CASE STUDY: Driving inclusive digital support

Nasrine is a mother, Consultant ADAPT, Certified Functional Health Coach (A-CFHC), Health Care Professional Wellness & Life Coach,  Licensed Mental Health Practitioner, Advocate, Crisis Counsellor, First Aider and Instructor! She's determined to make a difference in her community and works tirelessly to support women from The South Asian Community to be more independent and empowered.

Nasrine contacted Rochdale Council's Work and Skills team and asked if they could help with some training, wanting to provide digital training to women in her community, despite a broad digital offer, this community's needs were not being met.

Staff at Rochdale Council listened to the needs of the women - what did they wanted to learn, where they'd be happy to attend, and what their specific concerns around accessing generic training were.

Following the consultation, a culturally appropriate tutor was sourced and the delivery arranged for the familiar setting of Orchard House. The course has been led by the women and they decide what they want to cover within the sessions. 13 women attended the first session, with a waiting list being established quickly after.

The level of skill between the students varies, and it required a lot more time than initially anticipated. In early 2024 Nasrine, and her brother, supported the tutor and together managed to support all the students. With the language and time it takes to translate, the support needed, especially when some students were reluctant and don't trust the sharing of their data, one tutor wasn't enough - it was Nasrine to the rescue!

The sessions have been lively, last Last week emails were successfully created for the students, with everyone happy to return for more.

Looking forward, with local research going into black, asian and minority ethnic communities, Nasrine envisages the digital training to continue and even expand into: