Contribute to the Government’s DI Action Plan and help guide the funding of digital inclusion.
This is a call-out to all our friends working in digital inclusion, especially DCN members.
You may have seen that DSIT (the Government Department for Science, Innovation and Technology) has recently published a Digital Inclusion Action Plan.
This is a game changing moment!
At last, the Government understands that digital inclusion is an urgent issue and needs to be prioritised.
You can read it here. And you can read my summary of it here. The most significant to us is DSIT’s acknowledgement that ‘trainer the trainer models’ (AKA Digital Champion models) have an important role to play.
On the back of its publication, DSIT have a Call for Evidence open to anyone, until 9thApril.
I would like to encourage you to contribute to it.
It is crucial this plan gets input from people who understand the realities of tackling digital exclusion on the ground.
The Call for Evidence is an opportunity to show case the work you do and explain what makes a difference. And, to have a say about how a new digital inclusion fund should/could work.
It's an online form, there are only ten questions. Questions 3 and 6 are of the most interest to us. Question 3 asks for examples of ‘digital inclusion initiatives than can scale’. That’s exactly what Digital Champion projects, like yours, can do. Question 6 asks how you’d like to see a new digital inclusion fund work.
We would love you to describe how your Champion model works and how the DCN helps you run and sustain it. And we’d love you to call on the Government to fund Digital Champion training, resources and support services such as we provide. We believe that funding for DC training would make a quantum difference to local and national capacity to support and sustain digital inclusion.
See if you can set aside 20 minutes before 9th April to make your voice heard: let’s collectively use our experience, insights and energy to influence the way digital inclusion is delivered and how it is paid for.
“Nothing about us without us” is a principle we feel passionate about; here’s a way to exercise it.
Here's the Call for Evidence link again.
If you have any questions, do get in touch with me. And if you're a PM on the DCN, the meet-up on Tuesday 1st April is about what this plan might mean for you, so come along and find out.
All the best
Emma Weston
EMAIL: emma.weston@digitalunite.com