Computer Pals Blacktown president Wendie Lambert celebrated for DoSomething Day
THERE’S always a pal at Computer Pals Blacktown, ready to help out. They’re ready for DoSomething Day, to be held on June 15, celebrating volunteering.
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THE first-ever DoSomething Day, to be held on June 15, will be Australia’s biggest ever celebration of volunteering and random acts of kindness.
Launched by NewsLocal newspapers, the DoSomething charity and Your Local Club, it aims to encourage everybody to pitch in and do something positive in their community.
It might be helping an older person with their shopping, buying a homeless person a cup of coffee or a meal, picking up rubbish in the park or mowing an ill neighbour’s lawn.
Big or small, it doesn’t matter. As long as it improves the community or makes a positive difference to someone else’s life, we want to celebrate it.
There’s always a pal at Computer Pals Blacktown.
The world of computers, smartphones and tablets can be a challenge for many to navigate,
but Computer Pals Blacktown president Wendie Lambert is passionate about keeping
people of all ages in the digital loop.
Her service operates weekly classes out of the Bungarribee Community Resource Hub and
equips students with the skills and confidence to use digital technology.
Since joining Computer Pals as a volunteer in the early 2000s, Ms Lambert has helped
hundreds of people from ages 45 to 95 learn important computer skills. Increasing numbers
of students at her service are from non-English speaking backgrounds.
She says Computer Pals has come a long way since the early days of classes on Microsoft XP
and Word 98.
“Using digital cameras is a very popular subject. We also help our students make photo
albums, movies and retrace their family history online,” she said.
Joining social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram is a new focus for Ms Lambert
and is proving to be popular among Computer Pals students.
“They’ve found connections through searching on Facebook. Some of our students from
Eastern Europe have been connected back to where they were originally from. Now they’re
in contact with family and friends, ones they never even knew existed.”
“It’s changed their lives,” she said.
By using personal interests and hobbies to engage students with computers, Ms Lambert
aims to remove the fears surrounding new technology.
“It’s about being able to try something in a new environment and be encouraged.
“It’s about finding your interest and seeing how technology can help you grow with that
interest. It’s to be used as a vehicle to get to the other end,” the grandmother of five said.
The service wouldn’t be able to function without the efforts of volunteers like Ms Lambert,
with over 40 dedicated people behind the smooth running of Computer Pals.
Gloreita Salaysay, a volunteer with Computer Pals, said becoming involved with the
organisation has had multiple benefits.
After recently migrating to Australia from the Philippines, Gloreita was keen to volunteer to
improve her job prospects while using her IT skills to help others.
“I was in IT services in the Philippines working as a technical support specialist. I did some
research about Computer Pals and much of it was about how it’s helped young job seekers,
especially in the IT field.”
“I want to have the feeling of a proper Australian workplace … to learn about the Australian
culture as well. It’s probably one of the important things I need to know before embarking
into permanent work.”
Through Wendie’s aid, Gloreita is hopeful her volunteer experience at Computer Pals will
open doors to employment.
“I try to put a lot of work into people who want to get jobs in Australia,” Ms Lambert said.
“It [Computer Pals] is a stepping stone for people who need a checkable reference.”
Skills such a timekeeping, dressing for work and interacting with others are an important
focus for Wendie in the training of volunteers.
With visions to expand and diversify the service, Ms Lambert is currently on the hunt for
more volunteers.
She hopes the service can attract new volunteers who are equally enthusiastic about
teaching people about technology in more practical ways, beyond a classroom.
Ms Lambert says she is eager to introduce more programs in the style of her successful
‘Men in the Kitchen’ group, which connects men with cooking and gardening through
technology.
Not only do these groups teach hands-on skills, but offer otherwise isolated members a
social outlet.
“People that were socially isolated, they make friends and they’re long relationships, even
with the tutors,” she said.
It’s these added social benefits that Wendie says drive her work with Computer Pals.
“At night sometimes I wonder why I do what I do, but then in the morning you come and
just see everybody and it’s great when they all walk in.
“It makes me passionate. I’m just so passionate about people in ageing and what they give
back to the community.”
The work of Ms Lambert and her team of volunteers is celebrated as part of DoSomething
Day- a NewsLocal and Your Local Club initiative that champions random acts of kindness and
the efforts of volunteers. DoSomething Day will be held on June 15 and readers are
encouraged to get involved by doing something good for the community.
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