UK online centres to Pass IT on for Learning Revolution Festival

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Press release
8 October 2009

UK online centres to Pass IT on for Learning Revolution Festival

UK online centres across England are set to play a special part in the Learning Revolution this month, by recruiting a network of volunteers to Pass IT on.

As part of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills' (BIS) Learning Revolution Festival, 30 UK online centres will be getting people to play a more active role in their community by getting online, and passing those skills on to others. Each centre will recruit five Pass IT on champions, who in turn will each engage another ten digitally excluded people. The idea is to create a snowball effect which can help digital inclusion reach new places and new people.

The 30 centres, announced today, will receive a Festival grant to recruit and train volunteers, host events to help them get new people involved in technology, and build relationships with community partners to make passing IT on a part of wider community activity.

The 150 volunteers will be in place for the third national Get online day on 23 October, and will start their role helping out at some of the hundreds of events taking place across England. They'll then move on to show computer-novices around the courses and features of myguide (www.myguide.gov.uk), and the Pass IT on website (www.ukonlinecentres.com/passiton) to show the more confident how they could join in too.

To help those who attend the events find out more about volunteering, the UK online centres team has partnered with YouthNet UK, the organisation behind the UK's largest volunteering database, Do-it (www.do-it.org.uk). YouthNet is developing a specially-commissioned short guide to volunteering to tell people how they can get started.

Fiona Dawe, Chief Executive of YouthNet UK, says: "We're excited to be working with UK online centres to get the message out that volunteering can be a great way to meet new people, learn new skills and gain useful experience. It should also be fun! The guide we're producing aims to remove the fear factor and provide clear, simple information about how to take your first steps as a volunteer".

Pass IT on is a new theme for UK online centres, reaching out to an off-line audience via their loved ones and other trusted intermediaries. Managing Director Helen Milner explains: "We get a great response from our marketing campaigns like Get online day, which for the last two years has obviously targeted digitally excluded people. But for the most deeply excluded from or dismissive of technology, no amount of adverts, case studies or posters are going to tip the scales of motivation. However, people do listen to people they know. If someone they trust is doing it, recommending it and showing them how, it really can make all the difference.

"The Festival grants from BIS are going help us start making that casual word of mouth and mentoring build into a volunteering campaign on a large and nation-wide scale. If we're going to revolutionise learning we need to mobilise the people, and our Pass IT on champions are set to start the ball rolling for technology."

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Published 8 October 2009

For more information please contact Abi Stevens on 0778 666 0689 or email astevens@ufi.com

Notes to editors

About The Learning Revolution Festival: Throughout October, hundreds of events will highlight the wide variety of learning that's taking place.The month will give people who already taking part in informal learning a chance to celebrate what they enjoy and others the opportunity to try something new. Libraries, galleries, adult education providers, sports clubs, voluntary organisations, self organised groups and many other organisations can get involved by showcasing activities that are already available and offering, or signposting, new activities to get people started. It's all part of The Learning Revolution - a movement to open up opportunities and highlight the real benefits of learning for enjoyment, personal development and community development.To find your nearest Learning Revolution Festival event or find out how you can encourage others to get involved, go to www.direct.gov.uk/learningrevolution Adults across England can also call 0800 100 900 to find out about more learning opportunities and how learning for pleasure can help them.
Get online day is a campaign from UK online centres, supported by Ofcom, Intel, NHS Choices and the government's Learning Revolution Festival. The aim of the day is to encourage thousands of off-line people to be a part of IT, and take their first steps onto the internet. For those already online, Get online day is a chance to find out more about how the internet can save them time, hassle and money - and a chance to pass IT on to other people they think could benefit from online life.
myguide - www.myguide.gov.uk - offers a free, easy to use email service and web search facility from a clean, simple homepage, plus taster courses to help people get to grips with computers and the internet. The idea is to make the internet available and accessible to those who have never used it before - whether because of lack of motivation, skills, confidence, or even disability. myguide allows people to personalise and save their settings, change screen colours or font sizes, and choose to have the text read to them without needing additional software. The service has developed with input from users and stakeholders including AbilityNet and RNIB. myguide courses are arranged across three levels - starting, using and understanding. The journey helps users track their learning progress and build their own journey based on the subjects that interest them.
UK online centres provide millions of people with access to technology and support in using it. They offer free or low cost access to the internet and email, deliver online courses and encourage people to progress onto further learning. For more information please visit www.ukonlinecentres.com. UK online centres are managed by Ufi, the organisation also behind learndirect.
The 30 centres to receive a Pass IT On Festival grant are:

