Students on North Hertfordshire College’s Level 2 Digital programmes recently had the opportunity to use their skills for a positive community impact, working with local care homes to create digital memory box keepsakes for their residents.
Our students started the project by visiting one of the four care homes who signed up for the project: Martin’s House, Jubilee Court, Garden City Court, and Trembaths. The students paired up and met with the residents to learn more about their life, hear their stories, and chat about their memories, before returning to campus to start shaping their digital memory boxes.
Each pair thought carefully about the best way that digital technology could be used to include these memories, whilst also being accessible and user-friendly. Music, sounds, illustrations, and photos were used to represent the cherished memories each resident had shared with their student buddy and bring the stories to life.
Our learners then had the opportunity to return to the care homes to share the final product with the residents and their loved ones – an event that was a great hit with the care home residents, the staff, and our students.
Laura, who works in one of the care homes, was delighted with how well the project went. She told us: “This was such a lovely experience for our residents, and they loved seeing their own memory box.
“All the students were amazing, and they should be so proud of themselves and how well they communicated with our residents. My residents all commented about how great they all were.”
This experience was designed to not only create a positive experience for our local community, but also to help our learners understand the full range of careers that are open to them once they reach the end of their Digital pathway with NHC. By working alongside care home staff, their residents, and family members, our learners also developed their communication skills, built relationships, and developed a product which will benefit the elderly.
They even took part in some extra training with Anna Copper, one of NHC’s Health & Social Care tutors and a trained Dementia Friend volunteer, to better understand old age and dementia. This helped them to prepare for what to consider when creating their products, as well as to adapt their communication style if needed.
The experience is not only great for their CVs, but it’s also given our students extra confidence by seeing the impact their work can have on the community.
Are you interested in starting your own career in digital technology and IT? Check out North Hertfordshire College’s Digital pathways! With NHC, you can stay close to home and explore different career options, helping you confidently go far in your future.