Our Highland Employability Project has come to an end and we are delighted with the impact it has had. With funding from the Highland Council We were able to provide 150 refurbished chromebooks, 100 new smartphones, 50 new tablets, 10 new laptops and 100 mobile wifi (MiFi) devices! We paired these devices with SIM cards from Good Things Foundation's National Databank to ensure recipients had connectivity to go with their device. We also offered set up support and digital skills training to improve employability outcomes
Ithasbeenincrediblyrewardingtoseethedifferencethedeviceshavemadetopeoplesdaily lives.Recipientshavebeenabletosearchforworkonline,keepintouchwiththeirjobcoach, workontheirdigitalskills,produceCV's,managetheirbenefitsonlineandsomuchmore!
OurSCVODigitalLifelinesprojectalsocametoacloserecently.Thisprojecthelpedustofilla muchneededgapinourdigitalinclusionefforts-smartphones Thankstofundingfrom SCVOwewereabletoprovide62newsmartphonestopeopleinatimeofcrisis Wewere abletohelppeopleinatimeofgreatneedincludingthoseaffectedbyhomelessness,those affectedbythecriminaljusticesystem,thoseaffectedbysubstanceandalcoholuse, refugeesandmore.
Sourcingfundingforsmartphonescanbedifficultbutthisprojectshowedusthataphoneis notaluxuryintodaysworld,itisessential.BeinggiftedaphonealongwithaSIMcardfrom GoodThingsFoundation'sNationalDatabankempoweredrecipientstobemore independent,stayintouchwithfriends,family,supportnetworks,managebenefitsonline andmuchmore!Theimpactfromthisprojecthasbeenfantasticandwehavereceived someamazingfeedbackandsuccessstorieswewillsharewithyouonthenextpage.
As we mentioned, the SCVO digital lifelines project had an amazing positive impact and we received some fantastic feedback and success stories. The following is a case study from Pam, the operations manager at Inverness Foodstuff
InvernessFoodstuff(IF)isacharityprovidinghomelessandothervulnerablepersonswiththreecoursevegetarianlunches,alongwithotherservices,intheirdrop-incafé,threetimesperweek inInverness IFaredelightedtobeworkinginpartnershipwithRedChairHighlandwhoare providinganinvaluableserviceimprovingbothdigitalinclusionanddigitalskills,aswellas practicalsupportandhelpforIFparticipantslikeRoger.
Roger,amaninhissixtieswithahistoryofalcoholabuseisdiabetic,hasmobilityproblemsand livesalone Hisabuseofalcoholcanmeanthereareperiodswhenhislifestyleischaotic,often resultinginhimnotmanaginghisdiabetes,whichcanputhislifeatrisk.Wesawthisfirst-hand whenRogercollapsedatIF,andwehadtocallanambulance,resultinginRogerbeing hospitalised. WhenRoger’sphonewasstolen,wewereconcernedthathislifewasatriskifhe didn’thavethemeanstophoneformedicalhelpshouldheneedit,andwereferredhimtoRed ChairHighlandforaphone
RedChairHighlandwereabletoprovideRogerwithasmartphoneandsimcard,settingitupfor himandofferinghimsupportandadviceonusingthesmartphone.NotonlyisRogerusingthe phonetomakecallsetc butithasalsochangedhislifeforthebetterintwosignificantways Firstly,Rogerisusinghissmartphonetomanagehisdiabetes.Throughplacingasensoronhis arm,heisabletoscanthesensorusingtheapponhisphonetogetaglucosereadingwhich indicateswhetherheneedsinsulinornot.Theappalsoprovidesinformationonhowhisglucose levelshavereactedtofood,exerciseetc andthisinformationisalsorelayedtothemedicalteam treatinghisdiabetics
Secondly,Rogerisnowabletogethisshoppingdelivered.Rogerhastouseawalkingsticksince hismobilityhasdeteriorated,resultinginhimnotbeingtocarryshoppingorgettotheshops,so hehasbeenstrugglingtobuythegroceriesheneeds RedChairHighlandhelpedhimto downloadtheTescoappandhelpedhimtodohisfirstonlineshop Havinggroceriesdelivered hasmadeahugedifferencetoRogerasnotonlyisheabletogettheessentialitemsheneeds, heisalsoeatingbetter,whichhasimprovedhishealth.
