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Ireland, 01/10/2025 – To celebrate and honour the older adults in our community, Irish Girl Guide members are teaching digital skills. This past week, Leaders from 10 new Units across Ireland joined a growing cohort of Hi Digital trained Members.
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*In total, 30 Units are ready to work with older people on the island, which include 60 Leaders and 402 Guides (10-14 y.o.) and Senior Branch (14-30 y.o.).
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*Since Irish Girl Guides started the partnership with Vodafone Foundation, over 2,000 older people have learned new skills, and this number will continue to expand.
The members learned about some of the barriers older adults face in navigating the digital landscape and how they can help combat social and digital isolation through the Hi Digital programme in partnership with the Vodafone Foundation.
The Units host sessions in their community centres, in parish churches, in Men’s and Women’s Sheds and Active Retirement Groups. Hi Digital sessions last one to two hours and the older adults get a chance not only to learn new skills but also to chat over a cup of tea or a mug of soup.
Learning digital skills is not just about understanding the step-by-step instructions but building confidence and skills towards a more independent life. This is achieved through comprehensive education that demonstrates not just how singular apps work but through universal symbols and recognizable instructions while supporting the growing confidence in the older adult.
One older participant said, “I feel more at ease, knowing that much more about my phone”.
While the Irish Girl Guides grow into confident Leaders, they are also helping show the older adult’s new ways to lead more independent lives as they navigate their phones.
As one Clogherhead Senior Branch member highlighted, “it was really great for our personal growth but also our community growth”.
Watch this video to see the Hi Digital programme in action!
To see more about Hi Digital check out www.hidigital.ie and for more about the Irish Girl Guides go to www.irishgirlguides.ie
ABOUT IRISH GIRL GUIDES
Irish Girl Guides has 8,000 members across Ireland. Guiding started in Ireland in 1911 and operates throughout the 26 counties with 1,400 volunteer Leaders providing an informal educational programme of fun and challenging activities that foster confidence and leadership skills in girls and young women, enabling them to develop to their full potential and to become responsible citizens.
Vodafone Foundation:
Vodafone Foundation uses the power of connectivity to change lives and address some of the world’s most important and pressing problems. Founded in 1991 with a simple mission to invest in the communities in which Vodafone operates, today the charity works globally to connect people and ideas with technology and funding – to help those who are already doing good work to achieve results faster, more cost effectively and with an even greater social impact.