Citizen Focus

Akinsanya lives in Balbriggan with her mum Ola and cat Poppy. Now that she’s just turned 11 she travels to school using her electric scooter. At her school they use a mix of tablet devices and books so that school bags are not heavy. Every Friday Akinsanya’s teacher downloads fun games and quizzes onto the interactive white board for the class. One of the highlights of the month is when the Library mobile maker van visits the school and gives lessons on how to create and make. This month Akinsanya sowed and wired some flashing LEDs onto a badge for her school jumper. While Akinsanya’s mum is waiting to pick her up from school she uses the village centre Wi-Fi to pay some bills online and access community event info on Fingal.ie. On Tuesdays Akinsanya attends Coderdojo class in the library. While they are there her mum accesses the library e-learning resources - she’s currently doing an online accounting course to help her get back into the workforce.

Siri wakes Michael up and lets him know his bus is on time and tells him the latest news headlines. Micheal is a student from Mulhuddart, he’s just turned 25 and is studying Computer Science in TU Dublin, Blanchardstown. When he gets off his bus he books a bleeper bike on his phone to get to college. Like most students Michael uses free Wi-fi whenever he can.  When he’s out and about in Fingal he uses Fingal free town centre Wi-Fi to access the internet. After his lectures Michael heads to the Creative Ability Hub which helps students with neurodiversity to get work ready, providing them with interview skills training and access to potential employers. Through his work with the Creative Ability Hub Michael has been offered a summer internship with a large technology company and hopes to gain lots of experience for his course. On the way home, while waiting on the bus Michael charges his phone on the Fingal smart bench and uses the bench Wi-Fi to chat to friends online.

Piotr is 42, he lives just outside the village of Lusk with his wife Joanne and three kids, Ailbhe, Stefan and Ada. Piotr works for a multinational company and works remotely from a co-working space close to his home for the majority of the week. His wife Joanne recently turned her hobby into her full time entrepreneurial career with the help of her Local Enterprise Office, and has begun trading her artisan corporate cupcakes online. On the days that Piotr works remotely he does the school run and manages the many activities of his three kids. Piotr recently changed his diesel car to an electric model; he’s able to charge it using one of the on-street charging points outside his home. Keeping fit and minding the environment is important to the whole family.  During his lunch break Piotr usually goes for a run in the local park and he uses the public water fountains on his running route. While waiting for his kids to finish their games at the local GAA pitch, Piotr uses the high-speed Wi-Fi to catch up on some work emails. He also switches on the heating from his phone so the house is warm for when they get back.

Rose is a widow and she has lived all her life in Swords.  She is 79 years young and loves to get involved in the community. She’s an active member of Fingal’s age friendly community and takes part in the local yoga group, knitting group and bingo. She now chats to her groups on Whatsapp and hears about any cancellations to classes on the app. Rose took part in the ACORN initiative and is now using her Smart Tablet to go online.  She used to be afraid to go online in case she was scammed, but after going to some beginner digital skills classes in her local community centre Rose now uses her tablet to access everything from paying bills to watching Netflix, she’s a fan of The Crown. She video-chats with her children and grandchildren often and has even found some old friends on social media. Living alone Rose is independent but also worries about her mobility and safety. She recently got a smart accessibility upgrade to her home, which includes sensors that can detect if she has a fall.  She also has an alert button that will call her neighbour if she feels unsafe or if she’s out and about and gets lost.