SES Tutors Ltd	Ramsgate
Chinese Centre (North of England)	Newcastle upon Tyne
Inverteign Family Learning Centre	Teignmouth
The Riverside Centre	Isle of Wight
Frogmore Mill	Hemel Hempstead
Foresight	Grimsby
Kensington Community Learning Centre	Liverpool
North Prospect Community Learning	Plymouth
NewLink Project Ltd	Mansfield
H-PAN Community Information and Support Centre	Manchester
Fishwick Rangers YDS	Preston
Fellside CDC	Penrith Cumbria
Learning 744	Bournemouth
Bloomsbury Cyber Junction	Birmingham
TaylorITEX	Boston
Ealing Community Resource Centre	London
Portsoken Community Centre	London
Valley Online Centre	Sheffield
VCAW	Wallasey, Wirral
Heeley Development Trust	Sheffield
Numidia Education and Training	Coventry
Sheffield Live	Sheffield
Lighthouse Life Skills Centre	Scunthorpe
Rural Community Action Nottinghamshire	Newstead Village
Easton Community Centre	Bristol
Cambridgeshire Libraries and Learning Centres	Cambridgeshire
Cambridge Online	Cambridge
High Moorland Community Action Ltd	Princetown, Devon
Global Information Centre	Eastbourne
Evesham Library	Evesham Worcestershire

YouthNet is the UK's first exclusively online charity and was founded by Martyn Lewis CBE in 1995. It aims to create a socially inclusive environment where all young adults are engaged, informed and inspired to achieve their ambitions and dreams, and does this through two award winning websites, Do-it (www.do-it.org.uk) and the online guide to life for 16 to 24-year-olds, TheSite.org (www.TheSite.org).Run by young people's charity YouthNet, TheSite.org is the online guide to life for 16 to 24-year-olds. With over 2,000 articles written by experts and journalists, a series of blogs, podcasts and videos, a bespoke question and answer service (askTheSite) and a thriving online community, TheSite.org is the central place for young people to turn to for sound, straight talking, anonymous advice 24-hours-a-day.Every month, TheSite.org is visited by over 500,000 unique users, and receives around 800 questions on issues ranging from relationships to advice on housing. Content on TheSite.org is also available on mobile, at TheSite.org/mobile

Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg will both be playing their part at next week's National Digital Inclusion Conference, providing video messages to get delegates thinking and talking.

Gordon Brown's message will be followed-up in person by Digital Britain Minister Stephen Timms MP, who will be opening the Conference on Wednesday 10 March with Champion for Digital Inclusion Martha Lane Fox. He'll be talking about the new National Plan for Digital Participation, which was launched earlier this week, while Martha Lane Fox will be talking about her plans to collect 'digital promises' from more than 10,000 private, public and charitable sector organisations. Meanwhile, Shadow Minister Jeremy Hunt will be there on the 11^th to present a Tory vision for a digitally inclusive Britain.

Now in its fifth year, the NDI10 Conference will take place across two days - Wednesday 10 and Thursday 11 March, at the Vinopolis Conference Centre in London. It aims to get cross-sector and cross-party digital inclusion partners together to discuss digital inclusion issues, and plan actions for 2010 and beyond.

Conference founder Robin Knowles explains: "NDI10 is all about getting the people who make digital inclusion happen in one room, working together to make even more happen, in more places, reaching more people. It's great to get party leaders Gordon Brown and Nick Clegg involved in the discussions, and we'll be continuing the cross-party theme with our live Question Time, let by Conference chair Matthew Taylor."

The Question Time will also take place on the 10^th. Matthew Taylor will be asking Derek Wyatt MP (Labour), Baroness Warsi (Conservative) and Lembit Opik (Lib Dem) about their personal opinions and party-lines on digital inclusion, getting input from Ofcom's Stuart Purvis and Age UK's Tom Wright as part of the panel.

Also speaking at the Conference reviewing 12 months of digi-inc action is Helen Milner, Managing Director for UK online centres. She adds: "I'm really excited about next week, and looking forward to what's set to be a really interesting couple of days. It's wonderful to see support for digital inclusion coming from the top, and just before a general election is testament to the fact this is now central to the wider agendas of economic growth, social justice and the improvement of government services. Digital inclusion is suddenly super-relevant, and the Conference is our chance to hear how each party plans to respond to the challenge of digital exclusion, and to have our say on how priorities and plans should be shaped for the future."

