Digital Mentoring
About Our Programme
DigiGallus Connect is an award-winning student-run volunteer initiative that aims to promotes digital inclusion and literacy in the community through the power of intergenerational relations.
We want to provide Digital Literacy Skills & Digital Access to vulnerable parts of the community, with a core focus on the elderly, in order to help them navigate the digital world we live in. Hence, our project aim is to develop and deliver a socially beneficial digital accessibility and digital literacy mentoring programme targeting the ageing community.
The DigiGallusStory
Digallus Connect is not the first digital inclusion project ran in response to the new reality we faced due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Our project evolved from the Adam Smith Business School's response to Covid-19 that focused on the circumstances experienced by the business school community (staff, students and our stakeholders) during this crisis. This focused on providing a way of assisting the business school community through this situation in a way that was sensitive to the idea of sustainable & responsible management.
From a website discussing the pivot online for business (www.digigallus.com) and a video series (40@40), it was clear there was a massive desire to help out in the community and the desire to have some sort of learning experience as many prior opportunities and commitments were affected. There was a real energy to do something different, something that made a positive difference.
As the University of Glasgow is a 'world class' university, it's important for us to leverage our expertise in research and knowledge to produce the best experience for students and staff alike. And as members of the community, we have a civic duty to help others. Hence, due to our academic support partner Kathleen Riach's expertise in inequalities affecting the ageing population and a desire shown by UofG students to help the community, DigiGallus Connect was born
The Overall Project will cover two different, but interlinked, community participant groups.
The first element will focus on promoting Digital Literacy Skills. This will be achieved by connecting with those community participants who already have a device and internet but want to develop their Digital Skills and feel more confident in navigating the online world.
The Second element will aim to tackle Glasgow’s digital divide through providing devices and 6 months internet access to community members. This project aims to tackle low levels of Digital accessibility within the over 50's Community in Glasgow and is what the majority of our funding will go towards. The numbers of people which can participate in this part of the programme will be determined by the amount of money raised from fundraising.
If you want to support our project
If you want to find about more about the specifics of the Project, click below.