The second annual Get online day is taking place this year on 24 October 2008.  Part of Campaign for Learning’s Family Learning Festival, it’s another chance for families to  log on and learn more about the world wide web.

One in three adults in the UK still aren’t online, and this includes an estimated 25% of parents. Not being online means those families aren’t taking advantage of the information and benefits the internet has brought to the rest of the population. And it’s disadvantaged or poorer families who are most likely to be missing out.

The digital divide between the ‘haves’ and ‘have not’ of ICT is bigger than ever, and has an impact not just on the individual but on families, the economic and social health of communities, on political processes and public services. It’s time everyone had the skills, access and motivation to make digital choices and take digital opportunities.

By targeting families, the idea is that the digital natives in a family – often the children – will get the digitally divided involved. It’s a chance for families to share their ICT and internet skills, spend time together and learn how the internet could keep on helping in everyday family life.

To find out more information about Get online day – its partners, supporters and some of the activities taking place – please visit the Get online day website: http://www.getonlineday.com/

Mr Irranca-Davies visited the Parents and Children Together (PACT) project, run by EverybodyOnline and held at South Liverpool Personnel, which runs a series of taster sessions to help local parents access the internet, learn new skills and find out how technology could improve their lives.

Following this he went onto St. Cuthbert’s Catholic Community College for Business and Enterprise in St. Helens to hear about the Community Grid concept, which provides the local community with easy-to-use, low-cost, low-energy home access to the internet and other computing resources.

Commenting on the projects he had seen Mr Irranca-Davies said: “The two projects I have seen today are great examples of how we can make the latest technologies accessible to people who, without projects such as these, would not have access to the internet and other computer resources.

“By teaching parents basic information about the internet they can make sure their children are safe online as well as finding out how they can use the internet for day-to-day chores such as online shopping and online money management. I hope other areas can learn from this innovative project.

“All too often we hear about the expense of the equipment and technology needed to connect to the internet being a barrier for many people. Thanks to the Community Grid project over 600 homes in St. Helens and Liverpool will have access to software applications and the internet.

“By providing people with all the connectivity, hardware, software, licensing and maintenance overheads Community Grid is removing these barriers and giving people the access they need.

“The PACT project and the Community Grid should be congratulated for their innovative projects which are helping people in the North West of England become more digitally included.”

The Community Grid digital inclusion project is led by AIMES, (a spin out of the University of Liverpool) and its technology partner, e-communications specialist OciusB2, more information here.  It is part of a wider initiative, the Digital Inclusion & Enterprise Programme (DIEP), which aims to roll the service out to over 5,000 households in Merseyside.

Special Runners Up Kirsty Crook and Urban Street Stars Juniors won £50 each

To celebrate the success of ICDC’s digital inclusion project, Alt Valley Vision, a community talent contest was held for anyone over the age of 8 who lives, works, studies or plays in the Alt Valley area of Liverpool.

Auditions were held in the community during half term week and each audition was filmed and is available to view on Alt Valley’s Got Talent website for all to see.

The final will took place during the Alt Valley Music and Arts Festival on Sunday 22nd June, with guest judges, Professor Phil Redmond and Joanna Jones Director of Bananafish Management, a successful TV, theatre and film casting agency based in Liverpool.

Some 17 million citizens in the UK did not have access to a computer, either at home or at work, he said, “Chances are these people come from an older or socially, economically or geographically disadvantaged group”.

The new cabinet committee set up by Mr Murphy met for the first time last week, “We came up with the following mission statement: To co-ordinate policies and a coherent strategy that all citizens, especially the disadvantaged, can benefit from new technologies,” he told the conference.

Delegates welcomed the appointment of the first cabinet minister to have responsibility for digital exclusion.

“The vision from government seems now to be bigger and bolder,” said Helen Milner, managing director of UK Online centres, community-based groups aimed at connecting the disconnected.

David Parr, Chair of the Greater Merseyside Digital Development Agency agreed, “This is a clear indication that the priorities of GMDDA, tackling digital exclusion in our communities, is also being addressed by central government.”

