As part of our 10 Year Anniversary event series, we welcomed key representatives in digital inclusion from across sectors to discuss how we can improve digital inclusion in Scotland, sharing our learning from our Reconnect service.
To mark our 10th birthday, we ran a series of events each focusing on a different part of People Know How. On 6 December, our third event of the series took place focusing on Reconnect, our service that aims to improve wellbeing through increasing digital and social inclusion. We gathered in the Edinburgh City Chambers with representatives from the third, public, business and academic sectors to share learning and look ahead towards furthering our work around digital and influencing policy and practice towards digital inclusion for all.
We were delighted to see such a high turnout, with over 75 attendees from across many different areas signed up to attend, including other charities, the Scottish Government, councils, businesses, funders, universities, and those who have previously received digital support.
Connecting across sectors
The agenda touched on digital inclusion work taking place across Edinburgh, including that of the City of Edinburgh Council. Derek Masson, ICT Programme & Delivery Manager at the Council, spoke about a commitment to driving forward digital solutions to deliver improved and easier-to-access services.
We highlighted impactful partnerships, like our collaboration with SCVO, the Scottish Government Digital Citizen Unit and Good Things Foundation, which makes our delivery of the Connecting Scotland helpline possible. The helpline is free and open to anyone in Scotland needing digital support.
Research also plays a significant role in furthering our knowledge. The event outlined joint research projects with the University of Edinburgh and our work with Good Things Foundation to end data poverty in Scotland and the UK.
After a morning of presentations, we ran a workshop that contextualised the lived experiences of those experiencing digital exclusion and the implications of this on housing, education, employment, household bills, food, and more. This led to our final session, gathering attendees’ input on 6 Digital Inclusion Principles, which we hope to roll out to Edinburgh organisations very soon.
Big thanks to Cllr Jenkinson for arranging for us to have the event at the Edinburgh City Chambers, our chair Bridie Ashrowan, and speakers Jimmy Turner, Autumn Roesch-Marsh, Nishat Tasneem, Derek Masson, Shahid Khan, Silke Mehrgott, Emma Stone, and our own Kimberley Alshaikly, Filip Keter, Kirsty Walker, Adina Antoce, and Claudia Baldacchino.
Our Reconnect service provides support to improve digital inclusion through digital groups in the community, one-to-one support and delivering the Connecting Scotland digital support helpline. Find out more about the service and get involved below.
