We’re celebrating the 1,424 volunteering hours that our mentors have dedicated to improving the digital skills of local people, through our digital inclusion initiative.

Our digital mentor scheme aims to help people to develop their online skills by showing them how to send and receive emails, use a search engine, browse the internet, complete online forms safely and much more! The scheme is run in partnership with Hampshire County Council and digital volunteers are based at libraries across Hampshire, including Aldershot, Andover, Basingstoke, Eastleigh and Farnborough.

We’ve been running the digital mentor scheme with Hampshire County Council for 2.5 years now, and during this time we’ve supported 284 people to improve their skills. To celebrate the success of the scheme and to reward volunteers, we organised a summer BBQ celebration.
Digital mentor, Dan, said: “Digital mentoring is a very fulfilling experience. When someone starts out without the confidence to even touch a computer for fear of breaking it, and then progresses to the point where they are using it by themselves, even just for simple things, is very rewarding.

“Being a digital mentor has made a huge difference to my life too. Since I started, I feel happier and healthier. The flexibility of volunteering also fits in well around my other work and commitments. I’d recommend volunteering to anyone!”
Our Digital Inclusion Officer, Lauren Regan, manages the digital mentor scheme. She said: “Being digitally included is becoming more and more important, and having digital skills brings so many benefits – from finding employment, saving money, becoming less isolated, as well as improving quality of life and wellbeing. 

“We’re committed to helping our customers who are struggling with a lack of skills and confidence, to get online. I’d encourage our customers to make the most of the support available from our digital mentors. And we’re always on the lookout for more mentors, so if you’re interested, please get in touch!”

If you’d like to gain confidence using a computer, or need support getting online, please contact your local library who’ll book an appointment with one of our mentors.

Why not become a digital mentor? If you enjoy using the internet, you could help people without basic digital skills to get connected. You don’t need to be technical genius, as long as you’re patient and good at explaining instructions. Find out more about the role, and apply on our 'getting online' page.