These views were echoed by Professor Dennis Kehoe, Director of the AIMES Centre at the University of Liverpool, “It is good to hear that Government is addressing digital inclusion at Cabinet-level, comments expressed today mirror exactly our objectives in the Digital Inclusion & Enterprise Programme for Merseyside. There is a clear link between digital inclusion and economic prosperity”

GMDDA and AIMES are currently working with other partners, including local councils, to digitally enable over 5,000 residents, as well as encouraging enterprise development and other initiatives, such as homeshoring. Read more about the programme here: http://diep.aimes.net/

The borough-wide community TV scheme means that residents of Wirral now have the opportunity to train in video production and see their own videos on a special website.

With the aid of grants from the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, the Single Regeneration Budget and Riverside Housing, the two-year pilot scheme has provided the kit and specialist training for what could become Wirral’s own community television service.

The project, which was originally administered by Birkenhead Sixth Form College in association with local community trusts, is aimed at all sections of the community and for all age groups. Training courses have given trainees the basic knowledge to allow them to make their own videos.

The idea is that local residents will have the chance to make videos about anything they choose: a local band or football team; an environmental project; a campaign to clean up a local beauty-spot; local history… the choice is as broad as your imagination!

Canapes and refreshments will be served throughout the presentation of the new Wirral TV website, which will go live during the course of the presentation.

Wirral TV hope that you can set some time aside from your busy diary and come along on the 18th to celebrate the official launch of this new successful Social Enterprise and see for yourself how Wirral TV is set to serve the needs of the whole of the Wirral.

If possible please respond before 11th April 2008 for catering purposes either by phone or e-mail.

Telephone: 0151 644 4512

Email: info@wirraltv.net

The National Digital Inclusion Conference 2008 ‘Reaching the Final Third’ will consider what radical interventions need to happen in order to reach the final third of digitally excluded citizens. The conference will be hosted in association with UK online centres and DC10plus.

Delegates will have the opportunity to hear the latest evidence and to question the individual and collective role of the public, private and third sectors and the call for Universal Access.

Conference Objectives:

• Examine the evidence and key data for the final third of the digitally excluded, looking at who and why
• Consider and discuss the costs and benefits of universal access
• Explore the role of the third, private and public sectors in reaching the final third and explore where joint working and intervention is required
• Agree a radical agenda and identify key actions moving forwards

Keynote speakers include:

• Jim Knight MP, Minister for Schools, Department for Children, Schools and Families
• Baroness Andrews OBE, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Communities and Local Government
• Mark MacGann, Director General, EICTA
• Nick Batey, EU E-Inclusion Directorate
• Dr Tanya Byron, Author, Byron Review
• Helen Milner, UK online centres
• Stephen Dodson, National Director, DC10plus
• Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive, Royal Society of Arts
• Stephen Uden, Head of Skills and Economic Affairs, Microsoft UK
• Stuart Purvis CBE, Partner for Content and Standards, Ofcom
• Andrew Heaney, Director of Strategy and Regulation, Carphone Warehouse
• Leonie Vlachos, Digital Inclusion Manager, Age Concern
• John Fisher, Director, Citizens Online
• Kevin Carey, Director, HumanITy
• Brian Eisenberg, Corporate Relations and Planning, Digital Unite
• Jane Berry, Net Gain
• Guy Giles, Operations Director, DigiTV

Target Audience:
The conference is targeted at both senior policy leads and practitioners in the fields of digital inclusion, social exclusion, transformational government and technology, including:

Public Sector and NGOs:

• Central Government Departments
• Local Authorities
• Regional Development Agencies
• Libraries and Information Services
• Local Strategic Partnerships
• Citizens Advice Bureaux
• Job Centre Plus
• Education Providers
• Think Tanks

Third Sector: Charities Social Enterprises, Not for Profit Organisations including:

• Access and Inclusion related charities
• Adult and Community Learning Providers
• UK Online Centres
• Welfare groups

Private Sector, including:

• Technology Companies
• Regeneration/IT Consultants
• Suppliers

Conference fee:
£295 +VAT

The conference fee includes admission to the reception, main conference including lunch and refreshments upon arrival and throughout the day. Further information about the programme, venue and practical arrangements for the event will be issued upon booking.

