The ageing population brings with it a rise in the concentration of assets that people in later life can bring to a community: wisdom, experience, perspective and a wide range of skill sets and capacities.
Two years ago, I decided it was time to do something really ‘big’ with my career. My daughter was growing up, my consultancy business had also grown nicely but reached its limit in terms of my own capacity. It was time the whole consultancy team needed a new challenge.
So I awarded myself a month to be as imaginative as possible. This involved clearing whole days in the diary and challenging myself to think of a brand new idea for a business with social purpose. This is the top motivation for all my work.
Whenever on my own I thought about what I knew about, what I was good at, what I didn’t like and then took the sum of those thoughts and forced myself to imagine possibilities. It was mentally exhausting and until then I had never considered myself to be a creative person.
A project in Kirkby, Merseyside is helping local residents to improve their computer and internet skills so they can manage their money better.
The project, which was helped off the ground thanks to a Community Outreach grant from UK online centres and Nominet Trust, is a partnership between Everton Development Trust and Knowsley Mutual Credit Union.
A new initiative aims to increase jobseekers’ awareness of their online profile – and its importance in their search for work
Search engine research
Inappropriate use of the internet has created many new pitfalls for people seeking work. While the growth of online technology has opened up opportunities for web users the world over, the internet also presents new social problems created by its very existence.
I suppose it’s fitting for a project that’s about celebration that I’ve found Celebration 2.0 to be something of a rollercoaster ride, to use a terribly hackneyed cliché. From Roller Derbies to the launch of a Community Health project, I’ve been part of some really diverse events, helping to bring them to wider audiences through live video streaming and social media amplification. And, as the project nears its last lap, it’s pretty much time to reflect on some of the lessons I’ve learned so far.
There was always going to be an added bonus to setting up an internet drop in session in a café, but the cakes and hotpots have really attracted the learners to Jackie’s Place in Wythenshawe.
We were delighted when Nominet Trust & UK Online Centres came to film our work in December, and the warming hotpot was just the tonic on a cold winters day.
Celebration 2.0 aims to engage people who might otherwise think new technologies and social media have little to offer them by demonstrating how much fun and entertainment can be had by exploring new avenues.
Cambridge & District Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) provides free, independent, confidential and impartial advice to everyone in the local community about their rights and responsibilities when it comes to legal, money and other issues. However, access to that information and advice is currently dependent on a client’s ability to be available at certain times and to be able to travel to the Bureau.
