What is your diversity tech initiative? Please provide an overview.
Digital access and skills are essential to engage in employment, education, and government services across the UK. The Digital Poverty Alliance (DPA) is a registered charity with a mission to end digital poverty once and for all. Our work includes advocacy, research, thought leadership, as well as delivering digital connection and accessibility to individuals in need. The DPA amplifies the voices of those in digital exclusion and builds awareness and understanding through the lens of digital inclusion.
The Digital Poverty Alliance (DPA) works across the UK to increase access, awareness, and thought leadership on digital inclusion. The DPA connects charities, government, and businesses to create a network of support with a shared goal – to end digital poverty once and for all. Digital poverty is defined as not having access to the digital world when, where, and how one needs. Meaningful digital access requires a device, connectivity, and digital skills and confidence. Approximately 1 in 7 adults and 1 in 5 children live in digital poverty across the UK. Digital inclusion is necessary to have meaningful access to education, employment, and government or private services including healthcare, benefits, banking, household bills, and retail.
The DPA specialise in delivering devices and skills workshops for those most vulnerable, often engaging with those in digital exclusion who otherwise may not be connected or online. Our expertise lies in providing a safe, supportive environment, allowing time for questions, in order to build confidence and digital resilience. Those who attend our workshops provide overwhelmingly positive feedback, both in terms of learning outcomes as well as long term impact.
The DPA delivers digital inclusion through our key delivery projects. Tech4Families provides devices and support to digitally excluded families in coastal and post-industrial areas across the UK, delivering support to areas with historical and ongoing high levels of deprivation and lacking opportunity. Tech4Youth provides young people to be provided with a device to support education or employment skills, as well as workshops focused on AI, media literacy, and internet safety. Tech4YoungCarers provides those in a supportive role within their family with a device as well as skill building opportunities, allowing the DPA to provide a lifeline for young people who care for others.
How did your initiative come to fruition?
The DPA was launched as the Learning Foundation in 2001, with a mission to support young people to have access to digital devices for education. As the world continues to move towards digital solutions and services, the need for ongoing digital inclusion continues to grow. In 2022, the Learning Foundation rebranded to the Digital Poverty Alliance, and expanded our work to include advocacy and policy. The DPA amplifies the voices of those in digital exclusion, in order to increase the awareness and understanding of what it means for people to be unable to access essential services and online support. As digital transformations continue, such as across government, NHS, or phone services, the DPA continues to champion for the rights of those most vulnerable.
Why do you think you have been nominated for this award?
While the DPA helps thousands of families, it is likely that the nomination for this award has come from one of our partners who would like our work recognised. As an alliance, the DPA connects together our Community Circle Charity Network, Local Authority Network, and Industry Forum Leadership Network, to build a cohesive message of support to advocate for digital inclusion, as well as increase opportunities for connectivity and digital access for those most in need. We are one of the leading UK voices speaking on behalf of the 19 million digitally excluded adults in the UK.
What impact you have had on your target audience?
The DPA works across the UK to lead the conversation around digital inclusion, ensuring that those living in digital poverty are represented. The advocacy works focuses on championing those in digital exclusion, ensuring that policies are inclusive of those without digital access or skills. In addition the DPA provides hundreds of devices including phones, laptops, and tablets, to children and families in need across the UK each year, providing them with a lifeline to the online world. The DPA is proud to be working with UK Government on a major pilot to distribute public sector devices to those in need.
