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DigitalParticipationChallengeFundReviewApril20171.IntroductionInrecentyears,newtechnologyandtheinternethasradicallyalteredhowwechoosetocommunicate,learn,shop,bank,engageindiscussion,getournewsandbeentertained.Forthosewhohavetheaccess,motivationandskillstogetthingsdoneonline,lifeisenhanced.Butstillfartoomanypeopleriskbeingleftbehind.In2013,20%oftheadultpopulationinScotlandneverusedtheinternetand30%didnothavebasicdigitalskills.ThiswasthelowestreportedlevelofanycountryorregionoftheUnitedKingdom.Ifthiswerejustacaseofmissingoutonafewdistractingwebsitesandcelebritytweetsthenwemightthinknothingmoreofit.Thestakesaresomuchhigher.Amongstotherthings,theinternethelpspeoplekeepintouch,learnnewthings,savemoney,findworkandstayhealthy.Forsomepeopleit’sbeenagenuinelifesaver.Thesethingsmattertoeveryone,theyshouldbeforeveryone.Overthepastthreeyears,withthesupportoftheScottishGovernment,theScottishCouncilforVoluntaryOrganisations(SCVO)hasbeenleadinganationalefforttopromotedigitalparticipationandbasicdigitalskills.Wehave:

• Workedthroughthethirdsectortoreachthoseindividualsmissingoutonthebenefitsofbeingonlineinordertobuildtheirconfidenceandskills;

• Encouragedthethirdsectortobetterunderstandanddeveloptheskillstotakeadvantageoftheopportunitiespresentedbynewtechnologyandtheinternet;and

• Supportedcollaborationacrossthepublic,privateandthirdsectorstoaddresstheseissues.

TheDigitalParticipationChallengeFundhasbeenakeyresourcetosupportthisactivity.Ihasprovidedsmallgrantstoincreasedigitalconfidence,capabilityandskills.WiththesupportoftheScottishGovernment,EuropeanStructuralFundsandBT,£748,108hasbeeninvestedin84projectsacrossthreefundingroundsbetween2014and2016.Thisreportreviewstheoutcomesachievedandlessonslearnedacrossthoseprojects.

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Thereportisstructuredasfollows:

• Insection2wesetouttheobjectivesoftheFundandasummaryoftheinvestments.

• Section3presentsahighleveloverviewoftheoutputsandoutcomesachievedbytheprojectsandfourcasestudieswhichhighlighttheirdiversity.

• Sections4and5provideamoredetailedanalysisoftheprojectsfundedandlessons

learned.ThisanalysiswascarriedoutindependentlybyRocketScienceUKLtdbasedonthemonitoringandevaluationdataprovidedbyprojectsandqualitativefeedbackonlessonslearned.

• Section6providesabriefsummaryoflessonslearnedfromotherprojectsand

programmesacrosstheUKinrecentyearsaimingtotackledigitalexclusion.Amoredetailedreviewofresearch,undertakenbyUniversityoftheWestofScotlandandSCVO,isavailableasaseparatereport.

• Section7outlineshowthelessonsfromthethreepreviousroundscoveredinthis

report,aswellaswiderresearch,haveinformedthelatestroundoffundingin2017.

• Section8providessomeconclusionsandreflectionsontheChallengeFundandfutureinterventionsneededtoincreasedigitalparticipation.

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2.TheChallengeFundCreatingafundtosupportlocalprojectstoincreasedigitalparticipationwasakeyactionoutlinedintheScottishGovernment’s“DigitalParticipation:ANationalFrameworkforLocalAction”strategy,publishedin2014.Thefund’saimwasto“enablegroupsandorganisationstodigitisecontent,builddigitalnetworksandimprovethedigitalskillsoftheirmembers,sothattheycancontinuetothriveinthedigitalworld.”SCVO,aspartofitswiderroleincreatinganationalmovementtoincreasedigitalparticipation,wasaskedtomanagethefundingprocess.Threeopencallsforapplicationswereannouncedinwinter2014,spring2015andwinter2015.Afourthroundoffunding,nowrenamedastheDigitalParticipationCharterFund,launchedinwinter2016.Afurther43projectswerefunded,butarenotcoveredhereduetotheirnewness.ThemajorityofinvestmenttotheChallengeFundwasfromtheScottishGovernmentDigitalParticipationteam.SCVOsecuredadditionalcontributionsthroughtheEuropeanRegionalDevelopmentFund(ERDF)andBT.Acrossthethreefundingrounds,projectshadtomeetthefollowingcriteria.

• Befocusedondevelopingthebasicdigitalskillsofathirdsectororganisation’sworkforceorthepeoplethey’resupporting.

• Sixthemeswereidentifiedasprioritiesforfunding:

o Olderpeopleo Disabledpeopleo Ethnicminoritygroupso Remoteandruralcommunitieso Peopleseekingbenefitso Glasgow

• Awardapplicationsweretobeforupto£10,000,althoughextensionswere

consideredwhereaclearjustificationwasprovided.Tohelpusunderstandwhattheprojecthasachievedandwhatlessonsotherscanlearn,successfulprojectswereaskedto:

• Gaugethebasicdigitalskillsoftheindividualssupportedbycompletingashortquestionnaire(usingtheGoONUKframework).

• ProvideregularprogressupdatestobesharedopenlyonlinethroughdedicatedprojectpagesonSCVO’sdigitalparticipationwebsite.

TheSCVODigitalteamassessedtheportfolioofapplicationsandmaderecommendationstoDigitalParticipationLeadershipGroupforfinalapproval.TheLeadershipGroupincludedrepresentativesfromScottishGovernment,localauthorities,thirdsectorandthetechnologyindustry.

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Intotal84projectswerefundedacrossthreerounds,asshowninthetablebelow.

Round1 Round2 Round3 Total

No.ofprojectsfunded 25 33 26 84

LargestGrant £32,723.24 £45,000.00 £20,000.00 £45,000.00

SmallestGrant £823.79 £323.00 £1,170.00 £323.00

AverageGrant £8,575.75 £9,491.85 £8,480.11 £8,906.04

TotalAwarded £214,393.87 £313,231.02 £220,482.80 £748,107.69

AlistoftheprojectsawardedfundingisprovidedinAppendix1.Fulldetailsofeachprojectandindividualself-evaluationsareavailableonlineontheirprojectpagesat:http://digital.scvo.org.uk/projects/

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3.OverviewofChallengeFundRounds1–33.1Highlights

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3.2BriefcasestudiesThebriefcasestudiesfromfourChallengeFundprojectsbelowhighlightthedifferentscaleandscopeoffundedprojects.SaheliyaSaheliyasupportsandpromotesthepositivementalhealthandwell-beingofblack,minorityethnic,asylumseeker,refugeeandmigrantwomeninEdinburghandGlasgow.Theyworkedintensivelytosupport36womentodeveloptheirdigitalskillsinordertosearchforandobtainwork,avoidbeingsanctioned,paybillsandhavegreatersocialcontact.TheprojectofferedthepotentialtocompleteaMicrosoftDigitalLiteracycertification.ThesustainabilityoftheworkwassecuredastwowomentrainedasDigitalChampions.Theycontinuetoworkwithawiderangeofserviceusersandhaveembeddedpromotionofbasicdigitalskillsintotheirday-to-daywork.

