For the past two months, the Digital Literacy Foundation has had the pleasure of joining Village Café staff and Penrith residents for coffee, snacks, and digital mentoring sessions, as part of the Click & Connect program we’re running in partnership with Penrith Council. At each Village Café, we’re handing out with free iPads pre-loaded with accessibility features, an initial 12 months Internet access, an easy grip protective case, digital mentoring by our trained volunteer Tech Mates, and ongoing iPad maintenance and support, to seniors aged 65+ (or 50+ for First Nations) who would otherwise not be able to afford to be digitally connected.
Each month, Village Cafés are held in Kingswood at Wainwright Park on the second Thursday, in North St Marys at Robin Wiles Park on the third Thursday, and at Llandilo Community Hall on the fourth Thursday.
We’ve connected with people who have never used a device before, and also with those who don’t have Internet access at home. Our staff and volunteers are always on hand for digital mentoring or a chat.
And it’s not just Penrith’s seniors who are learning new skills – we are too! We’ve discovered new apps, and made friends along the way, including Marzi, a Click & Connect ipad recipient, who has taught us how to use Google Lens, and Glenda, who shared her husband’s artwork (you can find him on Instagram here).
“Some Click & Connect participants return every month to the Village Café to show us the new skills they’ve learned,” says DLF’s Jaye Gaff, who is enjoying connecting with iPad recipients. “I love chatting to people who have taken an iPad home and visit the following month to show us all the things they’ve learned.”
Join us next month at Village Café between 9:30 am – 11:30 am on the following dates:
Thursday October 13: Wainwright Park, Kingswood
Thursday October 20: Robin Wiles Park, North St Marys (event and location subject to weather)
Thursday October 27: Llandilo Community Hall
The Digital Literacy Foundation will continue bringing iPads, digital mentoring, and social support to residents of the Penrith LGA throughout the remainder of 2022 and into 2023. We look forward to seeing you there.