News and views

As part of national Volunteers’ Week, a group of inspiring Digital Champions have been commended at an Awards ceremony in London (Tuesday 4^th June) for giving their time and commitment to helping people get online.

To celebrate Learning at Work Week (13-19 May) and its theme of ‘shaping the future’ our new infographic highlights how Digital Champions can support and cascade learning in the workplace to realise service transformation of the future.

In spring 2015, we came together with Age UK, Clarion Futures, Citizens Online and Scottish Council of Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), to consider how together, we could deliver better and sustainable digital skills to more people.

Delivering Digital Champion success

Running a Digital Champion project can be an incredibly rewarding experience for everyone involved but as a project manager or co-ordinator, getting things started can feel a little daunting at first.

West Lothian Council joined Digital Unite’s Digital Champions Network as part of the Lottery-funded One Digital programme.

The great thing about Digital Champions is that they often have a fantastic wealth of knowledge and experience that they can share with others within their communities.

Bruno Brunskill joined Digital Unite's Digital Champions Network a few months ago as part of the Lottery funded One Digital Programme. He has been teaching people how to use their computers for about seven years around the villages of Aston Tirrold and Aston Upthorpe (aka 'The Astons’) in South Oxfordshire,.

Digital Unite was named a winner at the prestigious 2019 Learning Awards, successfully receiving the Bronze Award in the hotly contested Innovation in Learning category. 

In this piece for Digital Leaders, our Chief Executive, Emma Weston OBE, talks about how learning is the real enabler for digital transformation. 

‘Want digital transformation? Encourage continuous learning for all employees.’

By Caroline Jones, Digital Unite Forum Moderator

With over 1,000 views every month, the Digital Champions Network Forum has become a valuable resource for our Champions across the UK.

CHP is a charitable housing association based in Chelmsford in Essex.

They were keen to support their customers, to be confident with using online services. In spring 2018 they joined Digital Unite’s Digital Champions Network as part of the Lottery funded One Digital programme.

Digital skills provider, Digital Unite, has been successfully awarded a new three-year contract by Clarion Futures, the charitable foundation of Clarion Housing Group. The contract extension means that Digital Unite will continue to provide the Digital Champion service to Clarion Housing residents.

There is such a wide range of people who volunteer their time as Digital Champions, but something they almost always have in common is their enthusiasm for helping others. The biggest reasons people sign up to become Digital Champions is 'getting satisfaction from helping others'.

Roger Custance is a Digital Champion with Age UK Bromsgrove, Redditch and Wyre Forest. He has access to the support and training on Digital Unite’s Digital Champions Network through Go On Worcestershire.

Southampton City Libraries has joined Digital Unite’s Digital Champions Network to extend the digital skills support they provide local people.

Phil McGarry became a Digital Champion for Clarion Futures in February 2018. Here he describes how the experience gained as a Digital Champion and the people he met through this volunteering helped him back into the workplace.

Digital Unite has been shortlisted as a finalist in the Innovation in Learning category for the 2019 Learning Awards  

Places for People has become the newest housing member of Digital Unite’s Digital Champions Network as part of the national Lottery funded One Digital programme.

Progress Housing Group has joined Digital Unite’s Digital Champions Network to support their drive to enable their customers to be part of the digital world.

Bill (aged 60) is a Digital Champion in Waltham Forest. He signed up to be a Digital Champion to enable him to use the skills that he had picked up working in the legal industry to the benefit of a wider group.

Sandra Hyde is a Digital Champion who set up and runs a Computer Club for her local WI group – Westham Evening WI in Westham, East Sussex.

She joined Digital Unite’s Digital Champions Network for free as an independent Digital Champion as part of the Lottery funded One Digital programme.

How Sandra became a Digital Champion

Futures Housing Group has become the newest housing member of Digital Unite’s Digital Champions Network.

Joining as part of the national Lottery funded One Digital programme, Futures Housing provides homes across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Northamptonshire.

The Advice Skills Academy (ASA) has joined our Digital Champions Network to help their partner organisations’ staff and volunteers develop their digital skills.

The ASA is a European Social Fund funded project which aims to address higher level skills shortages in specialist advice services and provide opportunities to improve workforce skills, knowledge, progression and productivity.

Jane (pictured with her adorable dog Whisky!) is a Sustainable Transport Officer at Waltham Forest Council. She saw the opportunity to volunteer as a Digital Champion in the Council newsletter and decided to sign up as she wanted to share her skills with local people.