GlasgowLifeGlasgowLifehastrainedandsupportedfront-linestafftobecomedigitalchampionstobuildthebasicdigitalskillsofthosetheyworkwith.Thefirstcohortof40staffincludedyouth,communityandplayworkersaswellasESOLandALNtutors.Thishasresultedinthosefront-linestaffhavingtheskillsandknowledgetoembedrelevantdigitalskillsdevelopmentintotheirdailywork.Thishasexposedtheselearners,oftenforthefirsttime,tothebenefitsofbeingonline.Therehasalsobeenasteadyincreaseindemandforhardware(tablets,laptops,etc.)andbetterconnectivityincommunityvenues,demonstratingthesustainabilityoftheoutcomes.

BeithCommunityTrustBeithCommunityTrustdeliversarangeofactivitiesandservicestosupportthecommunity,targetedwithinoneofNorthAyrshire’sregenerationpriorityareas.Clientsweresupportedtoenhancetheiremployabilityprogrammestoincludeaspecificfocusonimprovingtheirbasicdigitalskills.Overthecourseoftheproject156peopleaccessedemployabilitysupport,mainlyona1-2-1basis.Ofthosewhopresentedwithdirectrequestsfordigitalskillssupport,80%reportedthattheyhadmoreconfidenceworkingonline,50%havemovedintoemployment,25%intovolunteeringand25%areregularlytalkingtofamilyviaSkype.

QueensCrossHousingAssociationAninter-generationalsocialhistoryprojectsupported72youngpeopleand80olderpeopletoworktogethertodevelopdigitalskills,enhancetrustandrelationshipsandincreasetheircommunicationandsocialcapital.Thishasresultedinmanyoftheolderpeoplecontinuingtodeveloptheirskillsandincreasetheirsocialinteractions.WiFihasbeeninstalledinallcommunalareasofQueen’sCrossShelteredHousingcomplexessothatresidentscancontinuetobenefitfromtheinternet.Ata40thAnniversarycelebrationtenantsstoriesandmemorieswerecollecteddigitallyforlearnersandtenantstoenjoyandshare.

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4.AnalysisofChallengeFundProjectsThisanalysisisbasedonsurveyssentin2016/17toall84fundedprojects.Theoverallresponserateis71%.Theresponseratevariesacrossfundingrounds.Itis54%amongstprojectsinRound1,goingupto64%inRound2and100%inRound3.BecauseofthisincreaseovertimetherewillbeabiasinsurveyfindingstowardsRound3characteristics.Thisistobeexpected,asprojectsfundedinearlierroundsweremorelikelytohavefinishedandstaffmovedon.Thetypologyof‘hyper-local’vs‘widerreach’(explainedbelow)hasbeenappliedtoallprojects.Thissectionisdividedintothreesub-sectionscovering:

• Characteristicsoftheprojectssupported• Projectreach,intermsofnumbersofpeoplesupported• Projectoutcomes,intermsofdigitalskillsgained.

4.1TypesofprojectssupportedHyper-localprojectsandoneswithawiderreachWehaveclassifiedprojectsashyper-localorwiderreach.‘Hyper-local’definedasthoseledbyasingleorganisation,withoutstronglinkstootherorganisations,and/orhappeninginasinglevenuee.g.communityhubs,particularlyinremoteandruralareas.‘Widerreach’includethoseledbyapartnershipororganisationwhichhasstrongreferrallinks,and/oroccurringinmultiplevenues.ExamplesincludeprojectsledbyGlasgowLife,localauthorities,housingassociationsorScotland-widecharities.

Wehaveclassified54%ofprojectsashavingawiderreach,and46%ashyper-local.Rounds1and2haveahigherproportionofwiderreachprojects,56%and61%respectively.Round3hasahigherproportionofhyper-localprojects,58%.

Geography

The84projectsaredeliveringalloverScotland.ThroughtheSCVOsurvey42%ofprojectsself-identifiedastargetingbeneficiariesinremoteandruralareasand30%arebasedinGlasgow.

Beneficiarygroups

Projectsself-identifiedastargetingbeneficiarygroups.Thesearenotmutuallyexclusive,asmanyprojectshaveabroadtargetaudience.Forexample,aprojecttargetingunemployedpeoplemayalsotargetblackandethnicminority(BME)communitiesandyoungpeople.

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Olderpeoplearethegroupmostfrequentlytargeted,60%ofprojectscompletingthesurveyfocussedhere.Thisisfollowedbypeopleonbenefits–mainlyunemployedpeople,peoplewithdisabilities,andBMEpeople.Broadly,thismatchesthegroupsidentifiedasmorelikelytohavelowerdigitalskills.SeveralprojectstargetpeopleforwhomEnglishisnottheirfirstlanguage–suchasrecentimmigrants–andthiswouldalsobeincludedintheBMEcategoryinthesurvey.

Projects’aimsforthepeopletheysupporttypicallyinclude:socialinclusion,integration(forrecentimmigrants),financialinclusion,betteremploymentopportunities;andgreaterconfidenceandwellbeing.Inaddition,severalorganisationswereaimingtoenhancecurrentusers’accesstotheorganisation’sservices.Anotherprojectwasaimingtodoresearchtoimprovetheircurrentunderstandingofthebarrierstodigitalaccessfacedbyparticipants,andhowbesttosupportthem.

Figure1.Numbersandpercentagesofprojectstargetingeachofthesebeneficiarygroups.[Source:RocketScienceanalysisofSCVOsurveyresponses].

% of projects

Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total Total

Older people 15 21 14 50 60%

Receiving benefits 16 17 7 40 48%

Disabilities 14 19 7 40 48%

BME 0 1 7 8 10%

Staff 0 2 0 2 2%

Offenders 1 1 0 2 2%

Young people 4 0 0 4 5%

Other 1 2 0 3 4%

Numbers of projectsBeneficiary groups targeted

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Dedicated/embeddeddelivery

Acrossthe3Roundsoffunding,65%ofprojectsdelivereddigitalskillstrainingasadedicatedproject,whereas25%ofprojectswereembeddingitintheirotheractivity.ThisratiodoesnotchangenoticeablyacrossthethreefundingRounds,rangingfrom62%ofdedicatedprojectsinRound1to69%ofdedicatedprojectsinRound3.

Figure2.Percentagesofprojectsadoptinganembeddedoradedicatedapproach.[Source:RocketScienceanalysisofSCVOsurveyresponses].

Whosupportsparticipants?

Staff–bothregularandnew–hadaroleinsupportingparticipantsin78%ofprojects,whereas44%ofprojectsinvolvedvolunteersinsupportingparticipants.Thisbreakdown–againnotmutuallyexclusive,asmanyprojectshavehadbothstaffandvolunteers–isshowninFigure3overleaf.

AcrossallthreeRounds,therearemoreregularthannewstaff,andequivalentproportionsofnewandregularvolunteers.ItwouldappearthatRound1hadhigherproportionsofvolunteersthanRounds2and3–butthisshouldbeinterpretedwithcautiongiventhelowerresponseratesforRound1.

Embedded,25%

Dedicated,65%

Dedicatedorembeddeddelivery?

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Figure3.Numbersofprojectsreportingwhosupportedparticipants.[Source:RocketScienceanalysisofSCVOsurveyresponses].

2.2Reach

Duetotheopennatureofprojectreporting(throughtheonlineprojectpages),robustdataonfinalnumbersofbeneficiariessupportedisonlyavailablefor69%ofallprojectssupported.Aswithsurveyresponses,themostcompletedataisforRound3projectswheretheresponserateis100%.

