Bachelor of Business (Honours) in Business Information Systems (BIS) students earned a Garda Youth Award 2025 for the creation of the Digital Skills Clinics for Older People in association with ALONE.
Over the past year, BIS students collaborated with ALONE and Waterford City and County Libraries to empower older members of the community through targeted digital literacy training.
Between January and May, a group of BIS students volunteered to complete ALONE’s Digital Skills Champion Training Programme, which certifies participants to work directly with older people in a supportive and inclusive manner.
Drop-in clinics
Following completion of the training, the students designed and delivered free Digital Skills drop-in clinics for older people at Carrickphierish Library in Waterford. These weekly clinics, held on Wednesdays from 10am to 1pm, provided older people with the opportunity to drop in for one-to-one digital training, technical support, or general advice tailored to their individual needs.
In recognition of their efforts, the BIS students received a group award at the Garda Youth Award 2025 ceremony held earlier this year at the Tower Hotel, Waterford. Accepting the group award on behalf of the BIS team were Conor Daly, Conor Walsh and Pavol Pakes. The award recognises the students’ commitment to community engagement and their impactful work in designing and delivering accessible digital support for older people.
