10 Years of Digital Inclusion with Supporting Communities

Rosemary McCaw checks out the Supporting Communities website from her home in Coleraine

We reached a significant milestone this year. Supporting Communities has been teaching basic digital skills to communities in Northern Ireland for ten years and has trained 3,642 people! To mark the occasion, we spoke to one of our very first digital champions, Rosemary McCaw, from the Windyhill 50+ Forum in Coleraine.

Rosemary was part of the first group to take on our OCN Level 1 in ‘Computer Essentials’, as the course was known at the time. She made the most of it then and has continued to keep up her skills ever since. She credits this initial course with changing things for the better for her over-50s group.

“When Supporting Communities started to deliver free basic digital skills training ten years ago, I was really eager to ensure that our group took full advantage. It was a bit of a struggle to encourage people to attend at first. Many people think they don’t need to learn digital skills or won’t be able to learn anything. However, the training was aimed at our level, and we could all take part and learn together. I thoroughly enjoyed the training. It gave me the skills and confidence to get online and do things for myself rather than asking a member of my family.”

As a local ‘digital champion’, Rosemary became a bit of an internet guru in her neighbourhood by helping her neighbours to get things done online and bringing the Windyhill 50+ Forum into the digital age. Starting with the basics, Rosemary and the other participants progressed through a series of courses, including two OCN qualifications gaining the skills and confidence they needed to put their group online. They began emailing minutes of meetings and using their Facebook page to keep in touch. They got their finances into shape by using spreadsheets and applying for funding online.

“I play an active role in my local community group”, Rosemary explains. “More and more funding applications were becoming digital only, and I needed to make sure I could complete the applications online.”

Stephanie McKillop, our Digital Inclusion Officer, has also been there from the start and has seen the project evolve over time to keep pace with the changing needs of our participants.

“I can’t believe it has been 10 years since the project was first launched”, she exclaimed. “I am so lucky to have been involved; it has helped so many people. In the beginning, it was very much based around word processing on laptops and gaining a qualification; however, as time went on and we listened to participant feedback, we altered the training to incorporate tablets and mobile devices without strict learning outcomes, focusing instead on what each group wanted to get out of it.”

Rosemary McCaw, Stef mcKillop, and Sally Sally McDonald at the AONTAS Awards in 2017

Rosemary has continued to be a great ambassador for our work over the years, even going with Stef to Dublin one year to interview for an AONTAS award. (Spoiler, we won!) She credits Supporting Communities’ local approach and Stef’s relaxed and friendly teaching style with her success and encourages everyone she knows to get online.

The personal approach is key to getting the more reluctant participants online. Stef finds a way to make digital skills useful and relevant for every person she trains.

“Many people are wary when they hear the word digital”, she explains. “They think that it isn’t for them or that they would never be able to do it. I try to dispel any fears and show them how being digitally literate can help in their everyday lives. I like to listen to what they need and what they want and incorporate it into their training schedule. It is amazing to see people’s skills and confidence develop each week, as well as the friendships that flourish during the training.”

Rosemary agrees. She told us, “I encourage everyone to take part in Supporting Communities’ digital courses. They will help you save money, keep in touch with family and enjoy learning new things online. You won’t look back! One of the best things I have ever done was buy a computer. I also have a smartphone that I use for Facebook, WhatsApp and Google.”

Stef and a Learner share a laugh at an event

The Department of Finance’s Digital Inclusion Unit funds this work as part of its ongoing Digital Transformation Programme. Our work with the Go On NI Initiative focuses on reaching older people and rural communities who may not otherwise access digital skills support.

“Supporting Communities has been incredibly successful at providing training, help, and support to those who need it. They continue to show that digital inclusion isn’t about technology. It’s about people: people helping other people to see how the internet can transform their lives. Local, face to face, friendly and supportive – they really do put people at the centre of digital inclusion.”

- Mark Bennett, Digital Transformation Service, Department of Finance

While Supporting Communities has always insisted that digital skills are essential for everyone, the pandemic years heightened the importance of being online to stay connected to friends and family and access goods and services. We redoubled our efforts to reach isolated people in 2020 and managed to help three times more people via phone and zoom than we usually do during face-to-face digital skills training over the year. As we get back to ‘normal’, we are employing a mix of online and face-to-face sessions to reach as many people as possible in a way that suits them.

“It is so rewarding to be able to help people gain confidence and new digital skills and see them put into practice,” says Stef. “There are still so many more people to help throughout Northern Ireland. I can’t wait to see what the next ten years bring!”