The Mentor Ring has been awarded a grant for £25,025 to help deliver their ‘Digitally Active’ project, to alleviate the inequalities of the digital divide among disadvantaged people in the Cardiff and Newport area of Wales.

The Mentor Ring is a community-based charity located in the heart of Cardiff, and focuses on providing bespoke mentoring support and guidance to people of all ages and backgrounds, helping them to overcome significant barriers to social inclusion.

The grant from The Access Foundation will fund the delivery of IT training to vulnerable disadvantaged people who have limited knowledge of the use of digital technology.

The training will be followed up with continuing 1-1 mentoring support to ensure they get the best chance to access services and information, stay connected with friends and family, and in many cases, engage with education and employment.

“The aim is to ensure that more people in this area become ‘digitally active’ - in education, employment and with economic prospects.”

Piers McLeish, Trustee of The Access Foundation commented:

“We are delighted to be able to support this fantastic project. The aim is to ensure that more people in this area become ‘digitally active’ – the lack of digital skills can have a very negative impact on a person’s life - in education, employment and with economic prospects. Basic internet access and IT skills are an essential part of everyday life and too many people across the UK have been excluded. Our foundation is committed to supporting projects which tackle digital inequality nationwide, to help ensure that people from all backgrounds and walks of life have access to the same opportunities.”

The digital skills programme focuses on having a team of dedicated IT tutors working with volunteers to enhance their skills, in order to better educate and help beneficiaries. The training will then be followed up with 1-1 mentoring support to ensure beneficiaries can use IT equipment and mobile phones with confidence.