The Walking Dead is back this week. For the uninitiated this is a show about a disparate band of survivors getting together to face the challenges of an uncertain landscape & future. How will Rick and fellow survivors overcome their latest predicament? Who knows what the scriptwriters will come up with, but just as Rick is confident they’ll overcome their most recent imprisonment and the inevitable zombies staggering their way, we should be confident in addressing our own tricky digital challenge.
So how will we confidently address the problem that 1.3 million people in Scotland are either not online or lack the basic digital skills needed to participate effectively and safely in the digital arena?
We could do worse than applying some of Rick and co.’s approaches. We need to work together, reach out to those paralysed by sheer terror, recognise there are ‘dangers’ but be equipped to deal with them and most importantly not leave anyone behind. As naff and clichéd as it sounds, that’s what our
Digital Participation Challenge Fund is aiming to do.
It certainly won’t fund crossbows and barbed wire fences, but it will provide financial support and in-kind support from partners to achieve digital inclusion. It’s now open for your digital champions out there who are determined to bring everyone safe and sound into the digital arena.
So if you can recognise and identify who needs help the most, know where to find them, understand what skills they’ll need to survive and flourish in the digital age and what will motivate them to come on board then get it touch, send in your application and we will do everything we can to help you.
Just like the Walking Dead, in the coming months we can expect lots of exciting developments from the first call of the Challenge Fund – new faces & supporters of our cause, examples of people getting online against the odds and great stories for us to share and inspire other communities to take forward.
Last modified on 22 January 2020
