Press release -
Age Cymru secures Welsh Government backing to help more older people get online
The national charity for older people, Age Cymru, along with a number of its associated groups and projects, has received support from Communities 2.0, the Welsh Government’s digital inclusion programme.
Age Cymru will use the money to provide older people with the skills, confidence and appropriate equipment to use the internet. Communities 2.0 is a Welsh Government programme which is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund.
The support will enable Age Cymru and its partners in the project to introduce older people and the staff working with them to digital technologies and the benefits of being online. Participants will receive a programme of bespoke training from Communities 2.0 outreach workers. The training package will be tailored and delivered in line with specific group needs and interests and will include online features such as email, Historypin, digital photography and Skype.
The new initiative will cater for older people in a range of familiar environments through group meetings and activity with local Age Cymru charity partners, older people living in care homes through the My Home Life Cymru programme, the National Pensioners Convention, Pensioners’ Forum Wales, the National Old Age Pensioners’ Association of Wales and the Welsh Senate of Older People. The nature of the project means that all of the older people involved will be introduced to technology within a familiar context, removing one of the widely acknowledged barriers to engagement.
Victoria Lloyd, Director of Influencing and Programme Development at Age Cymru, welcomed the news,
“Age Cymru recognises the increasing importance of having digital skills and the social, financial and personal benefits this brings, particularly for older people. We and our partners in this vital project are thrilled with this support as it will provide countless older people with the confidence and skills to venture into the digital world.”
Communities 2.0 project director Cathryn Marcus commented:
“Communities 2.0 is delighted to be able to support this exciting new initiative. Age Cymru already does great work helping older people develop their digital skills through projects such as iTea and Biscuits. This initiative will help get even more older people online and give them the confidence to get online, accessing all the benefits of saving money and staying in touch that so many of us take for granted these days”.
Topics
- Economy, Finance
Categories
- digital inclusion
- age cymru
- welsh government
- communities 2.0
Regions
- Wales
Communities 2.0
Communities 2.0 is a Welsh Government programme and is part of the Delivering a Digital Wales strategy.
Communities 2.0 is delivered by four partner organisations – the Wales Co-operative Centre, Pembrokeshire Association of Voluntary Services, Carmarthenshire County Council and the George Ewart Evans Centre for Storytelling (University of South Wales).
Communities 2.0 works in the Convergence area of Wales and parts of Wrexham, Flintshire and Powys, helping communities and small enterprises to make the most of the internet.
This investment is just part of a total of over £42,000 invested across Wales as part of this round of Communities 2.0 funding. To date over £585,000 has been approved for direct investment in social enterprises and micro businesses in Wales, supporting over 100 enterprises.
In addition, Communities 2.0 has supported 291 enterprises with significant assistance and advice for adopting or exploiting Information Communication Technology. Over 325 community groups and organisations have also benefitted from significant assistance and advice from the project, many of whom have used this to inform the creation of new social enterprises.