Delegates will get to have their say from the floor in Q&As during the main plenary sessions, and will be working in four workstream groups to come up with their own digital inclusion promises. The Digital government for all workstream is being led by Directgov, and will feature input from New Media Age, Microsoft and DC10 Plus. Digital Skills for all is led by UK online centres with contributions from BT, Ofcom, Becta, NIACE, School of Everything and many more, while Health and Well Being is chaired by NHS Choices, with partners AbilityNet, StartHere and Capita. The final workstream is led by the Peabody Trust, and is all about Social Housing Plus, taking inspiration from Nottingham City Council, Solihull Community Housing and Citizens Online amongst others. The promises from each workstream will be given to Martha Lane Fox to feed into Race Online's wider work.

Alongside the keynote speakers and workstream sessions, NDI10 will also have an interactive exhibition, with an open soap box as another opportunity for delegates to feeback thoughts or talk about their own projects.

For more information on the Conference, or to follow on the live webstream next week, please visit www.nationaldigitalinclusionconference.co.uk and follow Twitter hashtag #NDI10. You can also join the debate early on the Conference Ning - http://net.digitalengagement.org/

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For more information, or for a free press pass, please contact Abi Stevens at astevens@ufi.com, or on 0778 666 0689.

Notes to editors:

Press release published 4 March 2010
- For more information on the Conference, or to follow on the live webstream next week, please visit www.nationaldigitalinclusionconference.co.uk, follow Twitter hashtag #NDI10 and join the digital engagement Ning http://net.digitalengagement.org/.
- The National Digital Inclusion Conference (NDI10) is now in its fifth year, and run by Civic Agenda, with key partners UK online centres, and supporters including Becta, BIS, BT, Business Link, Citizens Online, CLG, CTT, Digital 2020, Intel, Microsoft, NHS Choices, Nominet Trust, Ofcom, Peabody Trust, Race Online 2012, Regenerate IT, StartHere and Youthnet.
- Civic Agenda is a specialist conference development and organisation agency delivering public and social focussed conferences across the UK. Civic Agenda works with a range of partner organisations and draws on the expertise of sister organisations Civic Regeneration, Regenerate IT and Market Squared to support conferences that explore key areas of social, economic and community policy for an audience of the public, private and voluntary sector. For more information please visit www.civicagenda.co.uk or call 0207 378 0422.
- UK online centres provide millions of people with access to technology and support in using it. They offer free or low cost access to the internet and email, deliver online courses and encourage people to progress onto further learning. For more information please visit www.ukonlinecentres.com. UK online centres are managed by Ufi, the organisation also behind learndirect.
Tickets for the fifth National Digital Inclusion Conference - NDI10 - are nearly sold out, and those interested in taking part are being urged to get in quick, or follow the Conference from the comfort of their own computer via the live webstream and twitter hashtag #NDI10.

The Conference takes place at Vinopolis in London Bridge on 10 and 11 March, and this year's theme is all about Passing IT on. With the RSA's Matthew Taylor back as Chair, speakers including Martha Lane Fox, Stephen Timms MP and Matt Brittin from Google, plus a cross-party Question Time and interactive exhibition space, NDI10 is shaping-up and filling-up fast.

Conference founder Robin Knowles of Civic Agenda says: "We're delighted to have had such a great response to the Conference, and we're keen to capture the input of delegates beyond the 500 physical places. Keynote speeches will be live on www.nationaldigitalinclusionconference.co.uk, and we're encouraging delegates to tweet their thoughts, and share wider opinions on the http://net.digitalengagement.org/ Ning site - before, after and during the Conference itself."

Helen Milner of Conference partner UK online centres adds: "Post Digital Britain and pre-election, this is the perfect time for an in-depth 'NDIagnostic' looking at where digital inclusion is today, where we need to be, and what we've got to do as a sector to get there over the coming months and years. The more voices adding to the debate - in person or online - the more connections and progress we can make at the conference."

As well as hearing from keynote speakers in the public and third sector, corporate organisations will also be playing their part, and telling delegates how they plan to help Pass IT on in 2010, and how they'd like to work with third sector and government partners.

To see if you can get one of the final NDI10 places available, or to find out more about the four workstreams - Digital Skills for all, Digital government for all, Health and Well-being, and Social housing plus, please visit www.nationaldigitalinclusionconference.co.uk, or call 0207 378 0422.

