More please! How we’re tackling Digital Exclusion in the North East
Digital Exclusion: “The lack of access or ability to engage in digital activity, which excludes people from equal opportunities to engage in social, political, and economic life.”
- (Institute for Public Policy Research, 2021)
For the North East this is a particularly pressing issue as the percentage of people considered digitally excluded is the highest in England. Older people, those who are financially vulnerable and those who live with a condition that impairs their use of communication services are more likely to be digitally excluded. Digital Voice is trying to improve this situation in our region but we cannot do it alone and there’s no quick fix. Over the last couple of years, we’ve realised that our six-week inTouch course is a good start but it’s not enough time to allow people to be fully digitally confident . This is further compounded if a person doesn’t own a device:
“Just like learning a language or learning to drive, if you can’t practice regularly, you can’t get better or more confident. We can run any number of short courses but if people aren’t able to access a digital device as part of their daily routine, then the learning won’t stick; the ambition for Digital Voice is to support people long-term.”
- Julie Nicholson, Managing Director, Digital Voice
Put this together with the fact that the overwhelming feedback at the end of our courses is that people want (and need) to do more, something had to change, so we changed it.
After a short course in Weardale, we partnered with the NHS (North East and Cumbria ICB) to work over a longer period and crucially be able to loan our participants a device. Our TechTogether project builds on the success of our inTouch courses. We take our courses to a place that is safe and familiar, working closely with partner organisations, in this case the Weardale Hub and Teams Life Centre. Participants are taught the basic skills to use an iPad or similar in a supportive environment.
Then comes the new initiative.
Participants are then given a further six weeks of bespoke support with a device on long-term loan. This time the training is about them and the apps that will help them in their daily lives, be it in banking, shopping or emailing. And there’s access to free internet data for those that need it.
This sounds simple because it is, but it nonetheless has profound effects on people's lives and their ability to engage with the digital world.
We’ll report back soon on the results, in the meantime if you have a group that would benefit from our longer-term approach, please do get in touch.