RogerisjustoneoftheInvernessFoodstuff’sparticipantswhohasbenefitednotjustfromRed ChairHighlandprovidingadigitaldevice,butalsotheirpracticalassistanceandsupportonhow tousehisdevicetomakepositivechangestohislife.ThankyouRedChairHighlandforthe positivedifferenceyouhavemadetoRoger’slifeandmanyotherInvernessFoodstuff participants.
Another project we completed this year was our spring grow your own kits, funded by the North Highlands and Islands Climate Hub. We made up 250 kits which included a selection of seeds - carrot, peas,
spinachandraddish Thekitalsocontained4biodegradablepots,somecompostina biodegradablebagandaquickhowtoguide Wehaveproducedgrowyourownkitsanumber oftimesinthepastfewyearsandtheyarealwayswellreceived.It'sgreattoseepeopleget involvedingrowingtheirownveggies!Wealsoheldaneventinoururbangardenwherepeople couldpainttheirownplantpot,makeawildflowerseedbombandlearnmoreaboutgrowing theirownfruitandveginanurbanenviroentandalsohowtoreducetheirfoodwaste
Wearejustfinishingupoururbandigital dropinsessions.FundedbyNational LotteryCommunityFund,thisprojectsaw usvisitvariouslocationsininverness, providingdropindigitalsupport These sessionswereheldat
HiltonCommunityCentre,NessbankChurch(invernessfoodstuff)andMerkinchCommunity centre Weheldweeklysessionsateachlocation,helpingpeoplewithanyissuestheywere havingusingtheinternet,orusingtheirlaptop,tabletorsmartphone.Itwasfantasticbeing outinthecommunity,bringingourdigitalinclusionservicestowheretheyareneededmost. Wemetsomelovelypeople,someofwhichhavebecamerefularleanersatourdigitalhub. Wearecontinuingtodooutreachsessionsinthecommunity Moredetailslaterinthis newsletter!
Ournewwebsiteisnowlive!-www.redchairhighland.scot
Itisaworkinprogressandisstillunderconstructionbutwewouldlove itifyoucouldcomevisitandseetheprogresswearemaking Youcan meettheteam,readtestimonialsandstayinformedonourcurrent andfutureprojects
Ifyouhavevisitedourhubrecentlyyoumayhavenoticedwehavehadabitofa refresh.Thankstosomeofouramazingvolunteerswehavegiventhehubandthe plantersoutsideafreshcoat(or3)ofpaint.Redforthehubofcoursetomatchour redchair!Wearesogratefultoallofourvolunteerswhoselflesslygivetheirtimeto helpusaroundthehubandatourcommunityoutreachsessions Wecouldn'tdoit withoutyou!
Ourweeurbangardenisalsoflourishingatthemoment!Ourpeas,carrots,tomatoes andraddisharedoingparticularlywellthisyear!
Findusonfacebook-www.facebook.com/RedChairHighland/ Aswecontinuetofleshoutourwebsite,facebookisthebestplaceto keepuptodatewithourcurrentandupcomingprojects Detailsofour communityoutreachworkshops,dropinsessionsandmuchmore!
Attheendof2022wewereawardedfundingfrom theInvernessCommonGoodFundtoprovide refurbisheddevicestodigitallyexcludedhouseholds intheHighlands.WeworkedwithILMHighlandand ReBOOTtosourcerefurbisheddevicesthatwethen distributedviaourreferralnetwork.Wealsobe offeredfreedigitalsupportand/orfreelearning resourcesforthosethatrequiredit.
Wehadanticipatedpurchasing80refurbisheddigitaldevices,however,duetothe goodworkingrelationshipswithourpartners,wereceivedasignificantdiscount whichallowedustoactuallypurchase108deviceswhichwehavedistributedto108 digitallyexcludedpeopleoverthedurationoftheproject.A35%increase.
