# Digital Scotland Festival 2014: we came, we saw, we conquered (nearly) all things digital

"I've learned some really neat ideas" and "I can't wait to get back to the ranch to make some changes" - just a couple of the comments that came my way as I proudly, and nervously, stood in the centre of the Informatics Forum on Monday and watched and listened to DigiScotFest14 unfold. The “unconference” format was a challenge to some, but it went down a storm in the end. Throwing a fabulous [debate on digital and human rights](http://www.scvo.scot/blog/does-our-digital-world-help-or-hinder-our-standard-of-living/) into the middle of the day helped to really broaden the mix of delegates. We rounded the day off with the [Speaker's Commission on Digital Democracy](http://www.parliament.uk/business/commons/the-speaker/speakers-commission-on-digital-democracy/) which was a great reward at the end of a long day for the more hard core attendees (of whom there were many). So, how am I judging it to be such a success? Quite simply based on the vast array of topics we covered on anything and everything which touches on the sphere of digital participation. Here’s just a few of the issues I picked up on:

*   Digital exclusion is everybody's problem and we need to solve it together
*   We have to get started with the hardest places and people to reach first or things will only ever be 'good enough'
*   If we want people to be creative at work we must give staff access to the tools and skills they need
*   People have to be online to exercise their human rights
*   Local champions can have a huge impact

[Our Storify](https://storify.com/scvotweet/digiscotfest14) will help you to re-live your favourite thoughts on the day and catch up on some of the bits you might have missed. If you weren’t able to join us maybe it will encourage you to be with us next year.

---

## About SCVO

SCVO (Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations) is the national membership organisation for Scotland's voluntary sector.

Our role is to champion the role of voluntary organisations in Scotland and to support them to do work that has a positive impact.

SCVO supports members and the wider voluntary sector with all aspects of setting up and running a voluntary organisation. SCVO represents the needs and concerns of the voluntary sector to the Scottish government in Holyrood and UK government and Westminster. Through our learning and events programme SCVO offers training and development opportunities to the sector.

Members access an extensive membership benefits package including specialist, in-depth, 1-to-1 guidance from our Information Services team and from professional service partners.

Access to exclusive membership networks (including comms, employers, governance and policy) supports members to grow their connections, stay up to date, exchange ideas and views with peers, and learn through tailored learning opportunities.

SCVO members enjoy free access to Funding Scotland Premium to stay on top of funding opportunities to support their organisation’s financial resilience.

Discounts and savings on SCVO products and services (including our HR service, managed IT support, payroll service and events and training) and partner offers provide members with support to allow them to focus on delivering their organisation’s goals. Further SCVO products and services include [extensive digital support](https://scvo.scot/support/digital), a climate action resource [Growing Climate Confidence](https://climateconfident.scot), a voluntary sector publication [Third Force News](https://tfn.scot) and a voluntary sector jobs and recruitment service [Goodmoves](https://goodmoves.org).

For more information on SCVO membership, visit [SCVO membership](https://scvo.scot/membership)