These59projectssupported6,264beneficiaries.Theaveragenumberofbeneficiariesis106perproject.Extrapolatingtoall84projectsleadstoanestimateofc8,900peoplesupportedacrossallprojects.

TheaveragenumberofpeoplesupportedperprojectishalftheamountforRound1thanforRounds2and3–55comparedto124and117respectively.

Thedifferencebetweenthenumbersofpeoplethatprojectsanticipatedtheywouldsupportandtheactualnumberssupportedvariesgreatlyacrossroundsoffunding,fromadifferenceofover2,800inRound1tojust54inRound3.

19%

19%

31%

22%

15%

24%

31%

22%

35%

24%

23%

28%

54%

43%

54%

50%

Round 3

Round 2

Round 1

Total

% of projects

Whoissupportgivenby?

Newvolunteers Regularvolunteers Newstaff Regularstaff

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Differencesinreachbytypesofproject

Therearemarkeddifferencesinthenumbersofindividualssupportedby‘hyper-localandwiderreach’projects(asmightbeexpected).Theaveragenumberofpeoplesupportedbywiderreachprojectsis3timesthenumbersupportedbyhyper-localprojects–150comparedto47.

Thismaybepartlyexplainedbyscaledifferences,reflectedinthefundingreceived.Theaveragefundingbywiderreachprojectsis£4,000morethantheaveragefundingreceivedbyhyper-localprojects.Ontheotherhand,outcomes–measuredasthepercentageofpeoplesupportedtogainbasicdigitalskills–isslightlyhigherforhyper-localprojectsthanforwiderreachones.Welookatthisinthenextsub-section.

Thedifferencebetweenthenumbersofbeneficiariesanticipatedandactuallyengagedwashigheramongstwiderreachprojectsthanforhyper-localprojects.Theformerengaged60%ofthenumbersoriginallyanticipated,comparedto91%forthelatter.Reachisalsoaffectedbywhichbeneficiarygroups’projectsaretargeting.Thosetargetingbenefitclaimantssupportthehighestnumbersofindividualswhilstthosetargetingolderpeoplesupportthelowestnumbers.

Figure4.Averagenumberofpeoplesupportedbyprojects,basedontargetedbeneficiarygroups.[Source:RocketScienceanalysisofSCVOsurveyresponses].

Beneficiary group targeted

No. of projects reporting

Total people supported

Average supported per project

Older people 33 3,358 102

Receiving benefits 28 4,709 168

Disabilities 26 4,004 154

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2.3Outcomes

Thefivebasicdigitalskills

58%ofprojectsreportedboththenumberofindividualssupportedand,ofthose,howmanygainedanyofthefivebasicdigitalskills.OutcomesfortheseprojectsisshowninFigure5below.

Communicationistheskillgainedbythehighestpercentageofbeneficiaries,56%,followedbymanaginginformation,gainedby55%.Skillsindigitaltransactingweregainedbythesmallestproportionofbeneficiaries.Theaveragenumberofskillslearntperindividualis2.3acrossallrounds.ThepercentagesofindividualsgainingskillsishigherforRounds1and3thanforRound2.

Wehaveusedthepercentagesofindividualsgainingskillsinthesampleof58%ofprojectstoextrapolatetoallprojectsandtotheestimatednumberofindividualssupported.Thisisshownin

Figure6overleaf.

Figure5.Percentagesofindividualssupportedachievingbasicdigitalskills.Thisisbasedonasampleof58%ofallprojects.[Source:RocketScienceanalysisofSCVOsurveyresponses].

72%

46%

62%

56%

59%

45%

64%

55%

38%

24%

49%

37%

44%

36%

46%

42%

61%

19%

52%

39%

Round1

Round2

Round3

Total

Percentagesofindividualssupportedgainingbasicdigitalskills

Communicating Managinginfo Transacting Problemsolving Creating

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Communicating Managing info Transacting Problem solving Creating

% of beneficiaries 56% 55% 37% 42% 39%

Estimated number of beneficiaries

4,986 4,917 3,267 3,721 3,434

Figure6.Estimatednumberofbeneficiariesgainingdigitalskills.Basedonthepercentagesfrom58%sample,andusingthepreviouslyestimatedtotalnumberofpeoplesupported.

Outcomesbygroups

Figure7belowbreaksdownoutcomesbythetargetbeneficiarygroupsofprojects.CautionshouldbetakenwheninterpretingthisFigure.Firstly,asexplainedearlier,projectsmaytargetmorethanonegroup,andsoappearinmorethanonerow.Secondly,thenumbersofprojectsincludedinthissamplevarygreatlybytargetgroup.Forexample,thereareonlyfourprojectsthathavebeenidentifiedastargetingyoungpeopleoverall,ofwhichonlyoneisincludedinthesample.Ontheotherhand,thereare50projectssupportingolderpeople,outofwhich24havereportedoutcomes.

Therefore,patternsareonlybroadlyindicative.Buttheydomakeintuitivesense.Projectstargetingoldergroupsreportthelowestpercentageofoutcomes,whileprojectstargetingyoungpeoplereportthehighest.Thisisconsistentwiththeliteraturewhichreportsanimportantagegapindigitalskillsandintheabilitytoacquirethemorfeelconfidentusingthem.

Figure7.Percentagesofbeneficiariesachievingoutcomes,basedonprojecttargetaudiences(notmutuallyexclusive).[Source:RocketScienceanalysisofSCVOsurveyresponses].

67%

51%

63%

66%

100%

63%

100%

22%

53%

59%

66%

46%

66%

100%

33%

30%

42%

48%

46%

55%

44%

40%

45%

52%

46%

49%

11%

25%

45%

49%

46%

59%

100%

Offenders

Older people

Receiving benefits

Disabilities

Other

BME

Young people

Percentages of individuals supported gaining skills, by project target audiences

Communicating Managing info Transacting Problem solving Creating

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Outcomesbytypesofproject

Outcomesforhyper-localprojectsareslightlyhigherthanforwiderreachprojects.Thisisinteresting,giventhedifferencepreviouslyobservedinreachandamountoffunding.Itsuggeststhat,notonlyisreachnotassociatedwithdepthofoutcomes,buttheremightevenbeasmalltrade-off.Moreanalysiswouldberequiredtoexplorethispossibilityfurther.

Figure8.Numbersofpeoplegainingbasicdigitalskills,basedontypeofproject.[Source:RocketScienceanalysisofSCVOsurveyresponses].

