Charities aim to reach as many people as possible, to provide aid and assistance. Young people all around the UK need help from charities, and Nominet Trust has brought this to their attention. Nominet Trust, the tech for good funder, has announced the launch of its Digital Reach Programme – a pioneering initiative developed to support the UKs efforts to increase digital skills amongst some of the UKs most disadvantaged young people.

Nominet Trust have realised that by harnessing the expertise of the UKs leading youth organisations, which have developed longstanding and trusted relationships with most young people, the programme will demonstrate how they are perfectly placed to steer isolated young people towards positive futures.

How Will the Digital Reach Programme Help?

According to the 2017 Basic Digital Skills report, it suggests that, despite an overall increase in the number of UK adults who have gained basic digital skills, at least 3%, which is around 300,000 of those aged 15-24, are still being left behind. Nominet Trust’s own research has indicated that this is a group that is the most likely to be facing multiple forms of disadvantage.

The Digital Reach Programme has been created is so it can be used to respond to this national challenge by reimagining digital skills and delivering to the hardest to reach young people in our society.

How Will It Work?

With Nominet Trust’s funding and support, the Digital Reach Programme will be implemented through a number of delivery partners, all of which are renowned for their work with disadvantaged young people. The programme will initially aim to engage with 4,000 of those on the wrong side of the digital divide. The effectiveness of models to scale will also be evaluated, which allows more young people to be reached.

Nominet Trust is investing over £600,000 into the following six initiatives chosen following a rigorous selection and pitching process. Twelve organisations will be involved in developing and implementing pilots over the next nine months:

• – Action for Children (ACF) will digitise their current paper-based content across three employability programmes in severely deprived urban areas in Scotland.
• – Carers Trust will work with Good Things Foundation to develop an e-learning resource for young adult carers as an extension to Learn My Way, which is the most widely used tool for digital skills delivered through libraries and community organisations.
• – Home Start and #techmums will collaborate to help 500 young mothers acquiring basic digital skills to overcome the challenges they face in their daily lives.
• – UK Youth will use the investment to create Digital Hubs in 10-member organisations, training a youth worker and three young people to become Digital Champions.
• – YMCA Swansea will engage with Wales Co-operative Centre to engage 375 of the hardest to reach young people across Wales through a series of workshops, and by incorporating digital literacy into existing life skills programmes.
• – The Children’s Society and City & Guilds Group will engage 550 young people across the Midlands and the North of England by helping them to improve their digital skills through accredited course development.
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The young people who lack these basic digital skills are limited from reaching their full potential in education and employment. Through Digital Reach, it can impact the lives of those who have been so hard to reach.

Here at Charity Retail Systems, we aim to help getting more people involved in achieving success at charities, and we are dedicated to aiding the success of charity shops through our CHARiot EPOS system.

If you would like to find out more about how we can help you, get in touch with a member of our friendly team today.