The Indian Support Center offers culturally appropriate community support for the Indian subcontinent community living in NSW, including social networking and digital literacy skills for older Australians.
As a multicultural support centre, they offer Be Connected in English, Hindi and Tamil while also offering support for other Indian Regional languages on request. Their program is usually run over two 3 hour classes which include guiding their learners on how to continue accessing Be Connected at home.
Prajay Perambakkam, Board Member of ISC, notes that while elders accessing support may be unfamiliar with current technology, they are usually eager to learn. “Our learners are quite happy with what they learn and as they become more familiar with using the internet they want to participate more online.”
For older migrants, the Be Connected program not only provides them with a chance to meet their local community members, but also the skills to connect with their friends and family from their former home. Learners have also benefited from learning how to access Indian news and media online.
The success of their local program has not been unnoticed, with SBS News recently featuring the support centre in a national news story.
When asked what they like about being a digital mentor, Prajay says, “The personal satisfaction in teaching those who taught us and brought us up to be where we are means a lot. The joy we get in seeing them learn something new is quite rewarding.”