We commit to understanding digital exclusion and how it impacts the people we work with.
SCVO is a leader in digital inclusion in Scotland, providing services across different sectors to support the understanding and development of a more digitally inclusive society.
Much of our work has focussed on supporting organisations to understand how digital exclusion impacts the people that they support. This has included regular blogs, events and bespoke support to communities across the country. During the pandemic, we delivered the Connecting Scotland programme on behalf of Scottish Government - supporting 60,000 households in Scotland to get online.
SCVO provides regular opportunities for organisations to improve their understanding of digital exclusion - such as our Digital Inclusion Sessions.
We recognise that digital exclusion looks different to different people, and by ensuring that we all have a role to play we can improve our understanding and create the digitally inclusive society Scotland deserves.
We commit to delivering on digital inclusion across our organisation, based on our understanding of need.
SCVO works towards providing the environment for digital inclusion to flourish in Scotland by supporting, recognising and guiding organisations with best practice. We recognise opportunities to work across departments and link in with colleagues where appropriate to provide support.
By understanding the needs of the communities or organisations we work with, we are best placed to provide the interventions they require. For example, our ground-breaking Place Based Digital Inclusion programme and Digital Inclusion Sessions are bespoke products which assess the specific requirements of organisations and communities, and respond with developing plans to help move digital inclusion work forward.
We are also undertaking a workplace Essential Digital Skills assessment of staff across the organisation, to identify where specific skills support could be provided to ensure all our colleagues have what they need for the modern workplace.
We commit to identifying and utilising appropriate resources for digital inclusion.
SCVO provides key products, free of charge, to the voluntary sector and beyond to support better digital inclusion. These include the Essential Digital Skills check-up, Digital Champion training, Digital Inclusion Sessions, Place-Based Digital Inclusion support, workplace Digital Skills assessments and 121 Development Officer support.
During the pandemic, we delivered the Connecting Scotland programme on behalf of Scottish Government which provided devices, connectivity and skills support for 60,000 households nationally.
We have also managed and delivered funding streams for the sector successfully for ten years, including the Digital Participation Charter Fund, Digital Ethics Fund, Digital Lifelines and Connecting Scotland funds.
We regularly update our online resources including a research library, self-led Learner Pathways, how-to guides for Digital Inclusion and online series of Masterclasses.
SCVO's insights and research are a useful resource which ensure that Scotland has a leading role in understanding and delivering digital inclusion work. These include our regular blogs, research papers and reports. We also provide policy submissions and regularly engage with government to advocate for digital inclusion.
We commit to working in genuine partnership where we can, to promote and advance digital inclusion.
Partnership working is essential to the success of digital inclusion work, and we have always recognised this. We have a well-established partnership with Scottish Government to ensure that digital inclusion is prioritised and supported at a national level.
Our Place-Based Digital Inclusion programme is all about developing and sustaining local-level partnerships and acting as a critical friend and broker to enhance opportunities for digital inclusion across communities. We have recognised the importance of genuine partnership working here.
Connecting Scotland is a key example of successful partnership working, including Scottish Government, all 32 local authorities, various Third Sector Interfaces and thousands of smaller charities across the country. This partnership endeavour resulted in the largest digital inclusion initiative in the UK.
We work as a key partner in multiple programmes focussed on digital health and care, providing support for organisations to embed digital inclusion in their activities through regular Communities of Learning.
We commit to contributing towards a wider conversation, developing a sense of community and being part of something bigger - because digital inclusion is everyone's responsibility.
At SCVO, we know that the whole is worth more than the sum of our parts. We're proud to be part of a digital inclusion community in Scotland which is so passionate and active.
We regularly host opportunities for organisations to come together and share resources, learning and experience. We've done this for years, because we recognise the strength of our community.
Some example of this include: our Connect23 roadshow, our regular Communities of Learning, our series of free webinars, speaking as guests at events across Scotland, providing a range of resources online and advocating for digital inclusion everywhere we go.
Developing and delivering Scotland's Digital Inclusion Charter is a key example of this: a way for our community to come together, share and learn.