68%

53%

61%

54%

33%

38%

35%

44%

43%

37%

Hyper-local

Wider reach

Percentages of individuals gaining skills, by type of project

Communicating Managing info Transacting Problem solving Creating

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5.LessonsLearnedbyProjectsThissectionsummarisesthemainmessagesemergingfromprojects’reflectionsonwhatchallengestheyfaced,whatworkedwell,andwhatcouldbedonedifferently.Thisisbasedontheregularreportingprovidedbyprojectthroughtheironlinepages,aswellasanyadditionalfeedbackintheevaluationsurvey.Itgroupsthesemessagesintothreebroadareas:

• Engagementandreach• Participants’barriersandsupportneeds• Lengthandstyleofdelivery

5.1EngagementandreachManyprojectsreportedchallengesinengagingtherightparticipants,andmaintainingattendancethroughouttheproject.Marketingandpromotionwasthemostcommonthingthatprojectssaidtheywoulddodifferently.Manyprojectswhichfacedchallengesaroundrecruitmentreflectedonhowtoexpandtheiravenuesforpromotion.Oneavenuetheysuggestisofferingshortinformationsessionsinadvanceoftheactualcourse.Thesecanbeeveningtalks,briefpresentationsatotherorganisations,etc.Onegroupsuggestedpop-upeventsincoffeeshops.Anothergroupreflected:“Theinitialpromotionoftheservicewasthroughthedistributionofflyerstoeveryhouseholdandnewsletterarticlesdidnotprovetobeeffective.Astheprojectprogressed…[it]waspromotedinotherways,i.e.attendingpartnerservicestodeliverpresentationsandthroughwordofmouth…fromtheoffsetthismayhavebeenamoreappropriatewaytoengagewithserviceusers”.Partnershipswithotherorganisationsandmoreformalreferralroutesareseenasfruitfulwaysofreachingtherightpeopletosupport.Inparticular,referralsfromJobcentrePlushavebeenidentifiedasthebestwaytoreachunemployedpeople.ESOLclasseshavebeensuggestedasanappropriatesourceofreferralsforpeoplealsofacingEnglishlanguagebarriers.Forolderpeople,itisseenasimportantthatdigitalskillssessionsareembeddedwithinotheractivitiestheyarealreadydoing,suchasthroughtheUniversityoftheThirdAge.Agroupwhoheldbothembeddedandopenworkshopsforolderpeoplereflectedthat:“Comingalongindependentlycanbedifficultforolderpeopleandtheopenworkshopswerenotaswellattendedaswehadhoped.So,contactwithexistingcommunitygroupstargetedatolderpeoplewasdefinitelyagoodidea.”Moretargetedrecruitmentintermsofskillsandcharacteristicsisalsoimportant.Insomecases,engagingenoughpeoplewasnotaproblem,butprojectsfelttheyhadnotmanagedtoengagetherightpeople,orthattherewastoomuchvarietyinlevelsofskillstocaterforeveryone’sneeds:“Initiallyitwasfeltimportantthatthereshouldbenobarrierstoanytenantswhowishedtotakepartinthecourse.Asaresult,therewereawiderangeofagesandabilitiesoftenantsstartingthecourse…Thedesignoffuturecoursesshouldhavea

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narrowerscope,concentratingonparticulargroups;unemployed,retired,absolutebeginnersetc.”Anotherchallengeforprojectswasthatattendancewasunpredictable–particularlyfordrop-insessions.Tosomeextentthiswasexpectedbyprojectsgivenrecognitionofbeneficiarygroups,andotherbarriersfaced.Butitmadeithardtoplanservices,forexamplestaffing,orothersupportsuchaschildcareduringsessions.Asolutionthatwasgivenasawaytoencouragecontinuedparticipationistogiveparticipantssomethingtheyvalueattheendofthecourse–eitheracertificatethatmighthelpwithfindingemployment,orsomethingtangible,suchasavideo,calendarorphotoalbum.5.2ParticipantbarriersandsupportneedsInmanycases,theprojectshavereportedthat,inadditiontolackofdigitalinclusion,participantshadotherbarriersthathadtobeaddressedbeforeoralongsidethedeliveryofdigitalinclusiontraining.Practicalbarrierstoparticipationwereidentified,suchaschildcareortransportissues.Thethreemostcommonbarriers,however,werelanguage,confidence,andmotivation.Asaresult,theoverwhelmingfeelingamongstprojectsisthatone-to-onesupport,orsupporttoasmallgroupofpeopleinsimilarsituations,isnecessary.LanguagebarriersLanguagebarriersamongstparticipantsforwhomEnglishisnottheirfirstlanguagenecessitatebothbilingualworkshops–i.e.ledbytrainerswhocanspeakparticipants’firstlanguage–andclosesupport–eitherone-to-oneorinsmallgroups.Aprojectcommented:“Somelanguagebarrierswerefoundtobemoredifficultthanwereimagined.Somebasiccomputertermsneededtobeexplainedbeforewecouldproceed,e.g.‘bookmark’,becauselearnersdidn’tunderstandthetraditionalterm,thecomputertermwasnewtothem.”ConfidencebarriersTheliteratureidentifiesconfidenceasanimportantbarriertolearningandusingdigitalskills,andthisisechoedbyprojects’responses.Participantswilloftenalreadyhavelowconfidencepriortostartingthecourse,whichprojectsmustreckonwith:“Withthepotentialforthisclientgrouptoexperiencedecreasedmotivationandaspirationlevelsalongwithincreasedfeelingsofdepressionandisolation,raisingtheirconfidencelevelsthroughdigitalskillacquisitionandsuccessfultaskcompletionwasessentialifweweretoachieveanylong-term,sustainablesuccess.”Ontheotherhand,ithasbeenrecognisedthatlearningdigitalskillscanbeanempoweringexperiencethathasbroaderbenefits,forexample,amongsttheolderpopulation:“Formany,goingbackintoeducationwasaquiteempoweringexperience.Someofourparticipantsinitiallybelievedthat‘it’stoolate’forthemtolearnnewskills,onlytosurprisethemselvesastohowquicklytheygraspedbasicconceptsoftechnology.Theexperienceoflearningsomethingnewandachievinggoalswasdefinitelyahugeconfidencebooster.”Thefirstsolutionthatisproposedistomeetpeople‘wheretheyareat’,bothintheirskillsandtheirconfidence.Aprojectreflectedthattheywouldinthefutureembedbasicdigital

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skillsintotheirwiderwellbeingandESOLclasses.Thiswouldthengivethewomensupportedtheconfidencetothenprogresstomorespecialistdigitalinclusionclasses.Secondly,manyprojectsstresstheimportanceofensuringthatparticipantsareatsimilarlevelsofskillsandconfidencewhentheystartthetraining.Thisensuresthatclassesarepitchedintherightway,butalsocreates“apositivelearningenvironmentinwhichtheycouldbounceideasoffeachotherwithoutfeelingsofinferiorityorembarrassment.”Inordertodothis,manyprojectssharedtheviewthat“aninitialassessmentoflearners’needsandexistingskillsisessentialtosettingtheappropriatepaceoflearningforindividuallearners.”MotivationbarriersBeyondlackofconfidence,peoplemighthavelittledesiretoacquiredigitalskills.Insomecases,thisisoutoffearormistrustoftheinternet.Aprojectcommentedthatsomeparticipantswere“verymuchafraidtoutilise[digitaltechnology]becauseofhearingstoriesofmachinescrashing,virusesbeinguploadedandthejargonpeopleusehasheldthembackfromusingITbefore.”Anotherprojectcommentedthatpop-upadvertswere“aconstantsourceofangstandformanyageneratoroffearanduncertainty”andthatthediscoveryofhowtouseanAd-Blockerwas“somethingakintotheunveilingofatruemodernmiracleworker”.Thesolution,projectsfound,wastwofold.Firstly,explicitlytotackleworriesaboutsecuritywithdigitalsecuritytraining.Secondly,tohighlighttheusefulnessofdigitalskillstothosethatareunconvinced.1to1orsmallgroupsnecessaryAquarterofallgroupsexplicitlyidentifiedone-to-one–preferably–orsmallgrouplearningasthenecessaryapproachtodigitalinclusiontrainingforvulnerableordigitallyexcludedgroups,from‘dayone’.Withinthis,differentapproacheshavebeenused:

• One-to-onesessionscombinedwithagroupsession• One-to-onesessionsinitially,thenprogressingtoagroupsession• Groupsessionsplusone-to-onepeermentoring

Projectsfeelstronglyabouttheneedforone-to-onesupport.Onecommented:“Inthebeginningwedidclassesof3-4volunteersbutafterdiscussionsourtutorrelayedbackthatourvolunteerswerereluctanttodiscusstheirITknowledgeandabilitiesamongtheirpeers.Wethenreducedtheclassestoonetoonesandfoundvolunteersweremoreopenwhendiscussingtheirabilitiesandwiththeirquestions,andconcentrationlevelswereraised.”5.3LengthandstyleofdeliveryLengthShorttrainingsessions(maximum60min)areseenbymanygroupsasbeingconducivetobetterconcentrationandengagementbyparticipants.

