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
www.twitter.com/helenmilner
www.ukonlinecentres.com
www.slideshare.net/helenmilner