WesupportedhouseholdsallacrosstheHighlandsfromFortWilliamtoInverness,to Wick,including22remotetownsandvillagesinbetweenwheredigitalexclusionis high.Referrersfromvariousrolesacross18organisationshelpedustoachievethis.
Byprovidingdigitaldevices,connectivityandsupportwehaveenabled108 householdstobecomedigitallyincluded.Thishasprovidedtheopportunityforthem toaccessthedigitalworld,completedigitallifetasksandimprovetheirhealthand wellbeing.
Wehavebeenawardedfundingfora secondroundofCommonGoodFund devices Theprojectisongoing,ifyouwould liketorefersomeonepleasegetintouch withKirsty-kirsty@redchairhighland.scotor Kevin-kevin@redchairhighland.scotand wewillsendyououtareferralform.
WeweredelightedtoworkwithGoodThingsFoundationandVirginMediaO2lastyear topilotadevicegiftinginitiativecalledtheNationalDeviceBank.TheNationalDevice BankprovidedvettedmembersoftheOnlineCentreNetworkexclusiveaccesstofree refurbisheddevicesanddataforbeneficiarieswesupport.
TheNationalDeviceBankpilotprovidedrefurbisheddevicesanddatatocommunity partnerssuchasourselves,whogiftedthesetoindividualswhoweredigitallyexcluded. Throughoutthepilotwelearnedabouttheimpactofreceivingrefurbisheddevicesfor referrersandindividuals,andevaluatedtheenvironmentalimpactofproviding refurbisheddevices.
Wereceivedsomefantasticfeedbackfromtheprojectandithasbeenamazingto seethedeviceshavingsuchapositiveimpact.Recipientshavebeenabletokeepin touchwithfamily,accessessentialservicesonline,improvedigitalskills, employabilityandmuchmore.93%ofrecipientssaidthatrecievingadevice improvedtheirdaytodaylife
Wearenowtakingpartinround2ofthedevicebankandhaverecentlyreceivedour firstbatchofdevices.Devicesaretobegiftedtoover18sfromdigitallyexcluded households,whoareunabletoaffordadeviceanddata.
Ifyouwouldliketoreferrsomeoneyousupportpleasegetintouchwithusandwe willsendyououtareferralform
Kirsty-Kirsty@redchairhighland.scot/Kevin-kevin@redchairhighland.scot
Ournewwebsiteisnowlive!-www.redchairhighland.scot
Itisaworkinprogressandisstillunderconstructionbutwewouldlove itifyoucouldcomevisitandseetheprogresswearemaking.Youcan meettheteam,readtestimonialsandstayinformedonourcurrent andfutureprojects
Ifyoufollowusonsocialmediayoumayhavenoticedthatwehavebeenrunningrural communitydigitaloutreachsessions.ThesesessionsincludeshortworkshopsonInternet Safety,ScamAwarenessandMediaLiteracyaswellasdrop-insupportwherelearners cangethelpwithanyissuestheymaybehavingusingtheinternet,ortheirlaptop,tablet orsmartphone.Wehavejustfinished4weekblocksofweeklysessionsinScourie, Kinlochbervie,DurnessandTongue!Thesesessionshavebeenpositivelyreceivedandwe lookforwardtodoingmoresessionslikethisinthefuture.Thesesessionshavebeen fundedbytheAnneDuchessofWestminsterFundandwilltakeplaceallacross Sutherland!
Wewillbevisiting7rural communitiesintotaloverthe year.Thenext3locationswill beDornoch,GolspieandBrora Staytunedtoourwebsiteand socialsforconfirmationof venuesanddatesinthe comingweeks.
Ournewwebsiteisnowlive!-www.redchairhighland.scot
Itisaworkinprogressandisstillunderconstructionbutwewouldlove itifyoucouldcomevisitandseetheprogresswearemaking.Youcan meettheteam,readtestimonialsandstayinformedonourcurrent andfutureprojects
AswellasourAnne Duchessof Westminster fundedrutal outreachsessions wearealsorunning ourownoutreach sessionsin collaborationwith Strathdearn Community Developments. Thesesessionswill takeplacein Strathdearn, Strathglassand Glenurquhart,with thefirstblockof sessionsbeingheld atTheStrathdearn hubinTomatin, startingAugust 25th.Staytunedfor detailsoftheother datesandvenues inthecoming weeks.
