Device loan inspires Swansea Mosque to invest in digital

Digital Communities Wales; Digital Confidence, Health and Well-being (DCW) has partnered with Swansea Mosque to enhance digital inclusion through the loaning of digital devices. This initiative has empowered mosque staff and students by improving educational delivery, creating a better-connected community, and creating a deeper interest in the potential of technology.

“We are delighted to have worked with Digital Communities Wales to enhance digital access within our community. Their support has improved our educational programmes and served as inspiration to invest in additional digital equipment to further support our staff and students.” – Shah Miah, Education Officer of Swansea Mosque

Swansea Mosque is the largest Mosque in Wales serving almost 10,000 Muslim congregation in South and West Wales. Located in the heart of Swansea with a diverse and multicultural community, the Mosque is not only a place of worship but also provides various other services, including educational learning for young people and adults.

Looking to improve their digital inclusion offer, Swansea Mosque engaged with DCW, learning more about the programme and how it can support. It became apparent that DCW could positively impact the mosque’s educational learning programmes through the loaning of digital devices, access to software packages and specific training on data storage.

Recognising that laptops would be the most beneficial digital devices due to the familiarity many users have with them, DCW provided laptops on a six-month loan. These laptops, complemented by access to Microsoft packages, were identified as the best tools to support the mosque’s educational activities.

The laptops allowed staff to access in-house training and increase their digital skills and confidence, which included learning more about Google platforms such as Google Drive. This enabled staff to ensure documents and content are saved securely on a cloud storage platform. This not only made information easier to obtain and share but also helped move away from saving content onto USB storage, which can sometimes be misplaced, lost, or damaged.

The laptops also enabled staff to use Microsoft PowerPoint for delivering presentations during lessons, enhancing the overall teaching experience. As a result, approximately seventy-two young students who attend daily learning sessions at the mosque benefitted from improved and more engaging educational opportunities.

Due to the positive reception of the laptop loan, the mosque has now proceeded to invest in a dozen Chromebooks, continuing to support staff in delivering classes to students and allowing students to engage more actively in their classes. The mosque has also introduced various other digital tools to enhance its services, such as electronic interactive whiteboards and a PA system, while regularly streaming sermons and lectures through live YouTube streaming.

Swansea Mosque has also recently joined the National Digital Inclusion Network, a network of organizations in the UK providing free local support for people to use the internet, set up by DCW programme partners, Good Things Foundation. As well as joining the network, the mosque for a Good Things Foundation grant to support turning their library into a Digital Inclusion Hub to allow the local community to use the facilities.

Mohammed, Basit, DCW’s Digital Inclusion Advisor for Ethnic Minority Communities, said:

“Within the Mosque’s management committee there is expertise from various backgrounds and it’s great to see the Mosque is aware of the importance of digital inclusion to provide support to staff, students, and the wider community.

“This collaboration with Digital Communities Wales has enhanced Swansea Mosque’s ability to deliver educational services and support its community, setting a strong example of how digital inclusion initiatives can make a tangible difference.”

For more information about digital inclusion support for ethnic minority communities in Wales, support, or even just a chat, please reach out to Mohammed Basit by emailing mohammed.basit@cwmpas.coop or calling 07824 035880.