On a lovely sunny day at the House of Lords, BCHA attended Good Things Foundation’s Fix the Digital Divide event to celebrate our collective progression towards digital inclusivity.
BCHA were thrilled to be invited to the event, hosted by Lord Knight of Weymouth, as one of nine organisations funded to tackle the digital skills gap through the Power Up initiative, run by Good Things Foundation.
Through this initiative, our free Bournemouth Digital Course offers beginners the chance to gain more confidence with basic computer skills, web browsing, online security and online money saving advice.
During its first year, the course successfully helped 132 digitally excluded people become more confident with getting online.
As Co-ordinator of BCHA Learn’s Bournemouth Digital Course, Andy Merchant represented BCHA at the Fix the Digital Divide event, which featured a range of inspiring speakers.
Among those sharing their organisational successes with bridging the digital gap were Lord Jim Knight, Helen Milner OBE (Group Chief Executive, Good Things), Dana Haidan (Chief Sustainability Officer, VMO2), Chris Ashworth (Head of Social Impact, Nominet), and Nicki Lyons (Chief Corporate Affairs & Sustainability Officer, Vodafone).
The stunning panoramic views overlooking the River Thames provided the perfect backdrop to hear stories from many individuals across the UK who are working hard to fix the digital divide, including founders from some of the Digital Inclusion Hubs that make up the National Digital Inclusion Network.
The panel also shared some inspiring insights from the past year, including:
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79,000+ new registrations on Learn My Way
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4,000+ refurbished devices given to hubs through the National Device Bank
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181,798+ free SIM cards distributed through the National Databank
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1,200+ new members in the National Digital Inclusion Network
Lord Knight of Weymouth summed up the feeling in the room perfectly by sharing, “the possibilities of technology are only a reality if we have equity… We have to continue the fight to ensure everyone has equitable access.”
For more information on fixing the digital divide, view Good Things Foundation’s 2022- 2025 strategy.
To take your computer skills to the next level, sign up to our Bournemouth Digital Course.
Anyone from the BCP area aged 18 or over is eligible for our Bournemouth Digital Course. Training will only take place in various community venues across Bournemouth, not within Poole or Christchurch, due to funding restrictions.
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