Digital Lifestyle
Appleseeds develops programs for members from various communities who are taking their first steps into the world of technology.
We help change lives by teaching basic tech skills to those without digital literacy.
Appleseeds develops programs for Israel’s most marginalized who are taking their first steps into the digital world. We provide these services through a network of Technology Knowledge Centers located throughout the country, in cooperation with municipalities and other partners in the public and private sectors.
We work with Israelis struggling with digital literacy including senior citizens, welfare recipients, new immigrants, and jobseekers. Our programs help change their lives by giving them access to vital digital services and tools. In addition, Appleseeds works with “Mitchashvim,” a nation-wide initiative which collects, repairs, and redistributes second-hand computers for kids and teenagers. The lack of basic technological equipment, like computers, significantly impedes young people’s ability to finish high school, go on to higher education, enter the job market, and achieve economic stability. This program is an opportunity for all of us to help bridge the digital gap.
“Stay Connected” Help Line
During the Covid-19 crisis, Appleseeds joined the national effort to assist citizens who lack digital literacy. Together with our partners at Workaway and the Ministry of Social Equality, we created the “Mitchabrim” tech-support helpline.
Through Mitchabrim, dozens of volunteers provide personal assistance to callers in six languages and in a variety of technological areas. These include filling out forms online, how to use apps like WhatsApp and Zoom, online grocery shopping, and using remote learning software. The project was developed in response to the unprecedented lack of access to services that resulted from the Covid-19 crisis. Even after pandemic restrictions were lifted, demand for the helpline remained high and it continues to serve thousands of Israelis every year.
Digital Literacy Workshops
Israel is home to 1.3 million people over the age of 18 who don’t know how to use the basic platforms they need for an easy and accessible digital life. Appleseeds is dedicated to addressing that digital literacy gap.
We offer workshops and courses in 7 essential areas: online healthcare, accessing rights, finance, intelligent consumerism, employment, leisure and entertainment, and communication. Emphasis is placed on basic computer programs, how to use smart phones, preparation for a digital workplace, and intergenerational learning. In this context we operate Mechubarim La’Chayim, “Connected to Life”, which tailors these services specifically to the needs of senior citizens.