Ournewwebsiteisnowlive!-www.redchairhighland.scot
Itisaworkinprogressandisstillunderconstructionbutwewouldlove itifyoucouldcomevisitandseetheprogresswearemaking.Youcan meettheteam,readtestimonialsandstayinformedonourcurrent andfutureprojects
HereattheRedChairHighlandwearedelightedtobearegisteredcentreforthe NationalDatabank.AcollaborationbetweenGoodThingsFoundationandVirgin MediaO2,TheNationalDatabankisgivingfreemobiledatatopeoplewhocan’t affordaninternetconnection.
Followingasuccessfulpilotlastyear,theNationalDatabankisactiveandgrowing withbothVodafoneandThreejoining.We’resopleasedwiththeimpactithashad sofar.Asthecostoflivingemergencycontinues,supportingpeoplewiththeir internetcostsisabsolutelyessential.Moreinfoaboutthedatabankherewww.goodthingsfoundation.org/databank
Wehavegiftedcloseto500SIMcardsas partoftheNationalDatabank!ifyouwould liketorefersomeoneyousupport,please dogetintouchwithus
Kirsty-Kirsty@redchairhighland.scot Kevin-kevin@redchairhighland.scot
RedChairHighlandhasbeen shortlistedintheSocialEnterprise AwardsScotland2023sponsoredby BreezeDigital.
Wearethrilledtobeafinalistinthe TechforGoodcategory
Thewinnerswillbeannouncedon Thursday26thOctoberatthe #SocEntScotAwards23Ceremonyat theScottishParliament.
Watchthisspace!
#TechforGood#DigitalInclusion #DigitalSupport#SocialEnterprise
ThenextgenerationofLearnMyWayishere!LearnMyWayis GoodThingsFoundation'sfreeplatformfordigitallearning, providingdigitalskillsandincreaseddigitalconfidenceto thosesupportedbytheNationalDigitalInclusionNetwork. We’rethrilledthatthenewsiteisnowlive–thisnewversion allowsuserstotailortheirownlearningprogramme,offersa choiceofbitesizetopicsandisaccessibleacrossmultiple devices
WearehugefansofLearnMyWayandoftenuseitasaresourcetocomplementthe learningwedoatourdigitalhub.Ourlearnersfinditincreadiblyusefulinteachingthem basicdigitalskillsinsmall,bitesizechunks
We’reproudtohavebeenchosen byOfcomtoprovideresearchand dataononlinemedialiteracyskills inourcommunity,aspartofits
MakingSenseofMedia programme.
OuraimistoProtectolderadults andthoseatriskofdigitalexclusion fromonlinefraud,scamsand misinformation
Wewillachievethisviagroupand 1-1sessionsatourdigitalhubas wellascommunityoutreachand digitaldropinsessions
#MakingSenseofMedia
Ournewwebsiteisnowlive!-www.redchairhighland.scot
Itisaworkinprogressandisstillunderconstructionbutwewouldlove itifyoucouldcomevisitandseetheprogresswearemaking.Youcan meettheteam,readtestimonialsandstayinformedonourcurrent andfutureprojects
Hereareafewphotosfromlast weekendatBelladrumTartanHeart Festival.Wehadawonderful(andvery busy)weekend!OurfirstBelladrumas RedChairHighland!Thekidshadlots offun,asdidourstaffandvolunteers!
BigthankyoutoallthelovelyBellastaff,organisersandourteamofamazingvolunteers! Wewereofferingfun,freeactivitiesforkids:SnapBands,TartanHeartBracelets,Glitter FaceArt,GiantSelfieBoardwithCartoonThemedProps!
MoreBellapicsonfacebook-www.facebook.com/RedChairHighland/ Aswecontinuetofleshoutourwebsite,facebookisthebestplaceto keepuptodatewithourcurrentandupcomingprojects.Detailsofour communityoutreachworkshops,dropinsessionsandofcourse-more snapsfrombelladrum2023!
