Trans-IT
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Case study date: February 2008
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Local authority in which project is based: LB of Enfield
Start date: September 2006
Type of organisation: Voluntary sector
Brief description
Age Concern Enfield works in partnership with a range of voluntary and statutory organisations, to improve the quality of life of people aged 50+ and their carers in the London Borough of Enfield. Inaugurated in 1985, it is an independent charity and part of the national federation of Age Concern.
The Trans-IT intergenerational computer project began as a pilot project in September 2006. It aims to help older people access computers and the internet through a weekly programme of one-to-one tuition delivered by young volunteers from local secondary schools. The service aims to develop positive and mutually beneficial relationships between young volunteers and older learners and provide older people with new skills and confidence which help to promote their independence.
Collaboration
The pilot project was developed in partnership with a local secondary school, Albany School, in year one and has since expanded to include St Anne’s Catholic School in year two. Two more local schools have approached Age Concern Enfield to become involved.
Funding
Funding for the pilot project came from monies allocated to Age Concern Enfield through the Local Area Agreement (LAA) budget for volunteer development. The project has since secured nearly £3,000 from Enfield’s Safer and Stronger Communities Fund (to September 2008).
Staffing
The Trans-IT project is managed by the volunteers’ manager at Age Concern Enfield. One of the sessions at the school is supported and supervised by a team administrator.
NATURE OF PROVISION
Which groups of people does the project work with?
To date, 35 sixth form students - 29 young women and six young men - have volunteered on the project. Volunteers reflect the mixed ethnicity of the local community, including young people of Black African, Sri Lankan, Turkish and Kurdish origin.
They support older people aged from early 50s to late 80s who are unable to access group classes due to health issues, such as having a hearing impairment, or other barriers such as lack of confidence. Like the young volunteers, they are an ethnically diverse group. There are currently 14 people on the waiting list to join the project.
How was the need for the project identified?
Although Age Concern Enfield has a proven record of involving volunteers in its work (including the successful TransAge Action project where older volunteers work with primary school children), the number of young volunteers aged 16-19 was low. With the backing of the Age Concern Enfield Executive Committee, the volunteers’ manager was keen to redress this imbalance. Drawing on her experience from working for London charity Sixty Plus, she developed a programme targeting young people. Sixty Plus (which is also featured as a case study in this set) was able to provide invaluable advice and support in this process. The volunteers’ manager established a link with Albany School through a contact, with St Anne’s becoming involved in the project after seeing an article in the local paper.
How do people become involved? What, if any, commitment do you ask for?
At the beginning of the academic year, the volunteers’ manager makes a presentation at sixth form assemblies highlighting the work of the Trans-IT project. Students take an information pack home and those interested in the project complete an application form. All the young volunteers need to have an interest and knowledge of computer packages including basic word processing and the Internet. Most of the volunteers commit to coaching once a week in term time for at least one hour over an academic year.
Before becoming involved in the programme, each young volunteer completes two training sessions: a general Age Concern Enfield induction and a specialised computer coaching session. Once they start volunteering, the volunteers’ manager supports them both informally and through formal feedback and support sessions. Further training opportunities are also provided for the volunteers.
The older people are recruited in various ways including word of mouth, other projects run by Age Concern Enfield, articles in newsletters, links with local sheltered accommodation and the Enfield Over 50s Forum.
What are the main approaches used and activities offered?
An older person is matched with a young volunteer who provides one-to-one computer training on a weekly basis in the school computer suite. If a young person has particular interest or expertise in a specific application, where possible they are matched with an older person who wishes to develop their knowledge in this area. Similarly, if people have similar outside interests, they may be matched up together.
Each session is based loosely around a coaching pack which gives guidance on providing computer support to beginners accessing ICT for the first time. However, the young volunteer has to be flexible and tailor the training to the older person’s learning goals. These are set before they join the programme and are documented in a learning diary. Each week, the older person and young volunteer review the goals and adapt the training accordingly.
One of the main aims of Trans-IT is to encourage positive relationships both between younger and older people and between older people themselves. At the beginning of the academic year, the group uses icebreakers to get to know each other better. As the year goes on, each group becomes closer and regularly swap tips and ideas between each other during training sessions. Both older and younger people consistently report that they have learnt from each other and that the programme has enabled them to break down barriers between them.
As many of the older people lack confidence, the creation of a safe, welcoming and informal learning environment is key to the success of the project. Each training session is attended by either the volunteers’ manager or the team administrator. This continuity of contact reassures many of the older people, as well as providing a designated person who is on hand to sort out any unexpected absences or problems with computers. At Albany, a large bustling comprehensive school, the sessions take place after the school day has finished (between 3:15-4:15). St Anne’s is a smaller school and older people access the facilities through a separate entrance.
How are participants involved in shaping the project/programme?
