SKINNY JUMP
The Digital Inclusion Alliance Aotearoa recruited one of Auckland Libraries staff members, Leilani Glassie, from Mangere Central Library, for a 12-month contract to work with Auckland schools helping families connect to the internet. Her library managers refer to her as one of their stars.
Mangere East Library is one of DIAA’S top performing Jump partners, connecting more than 40 families in just over two months when they first began.
Laurence told Library Life that Leilani has a particularly innovative approach to reach families who can benefit from a Jump connection. She walks around the library waving a Jump modem box (Town Crier Style) inviting families to come over to the reception desk to sign-up for Jump. ‘It always works,’ said Leilani, ‘Even though we have Jump posters displayed, people are much more responsive to my personal invitation.’ Leilani also mentioned that one of the reasons Jump is proving to be so successful in Mangere is because there are so many homeless families in temporary accommodation. ‘Without an internet connection, they have almost no chance of finding a suitable home,’ she said. Helen Heath caught up with Leilani to find out more.
QKIA ORA LEILANI, THANKS FOR TAKING TIME OUT OF YOUR DAY TO TALK WITH US. YOU MUST HAVE BEEN VERY BUSY OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS!
AYes, we’ve been very busy dealing with Pasifika and migrant communities, having to set up email accounts, signing them up online and setting up Skinny Jump for them. Many families don’t know how to do these things and don’t have Wifi at home. I’ve been working from home during the lockdown, I spend a lot of time on the phone talking people through the process step-by-step. They might have the pamphlet about Jump in front of them but not understand. Often Pasifika people say they understand something to be polite but then it turns out they don’t. So, I work with them every step of the way. I often work weekends and evenings because that’s when the calls come in. We couldn’t keep up with demand at one point! We’ve been even busier during the rāhui.
WORKING FROM HOME MUST BRING SOME CHALLENGES?
Yes, accents over the phone can be misheard and introduce spelling mistakes. I get people to text me confirmations after we speak (they often don’t have an email address) that way I have the correct spellings of their names. I try to turn around requests within 24 hours. I have a stash of modems in my home office that Laurence sent me that I can send out to them. We are lucky if families know what a modem is, the younger people often help their elders and we get there together. Often the older generation doesn’t want to learn how to do it, they just want you to get it done. They say “We trust you, just go ahead! Don’t tell me how, just get it done!” I’ll often email cc’ing in the extended family so they can help too.
HOW DO YOU GET THE WORD OUT TO PEOPLE?
We have posters up in the community and in schools, a lot of people come to us through word of mouth.
WHAT ARE FAMILIES USING THEIR CONNECTIONS FOR?
We are helping job seekers, students doing online learning, connecting people with families overseas – technology is an intricate and important part of their lives. Facetime with whānau has been the biggest thing for elders during rāhui.
DO YOU FACE ANY OTHER CHALLENGES?
We work with lots of Oranga Tamariki kids who are constantly moving around the country from family to family. They can now take their modems with them wherever they go so they can keep connected and not have so many gaps in their learning. There are also families waiting to be placed in homes, living in lodges with their kids, waiting to be connected. To assist them we work with the families and schools together. The teachers connect with the families and send contact details to me so I can get in touch. You can tell the ones that are genuine, that need help. Sometimes the families need other help, such as food parcels so I work with the principals to make sure that happens.
WOW, YOU DO SO MUCH MORE THAN CONNECTING PEOPLE TO THE INTERNET! YOU MUST FIND YOUR JOB VERY REWARDING?
I believe in people and making changes, empowering them with the tools to help themselves. I love being able to make a difference and see the smiles on their faces. It has been an amazing and rewarding journey!
NGĀ MIHI NUI LEILANI, BEST OF LUCK WITH YOUR WORK AT LEVEL ONE!