internet more.”
Mike Watson told us: “I get a huge reward when one of my learners does something and seeing them take it forward.
“One of the things we are taught as a digital champion is to never say, ‘oh that’s easy’ instead you should say ‘I think I can help you with that’.”
The ‘digital champions’ aim to be friendly and patient volunteers who explain things thoroughly without using jargon.
Mike Watson is just 1 of 40 digital champions in the county and he said: “the principal requirement for someone doing my job isn’t technical knowledge, it’s to do with patience and empathy.
“People can’t express the problem they have. They don’t have the vocabulary, or they can’t articulate their problem, so we need to listen, give them time and gradually build their confidence.”
The 40-minute sessions are free of charge and are dotted around libraries all over the county or you can speak to Digital Champions over the phone by calling 01305 221048.