Local government partnerships
Good Things have worked on a variety of projects with local governments to increase digital accessibility in regions throughout the UK.
DigiKnow
Delivered between April 2018 and March 2020, the DigiKnow programme was designed to tackle digital exclusion in Stockport, by developing a network of community groups, organisations and individuals, working to support people in Stockport to gain digital skills and confidence.
Across Stockport, 50,000 adults lack the basic digital skills they need to participate in today’s world. People who are offline are missing out on all the benefits the internet can provide, from helping them to find work, to saving money and keeping in touch with friends and family.
“Digital inclusion is about having the access, skills and motivation to confidently go online to access the opportunities of the internet.”
DCMS, Digital Skills and Inclusion Policy, 2017
Stockport Council and leading social change charity Good Things Foundation – alongside Starting Point, Stockport Homes and The Prevention Alliance worked together on DigiKnow, a programme for digital inclusion across Stockport.
The programme was commissioned and funded by the Digital Transformation Team at Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council who also had an ongoing role coordinating activities, promoting the update of digital services, and expanding the reach of the DigiKnow Network.
Good Things Foundation lead the programme, with support provided on-the-ground by Starting Point Community Learning Partnership, the DigiKnow Community Ambassador and a local expert in digital inclusion delivery.
Digital You
From 2017-2020 we worked with Salford City Council on a landmark and trailblazing digital inclusion project across the city to help the most disadvantaged residents gain the confidence and capability to become independent users of computers and the internet.
The programme worked with Salford-based community organisations to support almost 8,000 Salford residents over two years, 80% of whom were facing social exclusion. Residents were engaged in digital through local community settings and helped to develop basic digital skills and confidence.
23% of adults in Salford lack basic digital skills – which is above the national average. The programme helped this audience to improve their lives by using digital to take control of health and wellbeing online, searching for jobs online, benefiting from financial savings available online, and using Council digital services online.
100% Digital Leeds
Good Things Foundation partnered with Leeds City Council to develop 100% Digital Leeds, a new digital inclusion movement for the city.
The 100% Digital Leeds movement took a community approach to tackle digital exclusion, with a supported network of local organisations at its core.
The network received support from the team at Good Things Foundation, as well as capacity-building support from a dedicated Digital Inclusion team at Leeds City Council. A key aspect of Good Things Foundation’s role was to provide strategic guidance to ensure sustainability and expertise in impact assessment and evaluation.