News and views

We welcome the Government’s Digital Strategy released yesterday (13 June) but were disappointed it didn’t do more to address the issue of basic digital skills and fundamental digital inclusion.

Being online helps people stay safe, stay informed and stay connected. And when face to face support for digital skills isn't possible, help can be given remotely - via telephone, video call, email or messaging.

With fragile funding and tight resources, embedding a Digital Champion approach across several organisations and sectors can help to build capacity and deliver long-lasting impact.

Right now, the cost of everything is rising and millions of people are feeling the financial squeeze. Having good digital skills is one thing that can help. It means people use the internet to shop around, compare prices, access benefits and information and take advantage of special offers.

Clarion Futures’ Digital Champions Network is more than 10 years old and still going strong!

Here are some of our most popular guides and resources to get a Digital Champions project up and running. There's lots more information on the Digital Champions Network

With remote teaching now a key approach for digital skills support, a new online training course has been created for Digital Champions.

Available on Digital Unite’s award-winning Digital Champions Network and the Digital Health Champions Network, the course gives people the confidence and knowledge to teach someone digital skills remotely, whether that is via telephone and email or using video tools such as Zoom and Skype.

Spring is in the air and to help put the bounce into your digital inclusion approach, we’re running a special training offer this March.

Join our Digital Champions Network by 31 March 2022 and you’ll receive 5 bonus training licences, worth £450.

Getting a Digital Champion programme going from a standing still position can seem daunting at first but with a few ideas and a bit of perseverance, it can quickly deliver the digital skills support your customers or service users need.

In the UK, there are an estimated 800,000 working age people with mild-to-moderate learning disabilities in the UK but only 17% are in work¹.  Covid-19 has exacerbated the problem as people with learning disabilities face further exclusion from the workplace due to the increasing reliance on digital skills, the move to remote working and rising unemployment.

In a Covid-era, when being able to use technology and the internet is vital, around 160 Digital Health Champions have been supporting patients with developing essential digital skills.

For Capgemini, a global leader in digital technology and transformation, ensuring everyone has access to the benefits of the online world is a cornerstone of their corporate social responsibility programme. And supporting people’s digital skills is one of the main pillars of this programme.

Mencap, the leading charity supporting people with learning disability, had been aware for some time that digital exclusion was an issue for people with learning disabilities. But digital technology is not its core business, and managers were not confident they could provide digital skills support to the 300+ local partner organisations who provide support for people with learning disabilities.

For Hexagon Housing, digital inclusion has been on the agenda for a decade, forming a vital part of their community investment work.

They have an established way of providing digital skills support through trainers and Digital Champions and have been members of our Digital Champions Network since 2018.

“"I've learnt so much - how to deliver digital inclusion sessions, promote the benefits of digital inclusion and the need for Digital Champions!"

The back-to-school season evokes a sense of determination and motivation to get stuck into learning. And learning new things has a huge positive impact on us personally. Amongst the many profound benefits, learning improves wellbeing and self-esteem and fuels confidence and curiosity.

If you’re in the midst of planning or delivering digital inclusion, then this is the event for you.

Would you like to have a sneaky peak at our Digital Champions Network? Do you want to know how it's award-winning training and tools can support your own Digital Champion approach?

Then join our free, no-obligation virtual tour on Thursday 16th September at 12pm.

Digital inclusion is challenging. Throw in a pandemic and it becomes even trickier. But yet, Covid-19 also presented a huge opportunity, shining a light on the need to be online and accelerating digital engagement like never before.

For organisations at the frontline, with communities relying on their services and support but without the means or skills to do it digitally, it was frankly overwhelming. So many new and different scenarios to consider, set against a time where people’s health, wellbeing and personal circumstances were being challenged to the extreme.

As part of Learning Disabilities Week (14 – 19 June 2021), we’re delighted to be recognising over 20 adults with learning disabilities and their supporters who have used their creativity to help others with digital skills.

Over the past few months, these brilliant volunteers from purpleSTARS, WEL Enterprise and Tower Project JET have got involved with our new Aspire Network, an online platform that helps adults with learning disabilities develop digital and workplace skills.

Caroline Davies, Digital Champion at Age Cymru Dyfed has been helping dozens of older people with digital skills remotely during the pandemic.

In our recent webinar with Age UK, she shared some of her brilliant top tips on how to get started with teaching digital skills, building learner confidence and, importantly, having fun along the way.

Over the last year, helping people with digital skills remotely, whether that was by telephone, Zoom or email, became essential. But supporting and inspiring people to use the internet and technology when you're not with them in person can be tricky. And throws up a whole bundle of questions and conundrums.

Healthwatch Islington supports people who use health and social care services in Islington. Before the pandemic, their Digital Champions were actively helping local communities with digital skills through regular drop-in sessions.