Help your community get online

Home : Noticeboard : Help your community get online

Help your community get online

21/04/2011

We’re teaming up with Race Online 2012, the national campaign to get everyone in the UK using the internet.

Did you know that over nine million people in the UK have never been online? Non-internet users are missing out on what has become, for most of us, a key route to savings, jobs, a social life, information and education. Scouts can make a real difference to people in their communities by using their knowledge of the internet and IT to help others.

As part of the campaign, Race Online is encouraging people to become digital champions and pass their knowledge of IT and the internet on to others.

This is a great opportunity for young people to help out their local community and work towards community aspects of the Scouting programme in a very different way.But don’t just take our word for it, read this personal message to leaders from Martha Lane Fox.

Link up with a residential home

Explorer scouts from the Carre Glas Explorer Scout Unit have been visiting their local residential home for the elderly to help them get online. You can see Jonathan from the unit explaining what he has been doing with Martha Lane Fox on BBC Breakfast from earlier this year:

If you want to do something similar, visit theAdopt a Care Home website.

Alternatively you can contact care home provider SimplyUnite to find out how to get involved in one of their care homes in your local area.

Open up your meeting place to the community

If your Scout Group has its own meeting place, why not consider opening it up to your local community to help them get online? This is a great way of supporting your community, and will help increase your group’s exposure in your area, and may help you secure equipment for your group.

If this sounds like something for you, there is some great support available for you.

You might consider becoming a UK Online Centre, which will give you the support of UK Online Centres.

Or you might like to hold a get online week event.