Digital Champions in the Digital Champions Network for Housing can now receive a range of mobile kit and connectivity for helping local residents online.
The Digital Champions Network for Housing (DCN4H) is Digital Unite’s training and support solution for developing effective Digital Champions in local communities. It currently has 20 member organisations including 18 housing providers and over 600 Digital Champions.
Following Digital Unite successfully securing funding from the Tinder Foundation as part of the Government’s Future Digital Inclusion programme, each DCN4H Digital Champion in England can now receive tablets, dongles, mifis or even refurbished computers, thanks to suppliers Happus, Novatech and Social Telecoms.
To be eligible a Digital Champion will just need to help seven learners achieve four of eight Basic Online Skills, ranging from browsing the internet and using a search engine to filling out online forms and sending and receiving emails.
Available across England until the end of March 2015, it is hoped that the rewards scheme will help to get 1,000 learners active online overall.
Kathy Valdes, Managing Director at Digital Unite said: “We are continually looking for ways we can support and enhance the effective work of all of the Digital Champions within the Network and this rewards scheme is an exciting step forward in that endeavour. Our long-held experience shows that micro-grants initiatives like this can make a huge difference to grass-roots digital inclusion activities and we are looking forward to the benefits this scheme will bring to residents, Digital Champions and our DCN4H member organisations”.