With support from the New Horizons for Seniors Program (NHSP), RIWC’s new Digital Literacy & Wellness initiative promotes community engagement and digital inclusion. In partnership with The 519, our program provides both individual and group technical skills training workshops directed towards 2SLGBTQ+ older adults (ages 45-65) and seniors (ages 65+) within our community to improve their health and well-being.

Through our one-to-one Mentorship Program, service users will be matched with one of our mentors for a standard period of 8-weeks (or as long as needed) to achieve the following:

1. Complete an individual needs assessments to understand the service users goals.

2. Develop a personalized learning plan to address the service user’s needs.

3. Arrange for access to technology if the service user does not currently have any.

4. Cover key topics that will help them navigate and access information about healthcare, government benefits, virtual supports in the community, and more!

Clients who are eligible for the program include 2SLGBTQ+ older adults (ages 45-64) and seniors (65+) living in the City of Toronto who need technical skills training to access information and resources in the community.

This October, RIWC will also begin hosting a series of group workshops centered around learning basic graphic design, photography, and creative writing skills for our participants. These sessions are fully drop-in and specifically open to people identifying within the 2SLGBTQ+ community. Folks interested in our group sessions should note the following dates:

• October 4th: Creating A Gmail Account
• October 11th: Learning How to Use Canva
• October 18th: Learning How to Use Canva (Part 2)
• October 25th: Photography Using Our Phones & Tablets

Previous workshops have covered a range of topics such as how to use social media and popular communication apps, how to stay safe while using the internet as well as how to access community and healthcare resources online.

To find out more about our digital literacy programming, contact Christian Perez via email at [email protected] or by phone at 647-446-7938.