Get Online Week: Reflections on being a Tech Angel volunteer

For Get Online Week we’re sharing interviews with two of our wonderful Tech Angel volunteers, Tom and Ben. Between them, Tom and Ben have supported nearly 30 Tech Members over their time volunteering for Tech Angels.

What was your proudest achievement at a Tech Angel?

Tom: There aren’t any that really stand out in my memory, but it’s always nice to see a Tech Member achieve something they previously had said they would not be able to do. For example when I heard in subsequent visits how they had succeeded in something we had practiced (such as video calling a relative or messaging them).

Ben: There was one Tech Member who was just so sure that I wouldn’t be able to help her – she was lacking in confidence and really felt she couldn’t handle using technology. My goal was to help her see that pressing the wrong thing wouldn’t break her tablet – she could just go back and try something else instead. It’s about building basic navigation skills and developing their confidence to try things out, not feeling they need to know it all in advance but can learn as they go.

I remember when she made her first online shop: she was nervous but we did it together and she seemed quite pleased we’d managed to place the order with Sainsburys. But then the next time I visited, she was so chuffed about it. She was really excited, telling me all about the delivery and how she didn’t need to go to the shop now. It wasn’t until it actually happened that she really realised the possibilities of it all.

It makes me think of that quote: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” If they learn good basic tech skills they can develop those skills through practice and have the confidence to use them on different apps and devices.

Do you feel that your Tech Members were more confident at the end of your six sessions?

Tom: Often a Tech Member would tell me at the start that they would never be able to do something, and after the sessions they’d express pleasure at the things they had learned. This does introduce independence and confidence which gives them a moral boost.

Ben: There was quite a lot of variation in how much their confidence increased, and I guess that’s to be expected, as we are all different people! One area I felt it was important to develop their confidence in was scam awareness. A lot of my Tech Members had already experienced it in some way or another, or knew someone who had. So I educated them in how to spot scams, and how using online banking, for example, didn’t necessarily increase your risk of being scammed. The important thing was to have, essentially, a sense of cynicism when contacted. Can they prove who they claim to be? Would my real bank ask me for that information?

How did you personally benefit through your volunteering with us?

Tom: It gave me the opportunity to practice skills, build on new skills and use my spare time constructively. It’s a great way to interact with people, share experience and learn new skills.

Ben: While I haven’t been working recently, it has really helped my confidence to volunteer and be more productive. It’s nice to help, really nice to walk away knowing you’ve made a difference in their life. It’s been good to develop my empathy too, trying to put myself in their shoes and, for example, try and understand what it was like to grow up without technology and how that impacts their confidence with it. It’s been useful for my counselling training to practice this.

Thank you, Tom & Ben!

If you’d like to find out more about Tech Angels and volunteering please visit the following link: Tech Angels – Surrey Coalition of Disabled People