Making digital technology accessible

A Manawatū charity is working to ensure people unable to access technology don’t have to go without.

Digits is a charity that helps families who may not be able to afford a computer for their children’s education. It provides Chromebook laptops that families can pay off at $4 a week and runs sessions to teach people how to use the computers and offers free IT advice.

This year Winchester School in Palmerston North has been running a pilot programme, along with Digits, to hold drop-in sessions for children in their community and expose them to digital technology.

Waka Curd from Palmerston North City Library has been there every second week to work with the children.

This week he had kits that children could use to build a circuit board, then use that to plug into a laptop and navigate their way through a maze. He has previously brought in virtual reality headsets.

Winchester principal Nic Mason said the sessions were about working with the community and school whānau.

“We’ve got young people coming in and using the equipment. We love our library here wanted to make it open in the community as a trial.”

Mason said it was good to get children engaged with technology and different activities.

The drop-in sessions also helped families who did not have a computer or internet at home.

“When went through Covid, a lot of people disappeared. We did some engagement there to see who had access to wi-fi and devices at home and we found quite a few didn’t.”

So he said there was a need for an organisation like Digits that provided devices and showed people what technology was available.

While it was often taken for granted now that people had a device at home, many of the school’s whānau were refugees who did not.

“Schools are increasingly becoming paperless, which is good for the environment, but we’ve got to have that ability for everyone [to access technology], otherwise the message doesn’t get through.”

Last term, 81 people came through the drop-in sessions.

“We’ve got young people coming in and using the equipment.”

Nic Mason, Winchester principal

ADELE RYCROFT/MANAWATŪ STANDARD Asher McLeay, left, and Indie-Lea Hansen use a circuit board connected to carrot sticks and a computer as part of a Digits drop-in session to expose children to digital technology.