Administrations, banks and other entities demand more and more skills from citizens. Many transactions can only be done through the internet. This is even the way to request an appointment or face-to-face advice in many instances. But what about the digital divide? With interested parties who do not know how to navigate in virtual waters? The NGO Cibervoluntarios has helped more than 90,000 people stay afloat this year.

“Activities as simple as using an ATM can be complicated for many people, especially my age or older,” explains Daniel Ubertone, 72 years old, and one of the 3,600 volunteers who form the driving force of this non-profit foundation. profit that provides free training in digital skills to thousands of people, a third of whom live in rural areas.

“We are all aware of the dangers that the misuse of mobile phones can represent for children, but we should also keep in mind that not having access to mobile phones is a serious disadvantage for the grandparents of those same children,” explain other volunteers. , among whom there are 16-year-old teenagers or people over 70. This is the case of Daniel Ubertone, who joined this initiative years ago.

He did it because he saw around him many people of his generation “with difficulties filling out forms and all kinds of online requirements for their daily lives.” The objective of Cibervoluntarios is to promote the acquisition of digital skills for citizens “in a close, simple, practical and free way.” To achieve this, they collaborate with more than 2,000 organizations “to be able to reach any point in Spain.”

But it all rests on a simple principle: people helping people. You do not need to be a computer engineer or have a degree in Telecommunications (although they are also welcome). Anyone with a basic understanding of tools like WhatsApp can serve as a compass to those who are lost in this forest. That is the opinion of Adriana Ruiz, 37 years old, a teacher despite her “little knowledge.”

Volunteers like her carry out between 80 and 100 free workshops every week throughout the country. Anyone can sign up for these training sessions at www.cibervoluntarios.org (it would be paradoxical if registration could only be done online, but don’t worry, they also have a telephone number: 91 542 29 00). It is not about the Steve Jobs of the future coming out of here, but “about losing the fear of mobile applications.”

Again, the quotation marks are from Adriana Ruiz, who has been collaborating with the NGO for ten years. Her greatest aspiration is to be able to lend a hand to people who see “WhatsApp or email as a threat.” She recognizes that carrying out this altruistic activity only represents “a little bit of effort” and that she feels very rewarded by the gratitude she receives from the people she helps.

And it is not the only one. The volunteer army grows day by day. This year more than 1,200 people have volunteered to share their knowledge with others, 30% more than the previous year. Luis Miguel Montalvo, 25 years old, is one of the recent additions. He decided to take a step forward when he learned about the question that Cibervoluntarios has made his motto: “How can you help reduce the digital divide?”

This young man was worried that he would not be able to combine his work and personal obligations with the courses, “but this volunteering is very flexible and adapts more to you than you adapt to them.” How can he help bridge the digital divide? He tries to answer the question by bringing technology closer to neighbors and relatives “who, due to their age, have not had the opportunity to have knowledge that others obtain almost through infused science.”

Among the tutors there are retirees, such as Daniel Ubertone; Internet users who recognize their own limitations, like Adriana Ruiz; and young workers, like Luis Miguel Montalvo. Its main beneficiaries, but not the only ones, are older people from rural environments. There are also migrants and people with disabilities. The goal is for everyone to discover how “technology can improve their lives in a simple way.”

Other volunteers are experts in computer science, digital marketing, programming, data analysis or cybersecurity. The majority, however, do not have a technical profile. They are all guided by the same goal: to allow others with less knowledge “to have more opportunities to learn, find employment or start their own business.” Everything is very simple: people helping people.