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However,thereisnoconsensusaboutappropriatelengthforcourses,anditseemsitdependsonthetypesofbeneficiaries,thelevelofthecourse,anditsaimsandintensity.Forexample,oneprojectsaidthat“theprogrammecouldhavebenefitedfrombeingdeliveredoveralongerperiodoftime.Thisisbecauseyoungpeoplewithlearningdifficultieslearnatdifferentpaces,theyrequirepatience,onetoone…”.Yet,anotherprojectcommentedthat“ashortercourselengthwouldincreasethepossibilityoftenantscompletingthecourse.”Differentintensitiesandlengthsofsupporthaveimplicationsforhowmuchstafftimeandresourcesprojectsneededandactedasalimitationintermsofdeliveringthebestforparticipants.Forexample,agroupsaidthatnexttimetheywould“planmorestaffresourceoveralongertimescale”.Participantinput10projectsexplicitlyrecognisedtheimportanceofensuringparticipantinputinthedesignanddeliveryofdigitalskillstraining.Thishelpstoensurethatthedeliveryofthetrainingistailoredtoparticipantsneedsandpreferences.Whilstthisiseasierwithinthecontextofone-to-onetraining,itcanalsobedoneinasmallgrouplevel.Forexample,by:

• Deliveringcoursesattherequestofmembers(particularlyinembeddedtraining)• Usingself-assessmentquestionnaires• Participantssettingtheirowngoals• Self-guidedlearning–forexampleaprojectsaid,“settingupgroupsandletting

themguidetheirownlearningworkedbest,theybecamereallygoodsupportforoneanotherandalotofissuessurroundinglonelinessandhealthandwellbeingcameupasaresultofthesesessions.”

UsingfamiliardevicesThefeelingamongstprojectsisthattrainingshouldbeorientatedtowardsusingparticipants’owndevices,oronesthattheycanaccessmoreeasilyoutsidethetrainingenvironment.Oneprojectcommentedthattheywouldnow“notbuysmalllaptops(impractical)andwouldinsteadbuytabletsand/orsmartphonesaspeoplearemorelikelytohavetheseathome.”Anothermentionedthat“someofthelearnerswhoattendedthecoursealreadyhadtabletsduetoafamilymemberpurchasingoneforthembuttheydidnotknowhowtousethem”.Tablets,inparticular,wereusedincoursesforawiderangeoffunctions,includingasacamera.Theirbiggerscreensmakethemmoreaccessibledevicesforolderpeopleorpeoplewithdisabilities.AnITtutorreflected:“I’vebeengivingashortsetoflessonsusingandroidtablets[atthecentre].Ifindthetabletstobequiteuser-friendlyandthelearnerstendtopickuptechniquesquitequickly.Havingtabletsencouragesmylearnerstointeractwitheachothermorethanwhenlaptopsareused.”

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ContinuedlearningItwasrecognisedbyprojectsthatlearningandconfidence-buildingmustbereinforcedoutsidetheformaltraining.Inparticularlysuccessfulprojects,someparticipantsaskedforthisthemselves.Thisismorelikelyisthereisanadditionalmotivation,suchasthecontinuationofpersonalandgroupprojects:”Attheendofthecourse,sixofthesevengroupselectedtocontinuetomeetonaninformalbasis,tocontinuetocarryoutfamilyandlocalhistoryresearch.Inaddition,somelearnersweremeetingtodiscusssettingupamoreformalco-productiongrouptocarryonwiththeirresearches.”Otherparticipantsdecidedtovolunteerasdigitalchampionsinfuturecourses.Again,theremaybeadditionalmotivationsfordoingthis,suchassocialnetworksorimprovingemployability.Otherprojectshaveputmechanismsinplacetoensurecontinuedlearningbeyondthelifeoftheproject,suchasdirectingparticipantstoexternalbothphysicalandonlinesourcesofsupportandlearning,orusingaco-productionmodel:“Thismodelinvolvesthegroupbecomingaconstitutedgroupwhorunthegroupwithsupportfrom[theorganisation].Thegroupworkstowardsastructureoflearningthatdoesnotrequireapaid[organisation]Tutorsuchaspeerlearning,groupprojectsandspecialguestspeakers.”

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6.WiderevidenceInordertoinformfutureinvestmentdecisions,itisimportanttoplacethelearningfromtheChallengeFundinthewidercontextofresearchandlearningfromotherprojectsandprogrammes.WethereforeworkedwiththeUniversityoftheWestofScotlandtocarryoutareviewofevidencearounddigitalexclusionandtheeffectivenessofotherinterventions.Afullreportisavailableseparately,howeverashortsummaryofrecentevidenceispresentedbelow,focusedaroundthethreekeybarrierstodigitalinclusion:

• Access/affordability• Confidenceandmotivation• Basicdigitalskills

6.1Access/affordabilityOnlineparticipationhasexplodedinthelastdecade,butthisexplosionhasbeenuneven.In2006,just57%ofBritishhouseholdswereonline,afigurethatstoodat86%in20161.Accesscontinuestoincreaseyearonyear.TheUKaverageforthosenotusingtheinternetreducedfrom11%in2016,to9%in20172,with81%ofadultsinScotlandnowdigitallyskilled3.However,highaveragescanbemisleading.Thevariabilityofaccess,bothgeographicallyandbetweendifferentsectionsofsociety,isacauseforconcern.Thisconcernstemsfromthestrongassociationsbetweenlackofdigitalaccess/proficiencywithcomputers,andindicatorsofdeprivation.Thislink,asDouglasWhitenotes,makes“digitalaccess…acriticalsocialjusticeissue”4.Thosemostvulnerableinsocietyarealsothoseleastlikelytobeonline,andarelikelytogainmostfromdigitalaccess.Someofthoseleastlikelytobeonlineareindividualswithlearningdisabilities5,thelowestincomesorthosemostsociallyexcluded.TheCitizen’sAdviceBureauxfoundthat“onethirdofCABclientsfindthemselvesexcludedfromtheinternetorcomputers”,withalargeproportionrequiringhelpwithonlinebenefitapplications6.Thestrongest(andmoststatisticallysignificant)predictorsofalackofdigitalaccesswere:“householdswithoutcars;householdsinsocialrentedaccommodation;householdswithoutchildrenandlowerincomehouseholds”7.Thismattersfortwomainreasons.Firstly,ifdigitalexclusionisassociatedsocialexclusion,thenthedigitalrevolutionisindangerofexacerbatingcurrentinequalities.Secondly,thenatureofthebenefits