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For more information on this press release please contact Abi Stevens at astevens@ufi.com or on 0778 666 0689

Press release, published 23 February 2010

Notes to editors:
- Twitter hashtag: #NDI10
- Ning http://net.digitalengagement.org/
- The 2010 National Digital Inclusion Conference is being shaped by Civic with a steering group including UK online centres, DC10Plus, Citizens Online, StartHere, Intel, YouthNet, NHS Choices, The Peabody Trust, Nominet and representatives from the Departments for Business, Innovation and Skills and Communities and Local Government.
- Civic Agenda is a specialist conference development and organisation agency delivering public and social focussed conferences across the UK. Civic Agenda works with a range of partner organisations and draws on the expertise of sister organisations Civic Regeneration, Regenerate IT and Market Squared to support conferences that explore key areas of social, economic and community policy for an audience of the public, private and voluntary sector. For more information please visit www.civicagenda.co.uk or call 0207 378 0422.
- UK online centres provide millions of people with access to technology and support in using it. They offer free or low cost access to the internet and email, deliver online courses and encourage people to progress onto further learning. For more information please visit www.ukonlinecentres.com. UK online centres are managed by Ufi, the organisation also behind learndirect.
Martha Lane Fox to open NDI10 Conference

The fifth National Digital Inclusion Conference - NDI10 - will be opened by the Champion for Digital Inclusion Martha Lane Fox, alongside Minister for Digital Britain Stephen Timms MP.

The Conference takes place at Vinopolis in London Bridge on 10 and 11 March, and this year's theme is all about Passing IT on. As well as hearing from keynote speakers, cross-sector delegates will be discussing where digital inclusion is now, and where it needs to be by the end of 2012. Working in four workstreams, they'll be planning activity and making practical pledges to literally pass IT on and make digital inclusion happen over the coming months and years.

Speaking about the conference, Martha Lane Fox said: "The National Digital Inclusion Conference is a fantastic opportunity for organisations to work together, share insights and voice opinions around the moral, economic and serious issue of Digital Inclusion. It is only with a focus on peer-to-peer training, creative partnerships with private companies and replication of the best public sector projects we can achieve a more digitally included society by 2012".

Other plenary sessions at the Conference will include a cross-party debate led by NDI10's returning Chair Matthew Taylor, and a keynote speech from Stephen Timms MP, looking at the future of Digital Britain.

Conference founder Robin Knowles of Civic Agenda added: "The idea of NDI10 is to get a clearer picture of today's digital divide - and the multiple threads of response lacing it together. From there we'll be challenging both speakers and delegates to pledge their support and specific actions to drive digital inclusion forwards. In 2009 the Conference was all about changing policy - NDI10 is about real participation, partnership and practical delivery."

The four workstreams for NDI10 are Digital government for all, Health and well-being, Housing plus, and Digital skills for all. The last workstream is being led by UK online centres, with planned input from Becta, Ofcom and School of Everything to name but a few. Managing Director Helen Milner said: "We're looking to get people talking and thinking as a sector rather than as individual organisations. What is it we need to do to make digital skills available to all? What are we good at, and what do we need to be doing more of? Across all four workstreams, this is a chance for the community to really focus on digital inclusion as an end goal, and the steps we need to take to get there."

NDI10 will be covered by a team of social reporters and journalists, and attended by more than 60 exhibitors in a space divided up by each workstream theme. The exhibition is all about technology for social change, and delegates without a stand are invited to do their own show-and-tell about products, services and ideas on the expo's open stage.

To book your place - with discounted rates still available for third sector delegates - please visit www.nationaldigitalinclusionconference.co.uk or call 0207 378 0422. The Conference website also includes more detail about each of the workstreams, and a Ning site will soon be available for delegates to begin networking early.

Ends

For more information on this press release please contact Abi Stevens at astevens@ufi.com or on 0778 666 0689

Notes to editors
- Published 4 February 2010
- Twitter hashtag: #NDI10
- Civic Agenda is a specialist conference development and organisation agency delivering public and social focussed conferences across the UK. Civic Agenda works with a range of partner organisations and draws on the expertise of sister organisations Civic Regeneration, Regenerate IT and Market Squared to support conferences that explore key areas of social, economic and community policy for an audience of the public, private and voluntary sector. For more information please visit www.civicagenda.co.uk or call 0207 378 0422.
- UK online centres provide millions of people with access to technology and support in using it. They offer free or low cost access to the internet and email, deliver online courses and encourage people to progress onto further learning. For more information please visit www.ukonlinecentres.com. UK online centres are managed by Ufi, the organisation also behind learndirect.

UK Online Centres

UK online centres to Pass IT on for Learning Revolution Festival

UK online centres to Pass IT on for Learning Revolution Festival

Martha Lane Fox to open NDI10 Conference