We commit to understanding digital exclusion and how it impacts the people we work with.
One of People Know How’s strategic aims is to improve digital inclusion in Scotland by providing support and campaigning for everyone to have access to digital skills, affordable data and devices, to safely communicate, connect and engage with opportunities.
All of our work begins by asking people to share ideas, needs, strengths and assets because we believe that 'people know how' to identify their needs and the solutions to help them to fulfil their potential and solve social issues. Our digital inclusion work has been formed through consultations with the community and we underpin this with evidence from research projects and learning through open collaboration.
Through this we have developed our service Reconnect, which supports adults and families to help them improve wellbeing by increasing digital and social inclusion. We do this by providing in-person support in Edinburgh and the Lothians and through our Digital Support Helpline, offering digital support across Scotland. We also run Connectivity Now, our campaign to end data poverty in Scotland, and are partnered with BT to provide information about the PSTN switch-over across Scotland.
We are also partnered with the University of Edinburgh in a long-term research project to map pathways to improving digital inclusion practice across agencies and inform developments in policy. Findings from will aim to influence and improve digital inclusion across Scotland, exploring intersecting issues such as class, ethnicity, gender, culture and disability, and informing our campaigning work and government policy.
We commit to delivering on digital inclusion across our organisation, based on our understanding of need.
Digital inclusion is embedded in our organisation. Our Communications & Digital team ensure that our services are fully accessible to those who may need our support and provide in-house support internally. We induct our team members to use our systems and make accessibility requirements a standard conversation at induction. As such we also regularly apply to support staff members through Access to Work grants. We have recently undergone a recruitment accessibility review with SUSE who gave us positive feedback as well as a few suggestions for improvement which we have implemented. Our Communications & Digital team operate an open-door policy alongside a no-blame-culture, ensuring that all staff are included as we continue our digital transformation, and that support is always available.
Our Reconnect service regularly reviews and monitors the impact of our work, through regular reports that are fed back to all staff so that the whole organisation is invested in our digital inclusion work. The service offers support based on an understanding of need, helping adults and families to improve wellbeing by increasing digital and social inclusion. We do this by providing free in-person support in Edinburgh and the Lothians and through our Digital Support helpline, offering free digital support across Scotland. We believe that digital inclusion and social inclusion are linked and together contribute to enhanced wellbeing.
We commit to identifying and utilising appropriate resources for digital inclusion.
We believe that digital inclusion and social inclusion are linked and together contribute to enhanced wellbeing. We provide a supportive environment to reduce social isolation through building digital skills and maintaining connections, helping people to stay connected, improve financial health, increase employability, access resources and more. We recognise that to be digitally included you need multiple factors – a device, digital skills, connectivity. We also recognise that not everyone wants to get online. We engage in meaningful conversation on a one-to-one basis with those we support, often identifying a ‘hook’ that can lead to a motivation to get online, whether this be financial, social, employment-based or anything else. When it comes to devices, we work in partnership with other organisations skilled in refurbishment, as well as funders who can provide funds to procure refurbished devices that we can distribute. For connectivity, we work closely with providers like BT and Vodafone, as well as partners like Good Things Foundation and others who can help us to provide connectivity solutions. Our Digital Support Helpline provides advice and support on both establishing and saving money on connectivity. And when it comes to digital skills, our one-to-ones, free national Digital Support Helpline and digital groups across Edinburgh and the Lothians offer both in-person and over-the-phone support to We provide to reduce social isolation through building digital skills and maintaining connections, helping people to stay connected, improve financial health, increase employability, access resources and more.
We commit to working in genuine partnership where we can, to promote and advance digital inclusion.
Partnership and collaboration are at the heart of People Know How. We’re partnered with SCVO and the Scottish Government to deliver the Digital Support Helpline across Scotland, providing an essential resource to improve digital inclusion. We are also partnered the Good Things Foundation, as the National Digital Inclusion Network Ambassador for Scotland, which allows us to work with them on their digital inclusion goals, including the use of a National Device Bank and National Data Bank. Additionally, we work closely with Edinburgh Remakery and a host of digital based organisations across Scotland, as well as organisations in other sectors like CGI, as we’re passionate about cross-sectoral collaboration.
Most recently we have partnered with BT to run 50 events in rural areas of Scotland, providing people with the information they need to prepare for the upcoming switch from the analogue PSTN to digital landlines. With Scotland home to many rural areas with low mobile signal, older population and regular power cuts, we're passionate about making this information accessible, raising awareness of the digital switchover and providing landline users with the reassurance and information they need to prepare for the change.
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.
We regularly engage with the wider conversations taking place around digital inclusion, working closely with the Digital Citizens Unit at the Scottish Government, SCVO and Good Things Foundation.
We are committed to improving digital inclusion at a policy level and regularly host and attend events, presenting, speaking and sharing learning about our digital inclusion work and findings. This ties into our campaigning work, Connectivity Now, which aims to end data poverty. As part of this we collaborate across the UK and are part of various groups including the Data Poverty All Party Parliamentary Group and Good Things Foundation’s National Digital Inclusion Network (within which we are Ambassadors for Scotland).
We’re passionate about having conversations about digital inclusions with all. We regularly promote our support and share our learning through our networks. We do this through various online and offline promotional materials including flyers, booklets, our website, social media, campaigns and more. We regularly participate in awareness days including End Digital Poverty Day, Get Online Week, etc.
