The Good Things Foundation has launched a new ‘Blueprint for a 100% Digitally Included UK’.

It is calling upon the government and other organisations to level-up opportunity and #FixTheDigitalDivide.

The campaign proposes:

• £130m investment over 4 years to help 4.5 million people cross the digital divide
• A new Data Poverty Lab to pilot a GigabitGiveabit scheme, to channel public generosity through gifting unused data
• A Digital Strategy that works for everyone, everywhere – to fire up the postCOVID economy.

The organisation provides a range of resources and support measures; visit its website to see what training it offers and to find help near you.  

However, the scale of the challenge facing the campaign is immense and has been highlighted by a number of recent publications.

Firstly, a report by BSWN that assesses the impact that COVID-19 has had on Bristol’s VCSE sector. This report highlights digital exclusion, technological poverty and the connected issues of lack of access to information and inclusive communications as key issues that will limit the sector’s recovery.

Secondly, the Charity Digital Skills Report explores the state of digital skills across the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector, and tracks the impact of coronavirus on digital technology and service provision.

Amongst the report’s findings was that 83% of charities rated themselves as ‘poor’ at digital service delivery.