Have you joined your Covid-19 Local Mutual Aid and/or WhatsApp street Group?
The Local Mutual Aid Groups are for residents that want to support each other and their neighbours with shopping, support and sharing information during the Covid-19/coronavirus pandemic.
We now have over 40 WhatsApp groups in Whalley Range – small, local and informal networks with the people living on their street, so that we can all support and help each other.
Follow the links below to find and join local Covid-19 Mutual Aid groups.
Chorlton Coronavirus Community Response
Whalley Range Covid-19 Mutual Support Group
What is Covid-19 Mutual Aid UK?
Local organising to support the most vulnerable in our communities
Covid-19 Mutual Aid UK is a group of volunteers supporting local community groups organising mutual aid throughout the Covid-19 outbreak in the UK. We focus on providing resources and connecting people to their nearest local groups, willing volunteers and those in need.
We recognise that injustice doesn’t affect everyone equally and whilst we’re all at risk of Covid-19, there are some people who are more vulnerable and need greater support from the community.
The basic idea is to coordinate care efforts for people who are self-isolating, especially if they are part of a more at risk demographic including the elderly, disabled and people with other pre-existing health issues.
We’re also trying to offer support to those people who are feeling most isolated/anxious throughout the pandemic. For people with mental health conditions this scale of panic can be overwhelming and so community support is vital.
Find a local group: https://covidmutualaid.org/local-groups/
What is WhatsApp?
Getting started with WhatsApp
Introduction: WhatsApp is a free to use app using an internet connection between phones, a replacement for SMS text messages, with over 900 million active users worldwide.
It is available on iPhones, Android smartphones, Windows Phone and Mac laptops and Windows PC. Allowing you to send messages, pictures, videos and even voice recordings, as well as make voice and video calls over the internet for free, rather than using your mobile network which costs you money.
The messages you send on WhatsApp are end-to-end encrypted making your communications secure. This means that only your device, and that of the recipient, can decode them.
Some of the advantages of using WhatsApp are:
- WhatsApp is completely free for use.
- Instantly send a message to anywhere in the world.
- Easy to use
- Send to anyone; Document files upto 100Mb such as PDF, Slideshows, etc.
- It has also the features to delete the message that you have sent
- It imports the contacts from your phone and tells you that how many of your friends are using WhatsApp.
- You can share your location, photos, status, images, documents, videos with your friends.
- It shows whether your message is sent or not and whether or not the receiver has received or read the message. (single tick for sent and double tick for delivered, grey is for delivered and blue is to show that the message has been read by the person).
- WhatsApp started providing end-to-end encryption feature, which makes your WhatsApp communication highly secure.
- It saves your money by reducing normal Text and Multimedia messages cost.
- It can be linked to both Mac and Windows computers.
Read the full guide here: Getting Started (2)
What is Skype?
Getting started with Skype
Introduction: Skype is a worldwide and free to use online webchat service, owned by Microsoft it is integrated into the Microsoft “brand” and would normally come pre-installed on a Windows 10 computer or laptop (Windows 7 is no longer supported but it may be possible to download a version that should work) on a smart phone it will need to be downloaded from the app store unless of course it is a “Windows” phone.
Skype is a person to person connection over the internet and the following check list needs to be considered if you want to start Skyping with family, friends and colleagues.
Questions; Laptop, computer, tablet and smart phone.
- Does your laptop have a camera, microphone and speakers? (A camera is usually identified as a small plastic lens at the centre top of the screen) most computers and some older laptops may require you to buy all or some of the following; USB video camera, combined headset or microphone and speakers.
(A tablet or smart phone will not usually require any of this extra hardware).
- Does your laptop, computer, tablet or smart phone already have Skype installed? (Look for the icon either in the desktop menu, desktop, taskbar applications etc.) Otherwise it will need to be downloaded from the Windows or App. Store.
Read the full guide here: Getting Started (1)