Three new Digibanks in Ghent will help residents navigate digital tech

Using a smartphone or a computer has become an essential part of life and the city wants to help people who have fallen behind

Today, the city of Ghent, Belgium, announced the creation of three Digibanks – places where citizens can get help navigating the digital space. The Digibanks are financed by the Flemish government to the tune of 500,000 euros and the potential benefits could be quite profound.

Those left behind in the digital revolution

In recent years, it has been getting extremely hard to steer clear from using digital devices in everyday life. According to Bram Van Braeckevelt, Alderman for Work and Social Economy, finding a job, applying for benefits or planning a trip is near impossible without a smartphone or a computer.

At the same time, keeping up with advances in digital technology can also be quite a challenge for a lot of people. This is what the Digibanks are trying to remedy.

Local authorities say the three facilities will be somewhat diverse in their profile and services, but all of them will offer a tailored approach to communicating with citizens.

Certain aspects of our digital life can be quite daunting for the average user and for someone who is not used to working with them, they can be outright incomprehensible. This is why the Digibanks are counting on a personal approach to every citizen, as the employees can address individual issues.

Tailoring and a personal approach to faceless technology

The three facilities will be placed in specific neighbourhoods, where a relatively large number of residents seem to be falling off the ‘digital’ boat.

Digibank U-Connect in the Bloemekenswijk, for instance, will focus on helping job seekers and people who work in the social economy, meaning people involved in organisations with a pronounced focus on social issues. Visitors to U-Connect will have a chance to borrow one of the 100 laptops and tablets, receive help from a digicoach or follow a training course.

The second Digibank will be located in the welfare offices of OCMW Gent and it will specialise in helping people in poverty. This Digibank focuses on guiding and training people to use digital applications in the administration.

The third Digibank in De Serre in Nieuw Gent (New Ghent) is aimed at all local residents who are having trouble working their digital devices. They can go to De Serre for a coffee and get answers to their computer or smartphone questions. In addition, the De Serre location will also organise workshops and lessons to help people start their digital learning themselves.