Post | January 2026 | 2 min read
Share What You Know. Strengthen Your Community. Become a Digital Café Volunteer
Across Birmingham, everyday life is moving online - from keeping in touch with family to managing appointments, bills and services. For many older people and those living with long-term health conditions or disabilities, this shift can feel daunting and, at times, isolating. That’s where Digital Café Volunteers come in.
Digital NNS works with Birmingham’s ten Neighbourhood Network Schemes, along with community groups, social prescribers and social workers, to build digital confidence where it’s needed most. The focus is simple but vital: making sure everyone has access to the digital tools, technology and services that many of us now take for granted.
Turning this vision into reality are Digital Cafés - friendly, local drop-in sessions to be held in community spaces across the city. Volunteers sit down with residents, often over a cuppa, and help them make sense of their own devices, whether that’s a smartphone, tablet or laptop. No pressure. No jargon. Just patient, one-to-one help in a relaxed setting.
Volunteering is flexible and fits around real life. You can give as much or as little time as you’re able, using skills you already have. There’s no formal training required, because if you can use your own phone or laptop, you already know enough. The help people ask for is often simple but hugely important, like freeing up storage, managing emails, unsubscribing from endless newsletters, downloading or deleting apps, or setting up video calls to speak with family and friends.
Volunteers are not expected to deal with more specialist issues such as the NHS App or online safety around scams. Those areas are covered by Neighbourhood Network Scheme staff and other trained professionals. Your role is about the everyday frustrations that can stop people using their devices with confidence.
As Rickie Josen, Digital NNS Community Lead, puts it: “The beauty of Digital Cafés is that if you can use a smartphone, you have the skills we need. No special training required — just pick a café near you and give an hour when it suits you. You’ll be helping people unlock new opportunities through digital skills, from accessing essential services online to reconnecting with loved ones.
“What matters most isn’t technical expertise, but kindness, patience and the ability to listen. We’re looking for people who enjoy helping others, can explain things clearly and treat everyone with respect and good humour. There are no age limits, and people from all walks of life are encouraged to get involved.”
If you’d like to make a real difference in your neighbourhood - helping people feel more confident, more connected and less alone in a digital world – Digital NNS would love to hear from you. Join Birmingham’s growing network of Digital Café Volunteers and be part of something genuinely worthwhile.