Charting a new course for digital inclusion

I’ve sometimes found working in digital inclusion to be frustrating.

What we do, as a community, is often misunderstood. Digital exclusion can be a hidden inequality – and in our digital world few people can imagine what their lives would be like if they were disconnected.

There’s also the scarcity of resources, capacity and buy-in to make this work go smoothly and successfully. There’s no silver bullet or quick fix, either.

But I’ve also found working in digital inclusion to be inspiring.

Watching how communities can come together to provide solutions to challenges, share resources for the betterment of peoples’ lives, and hearing the personal stories that people share is what makes this line of work worth it. In Scotland, we increase our digital capabilities every year – and that’s down to the hard work of organisations that are committed to inclusion.

What’s occasionally felt like an uphill battle is starting to get easier. More people are starting to understand what digital exclusion is and the impact it has. But there’s so much more still to do.

That’s why, today, we have launched Scotland’s Digital Inclusion Charter.

Building on the success of Scotland’s Digital Participation Charter, which ran from 2014 – 2023, we have worked to understand the best way to support organisations to commit to supporting digital inclusion in the way that best works for them.

Our five new pledges are designed to support, guide and recognise the work that organisations do in Scotland – from developing their understanding of digital exclusion, to delivering support to those that need it.

Our new pledges for digital inclusion in Scotland are:

Understanding: We commit to understanding digital exclusion and how it impacts the people we work with.

Approach: We commit to delivering on digital inclusion across our organisation, based on our understanding of need.

Resource: We commit to identifying and utilising appropriate resources for digital inclusion.

Partnership: We commit to working in genuine partnership where we can, to promote and advance digital inclusion.

Community: We commit to contributing towards a wider conversation, developing a sense of community and being part of something bigger – because digital inclusion is everyone’s responsibility.

But why?

We’ve had a Charter in Scotland for over a decade, but one of the most important things to remember about digital work is that it’s never static. With our partners in Scottish Government, we wanted to have a Charter that reflects where we are as a country now.

It was also important that the Charter could be used as a framework for organisations to design and deliver digital inclusion work. That’s why the pledges ask you to think about different ways you’re contributing to a more digitally inclusive Scotland. Not everybody will be doing the same kind of work, so we wanted to outline the key things that will help you.

But most importantly, we wanted a space where we could platform and showcase the amazing work that goes on in Scotland – regardless of the sector. The Charter is your opportunity to shout about your work. We’ll be regularly asking you for your stories to share, and giving you a place to demonstrate your commitment.

How can I get involved?

We believe that digital inclusion is everyone’s responsibility. We all have a role to play. With Scotland’s Digital Inclusion Charter, you can find yours today.

If you’re an organisation interested in or working on digital inclusion in Scotland, we’d love to have you sign up! Visit our new Charter website to explore the pledges and sign up.