It’s easy to get left behind if you don’t stay on top of it, but even easier when you face significant barriers to participating online such as access, affordability and ability, a common experience for rural women.
The Victorian Women’s Trust (VWT) will host a free five-day Rural Women Online program at the McIntosh Centre in Shepparton next month.
The program will include practical workshops, one-on-one sessions with digital experts and information stands with opportunities for hands-on learning, to help make technology accessible, engaging and empowering for women in Greater Shepparton.
“This is phase two of Rural Women Online,” VWT chair Alana Johnson said.
“Phase one happened during COVID when we realised just how isolated many rural women were, particularly older rural women because they didn’t have digital skills to do their banking, or do Zoom or make medical appointments; it was just like their life was cut off.
“There was a lot of distress for rural women who just felt like they were being further excluded and isolated from the world.”
The first phase of Rural Women Online saw one-day workshops in 11 different locations around Victoria, which were a huge success, emphasising to VWT that it had only just touched the tip of the demand.
After those workshops, a mentoring system was set up where rural women were put in touch with a tech-savvy contact to call with questions they feared might be deemed silly had they asked someone else.
“We found out as we talked to many women around the state, the sense of being patronised for not knowing what to do or not having advanced digital skills is really alive,” Ms Johnson said.
The VWT says technology has been unfairly exclusive for too long and aims to change that, by helping women learn to confidently use devices.
Participants are encouraged to bring their devices to the practical workshops that will cover a range of topics, from identifying and combating scams to marketing small businesses.
They will canvas eSafety and family safety, healthy habits, job readiness, enjoying technology and women in business.
There will also be a digital drop-in space will allow participants to chat one-on-one with a digital expert to work through a specific question or challenge together.
VWT’s mission is to bridge the digital divide and equip women with essential digital literacy skills, enhancing their ability to work remotely, increase business profits, and save time in their daily tasks.
It aims to create a supportive learning environment that empowers women to realise their full potential.
“You’ll find a comforting, warm and even fun place to be,” Ms Johnson said.
RMIT University Professor Julian Thomas will be the keynote speaker at the event, sharing his expertise on digital communication and society.
Prof Thomas is the director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society. He has focused on exploring how society communicates through digital settings throughout his career.
While the event focuses on the needs and interests of rural women, all genders are welcome to attend.
The Rural Women Online program runs from August 5 to 9. All sessions are free, but bookings for the workshops are essential.
A program will also be held in Yackandandah.
“... Digital skills in times of natural disaster are almost critical these days,” Ms Johnson said.
“Knowing how to access flood information or how communications happen after a fire, we all need to get on top of that.”
For more information or to book, visit: https://ruralwomenonline.org.au
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