A member of staff from a UK online centre in Darlington has been recognised as one of TalkTalk’s Digital Heroes of 2011.
Jean Raby, who works for Age UK Darlington, was crowned Digital Hero for the North East region at a ceremony in London last month. She also received a grant of £5,000 towards her digital project. Jean was nominated by her Chief Executive Officer Gillian Peel for her hard work in organising events that have helped hundreds of elderly residents in her community get online.
Jean says “I found out I was nominated back in October and that alone was great, but when I found out I’d won I thought it was absolutely fantastic. It means the world to me that my work’s been acknowledged, but mainly I’m glad that the grant can help us continue the work we do. Because so many of the people we work with are often on a low fixed income it’s really important that we can offer our services either free or at a very low cost.”
Jean’s been running classes at local care homes and sheltered housing for the elderly for nearly five years now. She says “We take a group of volunteers, some laptops and broadband dongles and run the classes right in their homes. The internet is a great tool to combat the loneliness and isolation that older people can be particularly susceptible to.”
And their classes have already led to some great success stories. “After visiting Roxby Court, a care home in Darlington, once or twice a week for around three months they actually told us they didn’t need the support anymore! They really took to the computer classes and have now become so proficient that they’re producing their own in-house newsletter for all the residents! The greatest success really is when a group of learners don’t need us anymore.”
Jean’s manager Gillian believes it’s down to Jean that the project has made the difference it has. She says, "The impact of Jean’s work has been tremendous, especially in breaking down barriers with the inter-generational aspect of the project."
Jean believes that the sharing of skills between generations is one of the keys to the success of her classes. She says, “Our volunteers vary in age from 25 to 75. We even held a series of events in schools where older local residents come along and the pupils help them make their first steps online. I think the idea of a younger person changing the life of someone from an earlier generation just by introducing them to the internet is really inspiring.”
By taking volunteers and technology out to older members of the community or getting them along to local schools, Jean thinks they’ve reached around two thousand local residents, something she’s rightfully proud of. She says, “It’s sad but older people really are missing out by not being online and I’m just happy that with the internet we can help change their lives.”
Jean Raby, who works for Age UK Darlington, was crowned Digital Hero for the North East region at a ceremony in London last month. She also received a grant of £5,000 towards her digital project. Jean was nominated by her Chief Executive Officer Gillian Peel for her hard work in organising events that have helped hundreds of elderly residents in her community get online.
Jean says “I found out I was nominated back in October and that alone was great, but when I found out I’d won I thought it was absolutely fantastic. It means the world to me that my work’s been acknowledged, but mainly I’m glad that the grant can help us continue the work we do. Because so many of the people we work with are often on a low fixed income it’s really important that we can offer our services either free or at a very low cost.”
Jean’s been running classes at local care homes and sheltered housing for the elderly for nearly five years now. She says “We take a group of volunteers, some laptops and broadband dongles and run the classes right in their homes. The internet is a great tool to combat the loneliness and isolation that older people can be particularly susceptible to.”
And their classes have already led to some great success stories. “After visiting Roxby Court, a care home in Darlington, once or twice a week for around three months they actually told us they didn’t need the support anymore! They really took to the computer classes and have now become so proficient that they’re producing their own in-house newsletter for all the residents! The greatest success really is when a group of learners don’t need us anymore.”
Jean’s manager Gillian believes it’s down to Jean that the project has made the difference it has. She says, "The impact of Jean’s work has been tremendous, especially in breaking down barriers with the inter-generational aspect of the project."
Jean believes that the sharing of skills between generations is one of the keys to the success of her classes. She says, “Our volunteers vary in age from 25 to 75. We even held a series of events in schools where older local residents come along and the pupils help them make their first steps online. I think the idea of a younger person changing the life of someone from an earlier generation just by introducing them to the internet is really inspiring.”
By taking volunteers and technology out to older members of the community or getting them along to local schools, Jean thinks they’ve reached around two thousand local residents, something she’s rightfully proud of. She says, “It’s sad but older people really are missing out by not being online and I’m just happy that with the internet we can help change their lives.”