1 Bridging the digital divide, CAB, Patrick Hogan, available at: http://www.cas.org.uk/system/files/publications/bridging_the_digital_divide_-_final.pdf2ConsumerDigitalIndex2017,LloydsBankingGroup,availableat:http://www.lloydsbank.com/banking-with-us/whats-happening/consumer-digital-index.asp3 Basic Digital Skills Report 2015, Go ON UK, available at: https://www.thetechpartnership.com/globalassets/pdfs/research-2015/basicdigitalskillsukreport_oct15.pdf4 Digital Participation and Social Justice in Scotland, Douglas White, Carnegie UK Trust, 2016, available at: http://www.carnegieuktrust.org.uk/carnegieuktrust/wp-content/uploads/sites/64/2016/09/v3-2697-CUKT-Digital-Participation-s5Health & Digital Report, Good Things Foundation 2016. Available at: https://www.goodthingsfoundation.org/research-publications/health-digital-evaluation-widening-digital-participation-programme6 Bridging the digital divide, CAB, Patrick Hogan7 Digital Participation and Social Justice in Scotland, Douglas White, Carnegie UK Trust, 2016

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accruedfromonlineparticipationmeanthatthosewhostandtogainmostfrombeingonlinearealsothosewhoare,atpresent,leastlikelytohaveinternetaccess8.Oneofthemostimportantadvantagesconferredbybeingonlineandbeingdigitallyproficientisthatitcanincreasefinancialcapabilityandresilience.ResearchbyLloydsBankingGrouprevealsthatconsumerssaveanaverageof£444ayearbyusingdiscountandcomparisonwebsites9.Digitalaccessmatters,alongsidetypeofaccess.Smartphoneaccesscanbelimitingorempoweringdependingonthereasonsforuseandaccesstootherdevices.Variabilityexistsbetweendifferentgroupsintermsofthemostcommonlyuseddevices,andthiscorrelateswiththeiraffordability.Ingeneral,mostpeopleaccesstheinternetontheirPC/laptop(57%),followedbysmartphonesandtablets10.However,thereisagreatdividebetweensmartphoneusers.Userscanbesplitintotwogroups,thefirstofwhichiscoined“smartphonebychoice”11,becausetheyusesmartphonesoutofpreference.Theytendtofindsmartphoneuseempoweringandalmostalwayshaveaccesstootherdevicessuchasadesktop/laptopathome12.Thesecondgroup,“smartphonebycircumstance”13,arelimitedtotheirdevicebecauseofaffordability,relyingsolelyontheirsmartphonetocarryoutdigitaltasks.Notonlyisphonefunctionalitygenerallyreducedinthisgroup,asaresultofoutdatedmodels,butcomplextasksarebothdifficultonasmallscreenandoftencostlyintermsofdata14.Theresultisthatthoseinthelattergroupexhibit“self-limitingbehaviours”15,abandoningmorecomplicatedtasksinfavourofusingtheirphoneexclusivelyforbasicfunctions(e.g.accessingsocialmediasites).AccessvariesregionallyacrosstheUK,withalowerthanaveragescoreforScotland.TheONSestimatesthat86%ofBritishhouseholds16havesomeformofinternetaccess.ThisfigureislowerforScotlandat82%.DisparityinaccesswithinScotlandisaconcern.Only“69%ofhouseholdsinthecountry’s20%mostdeprivedareasreportedhavinginternetaccess,asopposedto83%intherestofScotland”176.2ConfidenceandmotivationThoughaccessisincreasingandthecorrespondingofflinecommunityisreducing,thosewhoareofflinehavelittleornomotivationtogoonline,withattitudesprogressivelyhardening18.Currently9%oftheUKadultpopulationisoffline.Thisgrouparealsothemostreluctanttogetonline.In2017,thesingleprominentreasonforbeingofflinewasa“lackofinterest”19.Manyindividualswhoareofflinefeelthatthereisnovalueforthemindigitalparticipation(thisisparticularlytrueforolderpeople).73%ofthoseofflinebelieveyoucannotsave

8 Ibid9 Consumer Digital Index 2017, Lloyds Banking Group10 Bridging the digital divide, CAB, Patrick Hogan 11 Ofcom, Smartphone by default internet users, a qualitative research report conducted by ESRO for Ofcom, 2016, available at: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0028/62929/smarphone_by_default_2016.pdf 12 Ibid 13 Ibid 14 Ibid 15 Ibid 16 Bridging the digital divide, CAB, Patrick Hogan 17 Ibid 18 Consumer Digital Index 2017, Lloyds Banking Group 19 Ibid

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moneyonline20.Formanypeople,whethertheyareonlinedoesnotappeartobeaboutaccessorconfidence.Instead,thebarrierisanegativeperceptionoftheinternet,itspurposeandwhatitcandoforthem.Thissuggeststhatgettingpeopleonlinewillrequireschemeswithafocusonchangingmind-setstodigitaltechnologies,ratherthanjustprovidingfreetraining.Demonstratingthebenefitsofonlineparticipationwillbecrucialifthisgroupisnottobeleftfurtherbehind.Manyindividualswhoareonlineperceivetheirdigitalcompetenceasmuchhigherthanitactuallyis.Thisfalseconfidenceisdependentontheirdeviceuseandmotivationforbeingonline.Forthoseinthe“smartphonebycircumstance”group,thechoicetobeonlineisoftenrootedinthedesiretocommunicatewithfriendsandfamily21.ThisisespeciallytrueforvulnerablegroupssuchasthosewhoarehomelessorarerecentmigrantstotheUK22.Forthesegroups,smartphonesofferanaffordableandstablewayofmaintainingasocialnetwork.Individualsinthisgroupfalselyperceivethattheyaredigitallycompetent,astheyareonlyawareofthesocialaspectofonlineparticipation.Forthosewhopossesssmartphonesandnootherdevicesdigitalproficiencycanberestricted.Notbeingfamiliarwithotherdevicesmeanscomplexdigitalfunctionsareinaccessibleorsimplynotknownabout,withmanynotunderstandingthefullpotentialoftheirdevice.Whilstconfidenceinarangeofverybasictasksisincreased,smartphoneusecanactuallyleadtode-skillingintheuseofother,morecomplexdevices23.Inaddition,theinformalnatureofsocialinteractionsonsmartphoneshasbeenfoundtoactasabarriertoimportanttaskssuchasapplyingforjobsorfillinginformsonline.Manyofthoseforcedtousesmartphones(astheirmainwayofaccessingtheinternet)feltthatitwasdifficulttoswitchtoformalcommunicationontheirdevice,since“formalsocialetiquetteandgrammarconventions”24didnotapplyonsocialmediasites(withwhichtheyweremostfamiliar).Thiswasfoundtoleadtoareductioninproductivityaspeoplewereputtingoffmoreformalandcomplextasks25.Confidenceandmotivationtobeonlineisnegativelyassociatedwithage.Digitalproficiencyishighestinthe18-24agegroup,anddropsoffdramaticallyforthoseaged45andover26.Itislowestinthoseaged65andover.Personal“hooks”andtheembeddingofdigitalskillsinwidernon-digitalprogrammesareessentialtogettingthosehardesttoreach,online.Atailoredandindividualapproachisneededtochangetheattitudesofthoseleastmotivatedtobeonline.Oneofthebestwaysofgettingpeopleonlineisthroughindirectsubtlemeans,thatis,through“hooks”27.Anexampleofsuchahookislinkingdigitalaccesstohobbiesthatpeopleareinterestedin;demonstratingthattheycanaccessnetworksofpeoplewithsimilarinterests,hearaboutevents,orevenjustaccessinformationabouttheirfavouritepursuits,online.Withapush

20 Ibid 21 Ofcom, Smartphone by default internet users 22 Ibid 23 Ibid 24 Ibid 25 Ibid26Basic Digital Skills Report 2015, Go ON UK27Digital Participation and Social Justice in Scotland, Douglas White, Carnegie UK Trust, 2016

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towardscommunitycareandself-managementofhealth,another“hook”isshowingdigitalproficiencytobeimportantintheeffectivemanagementoflong-termhealthconditions28.6.3BasicdigitalskillsSimplybeingabletousetheinternetdoesnotensureindividualscanfullygaintheeconomicandsocialbenefitsofbeingonline.TheChallengeFundhasusedtheBasicDigitalSkillsFramework29asthebenchmarkforassessingskilllevels.Since2013,therehasbeensignificantprogressinScotlandinthepopulationdevelopingtheseskills.

