uk online centres: using the internet to benefit lives

Section Divider: Heading intro here.

UK online centres: Helping people benefit from the internet

Helen Milner, 25 March 2011Presentation to the Hong Kong Social Council

www.slideshare.net/helenmilner

on twitter @helenmilner

Not digital exclusion as a symptomIt’s digital inclusion as a solution

2007 compared to 2010(internet use by % of population)

Source: http://www.internetworldstats.com/topusage.htm

The divide between the online and the offline is deepening

Percentage population use of the internet

Source: ONS 2010

Internet and peoples lives

3.00

3.50

4.00

4.50

Self Confidence

Overall happiness

Quality of life

Ease of organising social gatherings

Informed on current affairs

Skills to get a new job

Confidence talking to different people on different subjects

Confidence expressingviews to key

decision makers

Connection to family andfriends who aren't local

Informed on local affairs

Internet user Internet non-user

“Does the internet improve lives?” Freshminds April, 2009

More confident

Happier

Better quality of life

More informed

UK online centres users lives – before and after

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

I do not feel concerned about my levels of qualifications ,training or skills

n=75

I do not feel concerned about my work position

n=51

I do not feel concerned aboutmy health

n=75

I felt part of my local community

I communicated as much as I would have liked

with my family

I communicated as muchas I would like to with friends

"Yes" Before "Yes" After

“Does the internet improve lives?” Freshminds April, 2009

Communicate more

Feel more connected to local community

Feel less concernedabout skills, workand health

Community economic benefits: Australia› ATKearney economic model› Atherton Gardens Estate, Fitzroy, Melbourne› A$5.9m benefit (in five years, over 900

computers installed)› A$4.1m through education and employment› A$1.3m through communication and connectivity› A$0.2m in transactional efficiencies› A$0.3m in health and well-being

“Assessing the economic benefits of digital inclusion” ATKearney and Infoxchange Australia 2009

If all UK digitally excluded adults got online and made one digital contact each month, this would save the Government £900 million per year

PwC & Martha Lane Fox

www.raceonline.org/research

October 2009

Getting more people onlineBarriers remain the same in 2009 as in 2007

Access: 38%

Skills & Confidence:20%

Motivation:34%

Freshminds 2007 and 2009

UK online centres4000 member centres, covering 84% of England’s most deprived areas. Locations include: • Community centres including in social housing • Schools, Surestart and Children’s centres• Shops• Old people’s homes and Sheltered Housing• Mosques, churches, religious buildings• Farms• Pubs• Homeless shelters and hostels• Libraries• AND …. Lots of going out to people where they are

Facts about centre users (March 2011)

• over 380,000 registered users in past 12 months• 74% are socially excluded• only 10% are working full-time• 32% of people supported have an income of less than £10,000 per year

• 70% of users are of working age• 30% of people supported are over 65 years old• 66% progress to volunteering or employment• 85% progress to use a Government website• 97% rate service as very good or excellent

UK online centres: the national organisation

› Government funded organisation› Don’t directly own, manage or fund any centre› Provide:

– Some grants to c. 750 centres– National campaigns to support local events– An online learning platform for people new to the

internet– Training and grants to train volunteers– National partnerships eg free Microsoft software, low

cost refurbished computers

ANNE

Centre manager

9 VOLUNTEERS in this centre

14,000 volunteers

across network

Mass, centrally coordinated activityExample: Get online week

› Annual event for 4 years

› 50,000 people got online in 2007- 2009

› 90,000 got online in 2010

› Mass publicity (newspapers, television, radio interviews)

› Mass coordinated marketing packs – locally delivered

› Local events – over 1000 events in 2010

UK online centres – not just a “centre”

› Model 1: Community links and outreach sessions

› Model 2: Dedicated UK online centre zone with drop-in sessions with one-to-one support

› Model 3: Special courses eg 4 week beginner sessions, and targeted eg “Got an ipod for Christmas and don’t know how to use it?”

@ukonline centres on Twitter

Changes for the year ahead

› 50 Community Capacity Builders› A new learning website – best of what’s

available, including the best crowd-sourced content

› A national database of places where people can get help to go online – not just “UK online centres”

› Bring volunteers together online› Using technology to deliver personalised,

relevant support to UK-wide community partners

Thank You

hmilner@ufi.com

www.twitter.com/helenmilner

www.ukonlinecentres.com

www.slideshare.net/helenmilner