Vision for a networked nation

Race Online 2012 is the government's campaign to get people online and today UK Digital Champion Martha Lane Fox launched the "Manifesto for a Networked Nation".

The manifesto recognises that the 10 million UK adults who have never used the internet are missing out in all areas of life.

Auditors PricewaterhouseCoopers estimate that the economic benefit of everyone in the UK being online is at least £22 billion with personal benefits including £560 a year on consumer savings and an extra 3-10% in salary.

The manifesto sets out specific recommendations for action, including the following that are directed at the voluntary and community sector:

• Leaders at every level of industry, government and the charitable sector should embed manifesto challenges into corporate plans and make Race Online 2012 pledges by the end of 2010.
  • National and local leaders in all sectors should back our ambition for a networked nation and embed our recommendations in their corporate plans.
• Funding organisations should develop plans to do more to support charities, social enterprises and community groups to raise awareness of the benefits of internet use to the people that they serve.
  • We will work with Race Online 2012 partners and the Charity Technology Exchange (CTX) Trust to ensure that all charities are aware of the hardware and software support available from industry partners.
  • Industry should consider extending its hardware and software support for registered charities to social enterprises and local community groups.
  • Charitable funders should review their funding guidance to ensure that it supports capital investment in IT infrastructure by small charities so that they can inspire the vulnerable groups that they serve to get online.
• Race Online 2012 partners from all sectors should develop a package of rewards for going online and passing on web skills.
  • We should embed rewards for passing on basic web skills into existing community volunteering programmes, for example Girl Guide and Scout badges, Duke of Edinburgh awards and in new proposals for civic service.
  • We should develop ways of recognising and rewarding the contribution of informal volunteers who pass their web skills on to friends, family and neighbours.
• People must know where they can find local web access and/or training points and where they can go to get assistance with online public services, supported by local digital champions in every community.
  • Organisations in every sector should encourage their employees to be local digital champions to identify people needing help, find and map support available locally from organisations in all sectors, and signpost people to it. Industry trade bodies and national charitable organisations should encourage local champions from SMEs and smaller charities. Central and local government should ensure that there are local digital champions in all local authorities, all 750 Jobcentre Plus offices and all public libraries by the end of 2010. We should also look to some of the thousands of proposed new community organisers and health visitors to help people in their local communities get online.
  • Local digital champions should work with local authorities, UK online centres, Age UK, and public libraries to map, co-ordinate and signpost local web access and training points, including commercial premises like coffee shops and pubs.
  • Local authorities should embed support for local people to get online and co-ordination of local digital champions in to their corporate plans and service design and delivery models.
• We should work towards ensuring that people should have easy and affordable access to the internet in the same way they can access water and electricity or gas.
  • Community groups and local digital champions should have a right to expect reasonable access to publicly funded facilities with ICT equipment in any area where there are inadequate accessible web access and/or training facilities.
  • Social housing and residential care home providers should provide internet access and some ongoing support as a basic utility for their residents.

The full document is online at http://raceonline2012.org/.

How might your organisation take part in Race Online 2012? How can you support people to get online? How could your staff share their own skills with your service users? What support would you need from NCVO to play your part?