The pandemic has exposed the lack of IT and internet access among many marginalised groups including: the elderly and those who had been shielding, those living in rural communities and low-income families. Furthermore, many individuals also do not have the digital skills necessary to function fully in the future. We aim to tackle this imbalance.
As part of our focus on digital, we are offering three different campaigns for business. We’d love your business to get involved.
- Text Help Service – we are calling for business volunteers to help people with IT support eg setting up a zoom meeting; using Teams effectively (an Access NI check will be required and will be carried out by Business in the Community).
- Connected Project – in partnership with the Department of Finance, Ignite IT, Libraries NI and Supporting Communities, this project is operating in two phases. Each phase will see 75 tablets provided to people in Northern Ireland who are digitally excluded. Each tablet is provided free of charge and the recipient pledges to take part in training provided by Libraries NI staff for the first three months, followed by any additional support with Supporting Communities. Business volunteers are needed to provide follow up support for users should they require it (an Access NI check will be required – carried out by Business in the Community).
- Device Donations – we are asking businesses to donate digital devices and/or financial assistance to purchase devices that will help children to learn more effectively in their home environment. Find out more.
Would your business like to be a Digital Champion and help shape our work in this area? If so, please contact Chloe Denning
Read this thought leadership article from Power NI
Listen to Gemma-Louise Bond from Power NI on U105
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