More information: http://www.civicregeneration.co.uk/conferences-page.php?sec=conferences&subSec=conferences_digital_incl_2008

Recent Government statistics show that one third of adults in the UK have never used the Internet and 45% per of households are still without Internet access. According to the Future Foundation, if this trend continues 23 million adults are at risk of losing access to fundamental services like medical information and education by 2025, if they continue to avoid modern technology. Lucy Campbell, EverybodyOnline Project Co-ordinator for Liverpool 8, is working to ensure all members of the community in Liverpool 8 get access to technology and the skills to use it.

Include Neighbourhood Director, Erika Rushton says: “EverybodyOnline is delivering on every level in Liverpool 8. People who are excluded from educational opportunities, cheap flights, and online shopping can now access them. The band of local volunteers, have become IT experts, and all our community organisations are online. In just one year the project has assisted 14 people into employment – this is real community investment, investment in the people, and organisations that make Liverpool 8 work”

EverybodyOnline is unique in its approach, rather than simply bringing in technology and walking away, Lucy has been working with the community to remove issues that prevent access. For example, encouraging local schools to utilise their facilities by inviting the local community to use their computers.

Lucy says, “The project has really been welcomed by the local community. For some people, being able to use the internet has been a life changing experience, enabling them to do things that they never thought were possible. What I would really like to see now, is the success of the project being rolled out into other areas across the city. ”

The EverybodyOnline project is an initiative run by the national charity Citizens Online and is supported by BT. It aims to help communities overcome any barriers they may have to technology so residents can take advantage of the wealth of opportunities digital technology and the Internet has to offer.

Peter Connor, North West Regional Manager for BT says: “BT is delighted to support the Liverpool 8 EverybodyOnline project. New technology can improve people’s lives, but access to it is not an end in itself. It is only useful if it can open doors to the things that really matter to people, such as education, jobs, shopping, business opportunities, entertainment and contact with the people that they care about. Led enthusiastically by Lucy Campbell, this impressive project has captured the talent, imagination and ambitions of people of all ages in Liverpool 8, opening up the wealth of opportunities that digital technology and the internet has to offer.”

Plans for the next 12 months include the launch of the community portal, a Net Technicians course, a local heritage project, a guide to healthy living on the internet, and themed taster sessions. Furthermore, the project is now looking to secure funding from key partners within the Liverpool region, with the view to having a further three projects up and running by this time next year.

For more information please contact Lucy Campbell on 07793742349

Broadband is already the critical enabling infrastructure of our modern, knowledge-based economy and is an integral part of many people’s lives. Next generation broadband is widely regarded as a key enabler for our future economy and is expected to bring significant benefits to the economy including improved productivity and innovation.

The report examines the potential demand for high bandwidth broadband; the factors likely to affect market development and network requirements; the likely developments in capability and capacity of access network; the constraints to investment in next generation networks, content and services; the transition from the current model to future; and the role of public sector intervention. It also makes several recommendations to government, Ofcom and the industry.

At the beginning of the decade, the UK lagged behind its global competitors in terms of broadband penetration – ranking 24 out of 32 OECD countries and with less than one in ten households with broadband.

The landscape has changed dramatically since then. There are now over 13 million broadband connections, speeds continue to rise while prices have fallen. As broadband has become more ubiquitous, new content, services and applications have emerged to drive demand.

It is therefore tempting to view the UK broadband market as a ‘job done’. However, the report warns that this is no time for complacency, as the challenge of being a world leader in the deployment, adoption and exploitation of broadband has not gone away.

As new video-rich, bandwidth-hungry services are developed in the UK and around the world, and as recognition increases that broadband forms the critical underlying infrastructure for a knowledge economy, the challenge to deliver next generation broadband networks becomes more profound.

