Last year, we launched our DigiUK Project to help bridge the digital divide for disadvantaged people across the UK. Since then, we have distributed over 900 devices to 19 organisations – one of which is Simon Community Scotland.
Simon Community Scotland is a Scottish charity that supports people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness to live a safe, comfortable life. They offer a range of services designed to address the causes of homelessness, including information and advice on housing and benefits, practical assistance with mental health and substance misuse, secure accommodation options and more.
One of the people supported by Simon Community is Greig Lawrence, who came to them for support when he was experiencing homelessness and drug addiction. The charity supported Greig through this period and helped him tackle his challenges head-on.
Fast-forward a few years, and Greig is living in a Simon Community property, exploring his passions for art and music. Until earlier this year, he was using a smartphone donated through the Get Connected programme to keep in contact with his support worker and access additional resources to support his hobbies – but he was limited.
Greig reached the point where he needed additional digital access to help him thrive in the digital world and explore new opportunities. Fortunately, back in March, he received a Chromebook via our DigiUK Programme. Since then, Greig has completed a three-month Access to Industry digital course and is currently learning about word processing, the Cloud and how to get the most out of his laptop.
Greig’s new Chromebook has also allowed him to explore his hobbies further, giving him to access new resources to support his music and share his art with the world.
It’s been a pleasure to support such a worthy cause and help make an impact in our local community. This is what the DigiUK Programme is all about.
If you’d like to support our work and help us to change lives across the globe, head to our ‘Give Computers‘ page to discover how to get involved.
