Team Digital at the Gathering!

On the 17^th & 18^th February, Team Digital took to the floor of the Gathering 2016 in the Digital Zone along with a range of other Tech Companies and organisations promoting digital. Armed with a friendly Lego train which ensured most people stopped to talk, Twitter activated sweet dispenser, Raspberry Pi supported Pong game and a colourful infographic highlighting the scale of the digital participation challenge in Scotland - it’s safe to say our stand generated a lot of attention!  Our focus for the two days was to engage as many people as possible in conversations about digital participation and basic digital skills. As well as staffing the stand, we spent time roving around the grounds of the SECC, tablets in hand, asking people to complete the Basic Digital Skills questionnaire. Over the two days we managed to get 275 people to fill out the questionnaire. Interestingly the results showed that 38% of the people we polled were missing some or all of the 5 Basic Digital Skills. This was a surprise to many people both in terms of those who realised that they did have all five, or that there were some areas defined as basic which people didn’t have.  This opened up many insightful conversations of what we mean by the definition and just what skills are deemed necessary for everyday life in the 21^st Century. Team Digital also took the opportunity to sample some of the many interesting events scheduled. From Shami Chakrabarti on human rights to Big Lottery Fund Scotland hints & tips when applying for funding, the Gathering was a great opportunity for us to hear about a range of issues affecting the third sector. Overall it was a fantastic couple of days spent meeting lovely folk from across the third, public and private sectors and speaking to lots of people about our exciting programme of activity. We look forward to being part of the Gathering next year and hope to see you there!