“It’s amazing to see everyone’s progress.”

A blog by Lisa Schimetat, Partnerships Manager at the Orchard Vale Trust.

We’ve been delivering our IT project in Yeovil for a few weeks now and we are coming on in leaps and bounds.

It’s amazing to see everyone’s progress, including those who have never touched an iPad, to those really engaging with how to stay safe online.

The last few sessions have been focusing on apps and how to download and use them, privacy and passwords, and online shopping! It’s a lot to take on in every session, but the guys and gals in Yeovil are incredibly dedicated and have been soaking up the info like sponges!

Staying Safe Online

This is the foundation to the sessions we are delivering. Every aspect of the course involves staying safe online.

We believe that safety comes from knowledge and interactive experiences. That’s why our sessions focus on engaging with the group, using our iPads together to navigate the online world and sharing information about the importance of privacy, the ‘unspoken’ rules of online interaction, and an understanding of security and protection.

After the first session getting to grips with the touchscreen, the buttons and the navigation processes of an iPad, we covered passwords.

Setting up an email account played a big part in this and gave everyone a chance to really grasp why a strong password is so important. For many, this is the first email address they have ever had and has been a big step into the virtual world, not to mention independence!

This means that we can communicate with everyone on the course and send them their photos and keep them up to date with their progress.

Having fun isn’t hard

Another really important aspect of our course is that it’s fun!

The partnership between Orchard Vale Trust and Your IT Now means every session is upbeat and tailored to the group.

We have so much fun together and although we have so much to go through and some really serious subjects to touch on, we know that by creating a good atmosphere and listening to all the personalities in the room, it really makes a difference to how we learn.

The sessions are split into two main elements, the learning and the playing. There’s no point learning something new if you can’t test it out yourself! Especially when you get a chance to play on an iPad!

We have so many people to thank for making this project a possibility. Discovery has not only supported the project by funding it, but the staff play a play a huge part in making it what it is!

So, from Alex, Lisa and Christian – a massive thank you to everyone coming to the sessions!