However,aswithinternetaccess,digitalskillslevelsvaryacrossdemographicsandwithage.Ingeneral,the“levelofdigitalcapabilitysignificantlydropsamongstthoseaged45+”30.Thoseaged65andoverstrugglemorethanotherstocreatesomethingnewortoinstallapps31.Menaremorelikelytobecompetentineachskillthanwomen(83and76%respectively)32,whilstthosewhoareunemployedarefarlesslikelytopossessdigitalskillsthanthosewhoareemployed33.TheBasicDigitalSkillslevelamongstABC1sishigherthanthenationalaverageat87%,butissignificantlyloweramongsttheC2DEsocialgrades(65%)34.Thisimpliesanassociationbetweenincomeanddigitalskillslevels.Additionally,thereisvariabilityinwhichtheseskillsaregenerallypossessedbypeople,suggestingagreaterfocusisneededonsomedigitalskillsthanothers.Themostcommonskillis“safelycommunicating”35,howevermanymythssurroundingsecurityarestillprevalent,especiallyamongstthoseleastdigitallyproficient.Thosewhoareheavilyreliantonsmartphonesparticularlystrugglewith“filemanagement”,“troubleshooting”and

28Health & Digital Report, Good Things Foundation 201629digitalparticipation.scot/skill-up30Basic Digital Skills Report 2015, Go ON UK31Ibid32Ibid33Ibid34Consumer Digital Index 2017, Lloyds Banking Group35Ofcom, Smartphone by default internet users

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“typing”36,whicharealsosomeoftheskillsmostneededwhenjobhunting.Smartphonesequallyrestricttransactingcapabilities.Asmanywebsitesarenotmobilecompatible,smartphoneuserstendtousedownloadableapps37.Thismeansthattheyareunabletocompareprices,andthisthenconstrainstheirabilitytomake“informeddecisions”whenitcomestobuying/sellingproducts38.Overall,thehardestskilltoobtainappearstobe“problemsolving”39.

36Ibid37Ibid38Ibid39Ibid

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7.DevelopingRound4 CriteriaTheChallengeFundoriginallystartedwithabroadaimto“enablegroupsandorganisationstodigitisecontent,builddigitalnetworksandimprovethedigitalskillsoftheirmembers,sothattheycancontinuetothriveinthedigitalworld.”Therewasathematicfocusonolderpeople,aswellasageographicalfocusonremoteandruralareasaswellasGlasgowCity.BetweenRounds1and3,theChallengeFundbecamemoreexplicitabouttheneedtofocusondevelopingconfidence,motivationandbasicdigitalskills.Buildingonthelearningfromtheprojectsdescribedinsection5,aswellastheemergingevidenceoutlinedinsection6,thecriteriaforfourthroundoffundingwererevised.Specifically,applicantswereaskedtorecognisethat:

• Thosewithoutbasicdigitalskillsaremorelikelytobeolder,onlowerincomesandfacingotherformsofinequality.Thefocusofapplicationswasthereforetobeonwhatinequalitywasbeingaddressedaspartoftheintervention,ratherthansimplyconsideringdigitalskillsdevelopmentasthemainoutcome.

• Halfofthosethatdon’thavebasicdigitalskillswanttoacquirethem.Theotherhalfcanbeconvinced,butthekeyisfindinga‘hook’.Thisneedstobeaboutunderstandinghowtheinternetcanhelpsupportpersonalinterestsandpassionsofindividuals.Applicantswereaskedtoidentifywhich‘half’theywerefocusingon(i.e.buildingconfidenceandmotivationordigitalskills).

• Morelow-incomehouseholdsnowareaccessingtheinternetbysmartphones

only,potentiallywithoutfixedlinebroadbandconnections.Wewerespecificallylookingtosupportasmallnumberofprojectswhichcangeneratefurtherevidenceontheextenttowhichmobile-onlyinternetusecancontributetothedevelopmentofbasicdigitalskills.

• Thosewhoremaindigitallyexcludedareunlikelytoengageindigitalskills

trainingoftheirownaccord.Someofthemostsuccessfulandsustainableinterventionshavebeenwheredigitalskillsmotivationandsupportisembeddedwithincoreactivity.Weparticularlysoughttofundorganisationsworkingtacklepoverty,socialisolationandotherformsofinequalitytoembedbasicdigitalskilldevelopmentworkintotheirday-to-dayactivitywithserviceusers.Applicantswerealsohadtoindicatehowthisactivitymightbesustainablebeyondtheperiodofthefunding.

173applicationswerereceivedinJanuary2017and43projectswereawardedfundingtotalling£357,121.57inFebruary2017throughtherenamedDigitalParticipationCharterFund.

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ImprovingprocessesSomeprocessesforsuccessfulapplicantshavebeenrevisedtoenableustobettermeasurethestrategicimpactacrosstheprogramme.Whiletheopenreportingthroughtheonlineprojectpagesworkedwellformanyprojectsinpreviousrounds,leadingtorichinformationabouttheactivityandimpactoftheirworkbeingpubliclyavailable(includingphotographs,videoandself-evaluation),someprojectsstruggledtoreportinthisformat.Thiswasduetoacombinationofstaffturnover,confidenceinusingtheonlinecontentmanagementsystem(despitetraining)andalackofcapacityorunderstandingoftheimportanceofreportingforasmallnumberofprojects.Therefore,forsuccessfulfourthroundapplicants,wewill:

• Useonline‘survey’stylequarterlymonitoringreturns,gatheringbothquantitativeandqualitativeevidence.

• Askprojectsforamoredetailedbreakdownofoutputs(numbersofindividualssupported,barriersaddressed,digitalchampionscreatedandpeoplereachedthroughdigitalchampions).

• Askprojectstodescribesecondaryoutcomesbeyonddigitalskillsdevelopment(e.g.

reducedsocialisolation,securingajob).

• Maintainanonlinepageforeachproject,butnotrequireorganisationstousethecontentmanagementsystem.Insteadwewillcentrallypopulatethepagesusingdatafromapplicationformsandquarterlyreturns.

