BOSS is part of our commitment to the digital inclusion of older people in Leeds.

Leeds Older People’s Forum was a partner on this programme with 100% Digital Leeds. BOSS was funded from 2022-2024 by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s (DCMS) Media Literacy Taskforce Fund (before it went in to the new Department for Science, Innovation and Technology – DSIT.)

About this project

LOPF and 100% Digital Leeds worked with the following delivery partners:

• Feel Good Factor
• Hamara
• Health for All
• Leeds Irish Health and Homes
• Touchstone

Projects supported older people (aged 60+) from diverse communities to develop their media literacy skills and protect themselves from online disinformation.

With our delivery partners we developed a range of learning materials to use in informal courses with older people. (See BOSS resources below)

Delivery partners were closely involved in developing BOSS.

We worked with the National Media Literacy Taskforce and national mentors to deliver and evaluate the project, alongside the three other DCMS/DSIT funded projects across the country.

Read the final report on BOSS.

BOSS resources

We have produced a suite of resources to help tutors, learners and organisations with their digital inclusion courses and programmes.

On this web page we use the terms ‘tutor’ and ‘learner’. These are inclusive words to encompass the diverse settings in which digital education occurs. The roles of the ‘tutor’ and the ‘learner’ will vary in formality and style, as will the physical environment, including formal classrooms, community centres, and more. Our aim is to foster an inclusive and supportive learning environment for people of all ages and backgrounds.

BOSS toolkit

A guide to supporting older people to keep safe online through building digital media literacy skills

Getting started with BOSS

Please read these first.

• Introduction to running a BOSS course (PDF)
• BOSS Learner Assessment (Word)

BOSS resources for learners

These workbooks, with examples and activities, have been designed to be used by learners in the class. (All PDFs)

• Phone settings (BOSS Workbook 1)
• Sending and receiving emails (BOSS Workbook 2)
• Internet searching (BOSS Workbook 3)
• Managing your health online (BOSS Workbook 4)
• Media literacy online safety (BOSS Workbook 5)
• How to use translation apps (BOSS Workbook 6)

BOSS resources for tutors

Classroom resources

The lesson plans (to be used alongside each equivalent workbook) will enable tutors to teach the topics and support their learners effectively. (All PDFs)

• Phone settings (Lesson plan 1)
• Emails (Lesson plan 2)
• Internet searching (Lesson plan 3)
• Health literacy (Lesson plan 4)
• Online safety (Lesson plan 5)
• Google Translate (Lesson plan 6)
• BOSS practice sheet

Additional resources

• Digital code of conduct for staff or volunteers (Word)
• BOSS Certificate (for completion of BOSS course) (PDF) 
• Digital volunteer role description (Word)
• Digital survey (to help you identify your learners’ needs) (Word)

Videos – BOSS resources for anyone

A series of short videos which explain, very clearly, how to do a range of tasks.

• How to use Google to translate websites (YouTube, 1:23)
• How to use Google Lens to translate documents (YouTube, 1:26)
• How to change your keyboard into different languages on an Android phone (YouTube, 1:26)
• How to use Chat GPT – introduction (YouTube, 3:53)
• How to use Chat GPT to create digital handouts (YouTube, 1:49)
• How to use Chat GPT to create a lesson plan for your learners (YouTube, 3:08)

All these videos are also available in a single BOSS playlist on YouTube.

BOSS objectives

Work on BOSS focused on the following objectives:

• Supporting older people to develop an understanding of how the online environment operates.
• Building older people’s resilience to online disinformation and misinformation.
• Supporting older people to develop an understanding of the risks and benefits of engaging with others online
• Supporting older people to increase their digital skills and confidence in using and navigating the online world.

Inside the Muslim community group bridging the digital divide

Article in hyphen. (December 2023)

Funding for BOSS

The Media Literacy Taskforce Fund was one of two DCMS funding schemes created to target ‘hard-to-reach’ and vulnerable groups by investing in community-led projects to ensure everyone has the opportunity to improve their media literacy skills and protect themselves from online disinformation.

LOPF is one of just four organisations in the country to have been awarded a grant through the Taskforce Fund.

Contact

For more information about BOSS, please contact 
Digital Inclusion Coordinator, Samantha Haggart – samantha@opforum.org.uk

#BOSSMediaLiteracy