Whoa, the end of a full on One Digital week in which the BLF press release alerted folk to our programme and we could beam publically. It’s funny to read the funding announcement in black and white (or whatever the screen version of that is) and for it to be a happening, because it’s been an everyday happening for us and our partners for some months now. Six organisations came together in the Spring to work around one central theme – capacity building people to help other people gain digital skills. We can call them trusted intermediaries or digital champions or digital friends, but regardless of the nomenclature the essential characteristic is that they are people! Can six organisations of different sizes and characters actually work that closely together? Really, is it even possible? We have spent that last six months or so working that out in great detail and it has been an extraordinary process. I don’t say that lightly, I say it somewhat in awe really and with a sense of pride. Because we had to all stop thinking of ourselves as distinct organisations except in terms of how we contributed to the delivery of our One Digital programme and how we deliver, together, better digital skills to more people in a way that is sustainable. Thanks are due to BLF for their support and insightfulness during the process of 'working up the detail' because it has been a journey for all parties I think in many respects. We have all had to be highly pragmatic as well as resourceful and creative, and many, many cups of tea were drunk and biscuits devoured. We’ve worked through governance structures, we are building a common evaluation framework, we have a whole list of functions and activities that the six of us have to adhere to at a programme level no matter how we operate individually. It turns out that’s actually quite challenging to work out – but also incredibly liberating and also fun, and exciting. Exciting to realise that together you really can achieve something that is greater than the sum of its parts, and be making it happen. Fun to spend time working with people as committed as you are to delivering better digital skills and to be able to enjoy, really, thinking about delivering that in a non competitive way. Collaboration numbs competition and there is a real sense in the One Digital partnership that we can all flourish, together, in this joint endeavour. My personal ambition is that this partnership, aside from delivering what it set out to deliver, is invigorating and inspiring just even through its very existence. Our vision is to make a positive impact delivering better digital skills but also to show that it is possible to set aside organisational bias, dull vested interests and competition, extinguish cynicism (because, yes folks, it does exist in this field as in any other) get our collective mojos back on and get out there. Stay tuned!