Leeman Green Head Community Resource Centre is a not for profit community-based organisation in Western Australia, with a focus on their senior population.
After identifying that many of their local seniors were struggling to keep up with online Government services and web-based booking systems, Gaynor Lindsay, centre coordinator, believes the Be Connected program has been a successful fit to support their community. Gaynor says, “With so many businesses moving online, we found a need to provide a service for our seniors to gain confidence when moving into the modern world. Our community fully supports this program and are very enthusiastic and encourage other seniors to join our classes. The feedback is very positive which motivates the tutors to provide a great learning environment.”
After holding their first digital class, it became apparent that they had varying skill levels and decided there was a need for two separate classes, one for beginners and one for more advanced learners. “We now have classes twice a month with these two groups. All participants log onto Be Connected and are encouraged to use this program whilst continuing their at-home learning.”
The Leeman and Green Head community has embraced the program and many good news stories have come out of the classroom. Gaynor remembers one student in particular, “We have a member of our class that had no digital skills at all and wanted to be able to connect with family. We were able to provide her with a device (which was purchased with the Get Online Week grant) which enabled her to familiarise herself with an iPad. She is now able to confidently log on, connect to WiFi, browse the internet and follow the Be Connected program at home. After just four lessons she purchased her own device and installed home broadband, enabling her to connect with family 24/7.”
Gaynor has some advice to share for successful program delivery, “It’s important to plan your lesson in advance, and revise each lesson to ensure successful results for all class members. Be sure to leave time for questions, try to make the learning fun and always provide a morning tea! We also encourage Be Connected at home by providing certificates of achievement for each level of course completion.”