This challenge raises a number of vital strategic questions which must be tackled by UK government and industry in the coming years:

• how will the next generation of broadband access networks develop to support emerging services and applications and enable the UK to compete in the global marketplace?
• how much speed is enough for both consumers and businesses?
• given the significant investment costs involved, how will these next generation services be made available outside the more commercially attractive high-density areas? What are the commercial, regulatory and policy drivers and barriers?
• how do we avoid creating a new geographic digital divide between urban and rural areas?

You can read the full report on the BSG website here:
- “Pipe Dreams? Prospects for next generation broadband deployment in the UK” [PDF]

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About BSG: The BSG was established as a cross-sector government advisory group in 2001 to help the UK lead the G7 in broadband penetration and connectivity. Members include: broadband service providers; broadband product suppliers; content developers; broadcasters; advertisers; central government departments; local government; representatives from Devolved Administrations and RDAs; consumers and consumer representatives; trade unions and trade associations.

This important event will bring together a range of practitioners and policy leads working across the digital inclusion, social exclusion and transformational government sectors to debate policy, direction, new partnership opportunities and how best to utilise emerging technologies. We will also be launching the final UK online Network Development Plan 2007-2010, currently out for consultation, at the event.

There will be keynote speeches from leading figures including Stephen Timms, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Pat McFadden, Cabinet Office Minister, and Sir David Varney, the Chancellor’s Adviser on Transformational Government, as well as the opportunity to participate in seminars.

For more information see the UK Online website

As the winner of the Digital Challenge, Sunderland is now recognised as an example in how ICT technologies can be used to tackle social exclusion.

Sunderland’s proposals will see its community benefiting from a number of initiatives, such as: Community e-Champions working in their local area to help vulnerable people access computer and internet services, helping children at risk of underachieving at Key Stage 3 and an e-mentoring scheme working for children and young people. The bid will also meet the needs of carers and looked after children through a walkie-talkie and panic buttons.

The Digital Challenge saw cities, towns and regions outline their visions for a digitally enabled society designed to better meet the needs of local communities and citizens. Greater Merseyside’s bid (led by the GMDDA), narrowly missed going forward to the final ten, after jointly winning the Northwest heat with the One Manchester project. Since the finalists were announced last year, the ten regional partnerships have been working together and have formed the DC10.

Minister for Local e-Government, Angela Smith, said:

“Digital Inclusion is about more than new technologies. It is an opportunity to solve problems and improve the lives of people in our communities. As the winner of the Digital Challenge, Sunderland should be seen as an example of how the social and digital divide can be bridged and serve as a blueprint for local partnerships for the future.

“All the finalists have led the way in the UK and should be seen as true regional digital inclusion champions. Together as the new DC10 they will continue to galvanise thinking, unleash creativity and raise the agenda, both locally and nationally.”

ICT is now firmly embedded as an enabler for social inclusion in the government’s Local Government White Paper for the delivery of the Local Area Agreements and Local Strategic Partnerships targets, as well as within the Transformation Government agenda and within the Varney Report.

Read more here: http://www.digitalchallenge.gov.uk/digital-challenge-competition

The service will launch next year and should open up the advantages of the internet to the 16 million people who are currently not online either at home or at work.

It offers a simplified interface to the internet through which users can set up email accounts, browse the web and search for information without having to navigate the hurdles that too often put newcomers off.

The system also contains a number of tools to help those with particular physical or mental difficulties make full use of the internet.

The project has cost £30m, funded by the Department for Education and Skills. It followed research showing that although an increasing number of government services were available online, it was clear that very serious rights issues would come up if access to the internet continued to be out of reach for a sizeable sector of society.

The people not online comprise mainly of people with physical or cognitive disabilities, older people, those with specific cultural needs and people with low basic skills – often the very people who would be most in need of the government services.

It was apparent that if the digital divide could be reduced the government would be able to offer more of its services online, which are often cheaper to deliver, easier to utilise and more straightforward to monitor.

