51³Ô¹ÏÍø

Business School students have teamed up with the Public and Community Engagement team to unravel the barriers to local residents ages 50 and over in getting online in the What the Tech?! Programme.

Held at the Edward Woods Community Centre, What the Tech?! helps older members of the community feel more connected to others by boosting their confidence in using their laptops, tablets, smartphones and completing other online tasks, such as navigating the NHS app. Armed with cups of tea and slices of cake, student volunteers have chatted with 39 members of the community over six weekly sessions. The programme was initially launched in 2017, and even continued remotely during the pandemic to become as important to the community as it is today.   

I truly enjoyed engaging with members of the community, and I feel that the advice and support I provide helps them access a wider range of opportunities. Student volunteer

Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive this year, with a recurring suggested improvement being that residents just wanted more sessions! Here are some of the team’s favourite pieces of feedback: 

• It's so helpful having the volunteers as they're so willing to help with my tech. It means I don't have to keep bothering my family with my tech issues. Thank you so much!"  
• "I had no idea that I could even do that on my iPad. The student took the time to show me and make sure that I was comfortable doing it myself. This will really help me moving forward.” 
• “The volunteers are amazing; they are so helpful and patient with us. I’ve been telling all my friends to come. I can’t wait to come back to learn how to use my tablet.” 
• “The help from the students is invaluable. It has allowed me to build my confidence using my tech, and I can’t wait to come back.” 
• "I have attended numerous digital inclusion sessions across the local area, and this one stands out as the very best. The students and staff are exceptionally helpful and consistently patient." 

“What the Tech?! goes beyond typical tech support,” said Farial Missi, Senior Community Partnerships and Engagement Manager. “It’s all about connection. Intergenerational social spaces are increasingly rare, while loneliness among older generations is on the rise. Through What the Tech?! local residents can connect with others in person, all while building their online confidence and reducing the digital exclusion that members of this age group often feel. Meanwhile, the wonderful student volunteers get to build their social confidence too, and really start to understand the value of societal engagement inside and outside of 51³Ô¹ÏÍø.” 

The partnership between 51³Ô¹ÏÍø and our residents is priceless, second to none! What the Tech?! is beautiful from an educational perspective, but I love seeing the intergenerational interactions. This offer is vital for our community in bringing valuable information, tools, and advice to those who need it most. Camille Curtis Chief Executive of the Urban Partnership Group at Masbro Centre

The programme could never function without the dedicated team of student volunteers from 51³Ô¹ÏÍø Business School. Julia McShane, Director of Student Life at the Business School said, "It's wonderful to see this programme going from strength to strength. Next year will be 10 years since the Business School Students co-developed with Public and Community Engagement team and the Edward Woods Community centre to launch What the Tech. This programme has grown due to the hard work from all the partners involved in this exceptional volunteer programme. Co-led by Bosede Ogunleye, Head of Student Community in the Business School, and the Public and Community Engagement Team at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø, it is a pillar within the local community, and we look forward celebrating ten years of success in this with the community next year."

What the Tech?! will return in early 2027. 

If you’d like to keep up to date on opportunities to get involved with the Public and Community Engagement Team’s work, then click here to sign up to the monthly Societal Engagement newsletter. And if you’re part of the local community, you can click here to join the White City Community Engagement newsletter too.