Engage Here, with funding from the East End Community Foundation’s Life Chances campaign, is running 12 creative workshops to enhance the digital skills of older adults in Tower Hamlets.
Five workshops have been completed at Peabody's Sundial Centre, Poplar Union, and Russia Lane Day Centre. 25 participants, aged 55–102, received a digital induction using laptops provided through funding or donations from the East End Community Foundation and Good Things Foundation, respectively. Six laptops, along with six months of free internet access via Vodafone, were gifted to participants who previously lacked technology access. The project aims to gift five more devices.
Each workshop introduces older adults to free creative software to improve wellbeing, teaches practical skills like setting up email or finding information online, and addresses general technology questions.
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“Wonderful, our guests are truly be getting so much from the laptops, we have even managed to create a whole set of pictures that we could print out and display on the wall.”
Joycelyn, Carer at Peabody Sundial
Some participants began with the basics, learning to turn on a laptop, log in, and connect to Wi-Fi. Touchscreen devices and graphic styluses were used to address potential dexterity issues. Activities included drawing to sound, creating digital ceramics, making playlists, and online colouring.
Practical skills were tailored to each location. Poplar Union focused on Instagram and Google Maps, including route planning and adding multiple destinations. Sundial Centre participants learned to find local activity information online. At Poplar Union, participants explored Google Shopping to compare prices, addressing cost-of-living concerns highlighted by the East End Community Foundation.
Upcoming sessions include a return to Russia Lane Day Centre and a new session at Caxton Hall Community Centre. Participants seeking further training will be invited to Trampery Republic in Canary Wharf for four sessions covering advanced creative activities, online connection, and using the internet for health management and accessing local services.
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