Both the older and younger people have been involved with developing ideas for other potential intergenerational projects, including gardening, outings, cookery, sports, home visiting and drama.
How does the project respond to the needs of different people, particularly the most marginalised?
Many of the older people who benefit from the training have limited mobility and may feel isolated. Most have little or no experience of computers. Improving their computer skills and using the Internet can help provide them with a link to the outside world and empower them to make choices. The friendships and links that develop from the project are also positive for the older people’s mental health and wellbeing.
OUTCOMES OF WORK
Does the project contribute to the five Every Child Matters outcomes for young people?
The young volunteers are making a positive contribution to their local community and fostering links with the older generation.
What skills and knowledge do young people gain through their involvement in the project?
Through the programme, the young volunteers develop a wide range of personal and social skills, including improvements in communication and self-confidence. They also develop their knowledge of specific computer applications and of how to tailor training to an individual’s needs.
Three quarters of the young volunteers change through their involvement in the programme and see older people in a more positive light. Many go on to form friendships which last beyond the project.
How are young people's progress and achievements measured and recorded?
At the end of the academic year, a celebratory session is held with the older people and young volunteers. This provides an opportunity to award in-house certificates recognising each person’s achievements. Once a young person has completed 15 hours of volunteering, they can also gain a certificate through Youth Action Volunteering Enfield. For many young people, this link allows them to go on to try other volunteering opportunities in the borough.
What has changed for older people, organisations or the wider community as a result of the project?
Older people who participate gain more independence and confidence through enhanced IT skills and social networks. They also change their opinion of young people through being involved in the programme: “I can’t believe how many young people are volunteering. I thought you were all hoodies.”
MEASURING EFFECTIVENESS
How is the project evaluated and by whom?
An evaluation and celebration event involving the young volunteers and older people was held at the end of the pilot year. A separate meeting was also held with senior staff from the school.
What are the findings of any evaluations to date?
The overriding view from all participants is that the pilot project was a great success. Comments from the volunteers and older learners included:
“The best part was being able to interact with people from older generations and gain a feeling of reward at the end of each session.”
“It was a wonderful exercise mixing youth and old age together.”
“I think we have all gained knowledge from each other.”
In May 2007, Age Concern Enfield received the Investing in Volunteers Quality Standard, recognising its good practice in volunteer management. The project has also been recognised at a reception on intergenerational work with HRH the Prince of Wales at Clarence House.
What changes/developments have occurred as a result of evaluation?
Feedback from the older people suggested that they wanted to extend the programme through further sessions. More young volunteers have now been recruited to meet this demand.
What has worked well and why?
The combination of one-to-one tutoring within a group setting has particularly suited the learning styles of the older people.
What has been difficult and why?
Difficulties can arise when the young volunteers or older people are not reliable and committed. The volunteers’ manager has had to put in place contingency plans to cover the disruption this can cause.
PARTNERSHIP AND STRATEGIC IMPACT
What other agencies does the organisation work with?
Partnership working with local voluntary and statutory sector organisations is an integral part of Age Concern Enfield’s work.
What does the organisation bring to partnership work?
Age Concern Enfield has considerable experience of reaching out to and engaging older people and working with volunteers. It is a trusted and authoritative body respected by local agencies and older people themselves.
Has this partnership resulted in greater collaboration or increased understanding between partners? If so, how?
As a direct result of the Trans-IT project, Age Concern Enfield is actively looking at ways to involve local schools and other organisations working with young people in its volunteering projects. The project has also attracted the interest of the local neighbourhood police see intergenerational work as a way of breaking down stereotypes.
Have you experienced any particular difficulties in partnership working?
No, the project has had a very positive experience of partnership working. It attributes its success to each partner having a reliable and committed member of staff with specific responsibility for the programme. This is backed up by the support and commitment of Age Concern Enfield’s chief executive and the head teachers at the schools involved.
Do you consider this project to be innovative?
The project reverses the traditional role of a younger person learning from an older person and brings benefits to both the younger volunteer and older learner.
How do you disseminate the learning from the project?
The project is part of Age Concern England’s Intergenerational Network which draws together intergenerational projects from around the country to share practice and ideas. The work of the project has also been highlighted in articles in the local press and through presentations at conferences.
Has the learning from this work influenced wider organisational/service strategies?
Because the project has been so successful, Age Concern Enfield is actively looking for ways to integrate intergenerational work further into its work.
What plans do you have to develop this work?
Funding allowing, Age Concern Enfield hopes to appoint an officer with specific responsibility for intergenerational work. It would be their remit to develop future programmes, including the ideas gained from the participants and volunteers on the Trans-IT project.
CONTACT DETAILS
Leonie de Botton, Volunteers’ Manager, Age Concern Enfield, Vincent House, 2E Nags Head Road, Enfield EN3 7FN Tel: 020 8375 4103
Email: leonie.debotton@ageconcernenfield.org.uk
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