Caregivers and Digital Inclusion

Now that the dust after the upheaval is starting to settle, we have the opportunity to begin to see the real effects of the role played by the digital world during this continuous crisis.  

The digital world is shown as a bridge, an important alternative to adapt in this changing environment due to COVID-19 and the new technological era.  We can acknowledge now that everyone is in this new world which has impacted how we function as individuals, how companies are changing, financial transactions, shopping, everything that we do has changed.  

In simple words what is digital inclusion that everyone is talking about? You actually live it without knowing it. Ask yourself these simple questions: are you on social media? Are you active on it? Do you do your work digitally? Are you trying to learn about the digital world and gain certain skills to improve yourself in this new world?  

The more you say yes, the more you are digitally literate.

If you are a caregiver you might be Generation X & Y, when you studied for example marketing you were talking about billboards, one on one sales, etc... Can you still use this now? Of course, how efficient is it? Much less! So, learning about the new tools and techniques of marketing will get you a better job and achieve your peak performance in your own company or business.   

Be a role model for your children 

The way people learn in schools and universities, apply for jobs and remote work, and the way they social integrate if all these sectors are adapting to the new online system, and definitely, we don’t want to forget e-governance, so why you are not teaching the children and youth on how to be tech-savvy? This market has adapted so what are you waiting for?  

The ideas below that pop out in our head as a person my stop us to update our skills and in the way forbid others to do it:  

• I prefer the traditional it is used to be much easier and simple before  
• I don’t understand so I don’t want to engage in new things  
• It’s working for me now why learn   
• It’s the only the role of the youth to learn these new things this is not for my generation   

If you want your children to improve change yourself first, and these kinds of ideas will forbid you to change so you are negatively affecting the people you are influencing.  

So, what can you do? 

Simple guidelines to follow will make you a good role model for digital inclusion:  

• Change your attitude and mindset toward the digitization that is happening in the world.  
• Talk about digital inclusion in a way that you understand it, it means to have your narrative and information solid for discussion.  
• Be positive about it in front of your children, youth, and other similar caregivers like you.  
• Explain to your children the importance of the digital world in their education and future careers.  
• Learn about what the youth are actually using as social media, have a curiosity about it so you can look informative when they open up about it.  
• Talk about the previous traditional days as beautiful days but also as a stepping stone to a better world which the technology we see right now.  
• Don’t punish your children by excluding them from the digital world, all their friends are on this platform, talk to them about its benefits, and the dangers faced such as cyberbullying.   
• Check all the careers that are changing so you can enlighten your children about it.  

If you will continue living in denial, even knowing about it, and not doing anything is causing harm to your children. The world needs people that are aware, act, and turn into role models for the future generation. The key to success in any environment is adaptation and evolving.