Volunteer tech helpline for older people cocooning in Ireland

Generation Tech was initially set up during the first lockdown to support people aged 65+ to keep in contact with loved ones whilst cocooning. There are over 750.000 people aged 65+ in Ireland and Generation Tech wants to support these people to access technology and develop new skills regardless of age.
Whilst running Generation Tech the founders recognised a gap in the market for this service and have decided to continue providing the service long term. Generation Tech is a free service and is run by volunteers. Our volunteers are tech experts and work in shifts from 8am-8pm Monday to Friday. Support is provided over the phone. Our volunteers answer calls about technology related issues such as using printers, setting up zoom, wi-fi routers, or resetting email passwords. Our volunteers are incredibly patient, and they guide the caller through the steps needed to resolve their problem slowly over the phone. Our calls last up to one hour and volunteers will call back if an issue is not resolved within that time period.

What can we help with?
Tablets, Phones, PCs, software, other hardware, and facilities such as Alexa, Google Assistant, broadband, Skype routers, Wi-Fi and as any other IT issues.
Who can avail of the service?

Anyone aged 65+ on the island of Ireland can access our service.

How much does it cost?
This is a completely free service; all time is donated by volunteers free of charge.

Are callers protected?
This is a free service, and as such, no-one will be asked for any personal details such as access to their bank details, cards etc. We will be making the call distribution random and all calls are recorded. The Twitter feed is also logged. During a help session, it may be necessary to install a support tool, but that can be uninstalled, and we encourage the caller to do so, immediately after the call

Generation Tech wants to ensure that everyone aged 65+ on the island of Ireland has access to technology. As the vaccine roll-out continues we want to remind the public of our presence and to ensure that the public knows we will continue to provide our service after the pandemic.

Who have we helped?
Generation Tech has supported 1000s of people over 65 since the beginning of the pandemic. Often our volunteers learn as much from the callers as they learn from us. We’ve had some fantastic success stories and our callers really appreciate the help. People who may have asked their children, neighbours, or grandchildren for help using technology do not have that option at the moment but probably need technology more than ever.

We often receive repeat callers and referrals from people we have already helped. We also receive a lot of calls from nursing homes. It's great to know that our work is helping people to keep in contact with others during this challenging time.

Contact Details
Generation Tech can be contacted on
Our contact number in Belfast is 02894 338 799 or Dublin 01-96 33 288 (8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mon to Fri). If you get our message service during that time, or leave a message outside of those hours, a volunteer will call you back. You can press 1 to leave voicemail or 2 whilst on hold to get a callback - free of charge.
Our twitter handle is (@GenTechIrl - hashtag is #GenerationTech) and leave a brief explanation of the problem and your contact number.

The contact form request on our webpage where you can leave a message is http:// generationtech.ie /contact
You can also email us at info@ generationtech.ie for info or INeedHelp@generationtech.ie
Our webpage is https://www.generationtech.ie
Our Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/generation.tech.irl/
Our web page is http://generationtech.ie/volunteer and there is a form there to sign-up.

Generation Tech to Volunteer