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8.Conclusions TheDigitalParticipationChallengeFundhassupportedindividualswithsomeofthehighestlevelsofneedtobenefitfromtheinternet.Buildingbasicdigitalskillsthroughtheprojectshasbeentransformationaltomanyfacingsocialisolation,povertyandotherformsofinequality.Itisclearthatwhilethedigitaldividehasnarrowedinrecentyears,itisnowdeeper.Thosewithoutbasicdigitalskillsarelesslikelytoseekouthelp,andrequiremoreintensivesupportoncetheyhavetheconfidenceandmotivationtoengage.Wehaveidentifiedlearninginhowbesttofacilitatedigitalinclusionthroughfutureinitiatives.Increasingdigitalparticipationremainsakeysocialjusticeissue,requiringacross-sectorresponseWhiletheinvestmentof£750khashadasignificantimpactonthosereached,ithasonlyreached1%oftheadultpopulationinScotlandwhodonothavebasicdigitalskills.Itisunlikelythatpublicfundswillbeavailabletoprovidethedirectfinancialsupporttoreachtheremaining99%,soinvestmentmustbetargetedappropriatelytomaximiseitsbenefit.Theincreasingfocusonembeddingdigitalskillsdevelopmentintheday-to-dayworkoforganisationsengagingwiththedigitallyexcludediskeytoachievingthis.Promoting digital inclusion amongst hard-to-reach populations requires amulti-facetedapproachAll those supporting the development of basic digital skills need to recognise the multi-facetedandmulti-factorialdimensionsofdigitalexclusioniftheyaretoeffectivelyreachthehardtoreach,‘final10%’andsustaintheirdigitalparticipation.ItmaybeworthwhileconsideringprioritisationoftheoutcomestheGovernmentareseekingtoachieveinsupportingdigitalparticipation.Forexample,shouldthefocusbeonworking-age people in order to increase financial capability, employment and other economicoutcomes,oronolderpeopletoreducesocialisolationandloneliness?Digital inclusion needs to be meaningful and consistent with users’ overall needs andmotivationsProgrammes concernedwith digital skills developmentmust recognise the importance ofrelevance,interestandmotivationifusageistobeencouragedandsustained.DigitalparticipationrequiresdigitalcapitalFacilitatingpeersupport,homeaccessandembeddeddigitalskillssupportiscrucialifdigitalskill gains are to be enhanced and maintained across age ranges, disability and socio-economicstatus.

Digitalchampionsareimportant‘Digitalchampion’modelsrepresentpromisingapproachestoaddressdigitaldisengagementwhentheystriketherightbalancebetweenlocal,face-to-faceandrepeateddelivery.However,theyrequireongoingfundingandassociatedsupportintheearlystagesifactivityistobesustainedbeyondearlysuccesses.

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AppendixA1.ListofChallengeFundProjectsThetablebelowpresentsallorganisationsfundedinrounds1–3oftheDigitalParticipationChallengeFund.Fulldetailsabouteachprojectareavailableontheirprojectpageat:http://digital.scvo.org.uk/projects

Organisationname Round £Awarded

BethanyChristianTrust Round1 £9,885.45CapabilityScotland Round1 £6,000.00Comas Round1 £9,425.00CouparAngusRegenerationTrust Round1 £860.00CVOEastAyrshireLtd Round1 £9,700.00Home-StartMajik Round1 £7,500.00HomelandsTrust-Fife Round1 £823.79LeadScotland Round1 £4,967.00LinkGroupLtd Round1 £32,723.24LinthouseMondayClub Round1 £1,000.00MidlothianVoluntaryAction Round1 £14,200.00MydexCIC Round1 £15,750.00OldTorryCommunityCentre Round1 £4,530.00OpportunityEnhancementTrust Round1 £17,500.00OrmlieCommunityAssociation Round1 £9,952.00ProjectScotland Round1 £6,364.39QueensCrossHousingAssociation Round1 £8,270.00ScottishCouncilOnDeafness Round1 £6,120.00SpruceCarpetsLtd Round1 £1,600.00StationHouseMediaUnit(SHMU) Round1 £10,000.00TheAnnexeHealthyLivingCentre Round1 £4,525.00TheGreenhouseShopCommunityInterestCompany Round1 £5,636.00TheLibertieProject Round1 £19,206.23ToryglenCommunityBase Round1 £4,707.77VolunteerCentreDundee Round1 £3,148.00Argyll&ButeThirdSectorInterface Round2 £14,522.00BlackwoodFoundation Round2 £15,000.00BonkleComputerClub Round2 £900.00CastleDouglasCommunityITCentre Round2 £8,659.00CentreforNordicStudies Round2 £15,091.00CitizensOnline Round2 £45,000.00Co-ChomunnNaPairc Round2 £1,350.00ColonsayandOransayHeritageTrust Round2 £4,850.00

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CranhillDevelopmentTrust Round2 £8,721.91DeafConnections Round2 £9,959.00DundeeAugmentativeandAlternativeCommunication(AAC)ResearchGroup Round2 £13,250.00FACTForresAreaCommunityTrust Round2 £6,440.03FlourishHouse Round2 £7,556.00GlasgowLife Round2 £7,970.49HebrideanConnections Round2 £8,400.00LeonardCheshire Round2 £9,966.00MerkinchCommunityCentre Round2 £6,985.00MerkinchPartnership Round2 £13,650.00MorayCouncilLibraries Round2 £9,816.00MorayFirthmediatrust Round2 £16,532.66MoveOnLimited Round2 £6,440.00NorthHighlandLanguageCentre Round2 £9,080.00NorthWestTrainingCentre Round2 £3,910.00PartnershipsForWellbeing Round2 £6,000.00ScottishBordersCouncil Round2 £4,163.00ScottishWomen'sAid Round2 £8,950.00StAndrewsChurchofScotland,Arbroath(HavilahProject) Round2 £323.00StromnessCommunityCentre Round2 £2,206.00TheAyrshireCommunityTrust Round2 £14,268.57TheScottishHighlandsAndIslandsAndMorayshireChineseAssociation Round2 £4,110.00ThenueHousingAssociationLtd Round2 £10,000.00WestOfScotlandHousingAssociationLtd Round2 £9,901.36YouthlinkScotland Round2 £9,260.00BeithCommunityDevelopmentTrust Round3 £6,000.00CairngormsLearningPartnership Round3 £2,860.00CommunitySafetyGlasgow Round3 £20,000.00Cre8teOpportunitiesLimited Round3 £9,552.00CrookstonCommunityGroup Round3 £7,744.00EastLothianCouncil Round3 £2,557.44FalkirkFootballCommunityFoundation Round3 £8,950.00FifeMigrantsForum Round3 £10,879.00G.R.A.C.E Round3 £9,200.00InverclydeCouncil Round3 £9,865.00InverclydeCouncilOnDisability Round3 £9,656.00LAMHRecycleLimited Round3 £8,857.00MinorityEthnicCarersOfOlderPeopleProject Round3 £9,940.00NewmainsCommunityTrustLtd Round3 £9,834.00Quarriers Round3 £8,536.00REACHCommunityHealthProject Round3 £9,594.00

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RosemountLifelongLearning Round3 £9,918.00ScottishCroftingFederation Round3 £12,600.00SouthsideHousingAssociationLtd Round3 £10,000.00StornowayOldPeoplesWelfareAssociation Round3 £1,420.00TapintoITWhereYouAreLtd Round3 £1,170.00TheFalkirkFootballCommunityFoundation Round3 £8,150.00TheMeetingPlace Round3 £4,452.00TheTowerDigitalArtsCentre Round3 £8,200.00UpwardMobility Round3 £14,754.00VolunteerCentreGlasgow Round3 £5,794.36