Capgemini employees volunteer to help foster digital inclusion

Employees working at Capgemini UK give back to the community through various initiatives, including Volunteer Week.

With a focus on digital inclusion, 60 Capgemini employees recently used Volunteer Week to help over 75 people practice digital skills such as communicating, transacting and finding information online.

"We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn and practice digital skills such as communicating, transacting and finding information online. As part of this commitment to digital inclusion, we kicked off our Volunteer Week in support of International Volunteer Day. Over 60 employees participated in a number of half-day volunteering opportunities supporting 75 beneficiaries ranging from the elderly to marginalised women," reflects Sally Caughey, UK Head of Digital Inclusion.

Teaching digital skills to the elderly

"Fifteen Capgemini volunteers provided one-to-one support for elderly residents and tenants of Wrekin Housing Associations. The Wrekin Housing Trust is one of the largest social housing associations in the West Midlands with almost 12,000 homes available for rent or low-cost home ownership," Sally continues.

"The Trust’s residents have remained mostly digitally excluded unable to use digital devices and the internet to access information online. This lack of confidence with using online services have made it difficult for them to connect with friends and family. Our volunteers were inspired by this and focused on giving the elderly a chance to live the new, digital way of life. The outcome was overwhelming for both the residents and the volunteers themselves."

Fiona Loftus, a Senior Solution Architect at Capgemini, took part and said: “Everyone I have spoken with loved the session and found they got lots from it, in terms of assisting with the tech queries but also interacting with the residents themselves in general conversation, which was as rewarding as resolving the issues.”

Leading a digital confidence workshop for women

Capgemini volunteers also helped run a digital confidence workshop with marginalised women in Tower Hamlets, London.

The volunteers supported a group of 20 women with low digital literacy to develop their confidence and skills. They focused on learnings around getting online, supporting the women with tasks such as navigating online forms and applications, online safety and using social media. The ultimate goal was to increase attendees’ chances of securing employment and to increase their employability overall.

“The women were very eager to learn and the event was a great success; both the charity representatives and the participants were keen for us to come back for another similar event in the future,” comments Prithyukshaa Thoppur Ravi, a Capgemini Senior Consultant. “The whole Capgemini volunteering team were quite involved and personally, it was a great learning opportunity for me as well. This volunteering week gave us a good platform to contribute to the community and also learn some new skills. I’m looking forward to getting involved in many more opportunities.”

Partnering with potential Code Your Future students

Code Your Future is one of Capgemini's key partners in helping the company meet its digital inclusion goals. Code Your Future’s focus is to support refugees and disadvantaged individuals to achieve their dream of becoming developers.

During Volunteer Week, 11 Capgemini volunteers, including graduates of the company's first Digital Academy, helped to interview candidates that included refugees and disadvantaged individuals to prepare them for the next Digital Academy.

“It was a really great experience. I met a lot of enthusiastic candidates and great interviewers. A fantastic opportunity to meet new people and share opinions,” said Daniele Zurico, Capgemini Senior Technical Architect.

Becoming architects of positive futures

"It was an inspiring week for our volunteers who worked with over 75 beneficiaries across Telford and London. Our volunteers feel that the happiness and resolve they saw on faces of people they met and engaged with is something that we will carry with them for a long time to come. This is how feels to be an Architect of Positive Futures," concludes Sally.