Diana Laurillard, Chair of Learning with Digital Technologies at the University of London, said:

“Web technology, far from being a barrier, can be an enabler. But it won’t just happen by itself.

“As a pilot manager for the London pilot of myguide I have had a chance to see the system in action in community centres, colleges and libraries around Lambeth and Southwark. It’s reassuring to see people, who may have tried the internet in the past and come away frustrated, get a great sense of achievement when they first successfully receive an email or search for some information.”

You can view the myguide site here. Please note it is still being developed, so not all features are currently available.

Judges for the competition, run by the website IT4Communities and supported ComputerWeekly.com, commented on the high standard of nominations. Other finalists included a website to promote World Aids Day and a home-working system for charity workers. But it was Halton CAB’s Online Referral System that most impressed the panel.

The system took over a year to develop and much of the work was done by CAB volunteer Panikos Panayi, who also works as IT manager in Manchester. Judges commented that “Panikos was instrumental in the development of a range of new services. His skills and commitment have changed how the organisation operates and delivered systems which are maintainable by the CAB.”

The CAB’s online referral system is reported to be the only one of its kind and helps the CAB track vulnerable people who need advice. Agencies in Halton can register to use the system to log referrals via a secure website. The CAB can then prioritise cases to ensure urgent cases are dealt with first before allocating it to anyone in its advice team across the borough. The system also monitors response rates and waiting times, helping the CAB to improve its services.

Hitesh Patel, manager of the CAB, said “I am absolutely delighted the CAB won this award and especially pleased for Panikos. We know how dedicated and committed our volunteers are but it is always nice when they get recognition from others.

“This system has really improved our service because now when people are advised to ‘go to the CAB’ they can be given checklists of the information our advisers need to give the right advice at the first visit. It also means people do not fall out of ‘the system’ because if someone who has been referred to us fails to show up we can be pro-active and call them to offer our services. This minimises the chances of peoples’ problems escalating.”

Age Concern and Shelter, who also operate in Halton, have already expressed an interest in adopting the award-winning system for their own services and the CAB is looking for sponsorship to roll the system out to other charities and organisations. Currently each agency has its own set of paperwork that needs to be filled in for inter-agency referrals which can be both confusing and time-consuming. But by using a standard online system with a single log in, professionals only need to learn the one protocol, making it a lot easier to ensure people get the help they need.

For more information see the Halton CAB website:
http://www.haltoncab.org.uk/

With the aid of grants from the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund and the Single Regeneration Budget, a two-year pilot scheme will provide the kit and specialist training for what could become Wirral’s own community television service.

The project, which was developed from a feasibility study commissioned by the Birkenhead Community Regeneration Partnership and funded by Jobcentre Plus, will be administered by Birkenhead Sixth Form College in association with local community trusts, and is aimed at all sections of the community. Special courses will also be arranged for young people aged 16-19 who are not in training or employment. During the courses trainees will have the chance to make their own short videos.

Wirral Council’s Road Safety team has contributed to the project and trainees will be encouraged to work on videos which deliver essential road safety messages, mostly aimed at their own age-group. In the future the project will also be able to deliver public information videos on other issues such as health, community safety and the environment.

The cable company ntl have undertaken to set up a special website as a showcase for video material made by local residents and this is due to go live in Spring 2007, giving video-makers the chance for their work to be seen all over the world.

The project is managed by Bright Field, a company which specialises in community and neighbourhood television ventures (and which has run a similar project in the Knowsley area of Merseyside). The directors are Ian Kellgren, who was the longest-serving Artistic Director of the Liverpool Playhouse, and the former Granada TV producer Chris Kerr.

Bright Field’s brief is also to explore ways of assuring the financial sustainability of the project and rolling it out across the Wirral. The hope is that the project will become a successful social enterprise run by and for the people of the borough.

Bright Field are convinced that giving local people, who are often ignored by conventional television, the equipment and training to make their own voices heard can be an unbeatable tool of neighbourhood regeneration. Their experience shows that, with only a little training and encouragement, people can make powerful and compelling television.

For further information see the Wirral Community TV website