We've received a £6,000 grant to boost digital inclusion

Residents struggling with digital skills and access will be supported through a new pilot scheme being run by the Royal Borough of Greenwich in partnership with Good Things Foundation. 

Social change charity, Good Things Foundation has awarded the Council a £6,000 Capabilities Grant to improve digital inclusion in Royal Greenwich communities.   

The funding will allow the Council to partner with up to three Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) organisations, to host a series of community workshops on essential digital skills. Using the "Learn My Way" platform, these workshops will empower residents to use computers, phones and other digital devices, fill out digital forms and be more confident online. 

The initiative acts as a pilot program designed to strengthen collaboration with local groups and bridge the digital divide. The pilot is built to be a scalable model that can be replicated across other wards   

A council spokesperson said: "We are committed to making sure that every member of our community has the skills and access needed to thrive in today's digital world.   

“Through Our Greenwich, we pledged to develop networks with communities, key partners and businesses to meet need and address challenges together; this initiative is essential to this work.   

"We understand that as the world moves further and further into a digital age, our residents can feel as though they are falling behind and can’t catch up. We hope through this strategic partnership and targeted intervention, we can make significant strides in closing the digital divide."   

The partnering VCS organisations will look to recruit volunteers to work as Digital Champions, training residents through the Learn My Way platform.   

All volunteers will be trained to ensure they can support residents access the courses and leave with better understanding tech and digital devices – all they need is to have great communication, commitment, and basic IT skills.

Read more about our Digital Strategy at: royalgreenwich.gov.uk/digital-strategy