Baroness Martha Lane Fox, the Chair of Go ON UK, delivered the annual Richard Dimbleby Lecture this week (March 30) and announced the DotEveryone campaign, a call for a more inclusive Internet.
CG has been supporting GO ON UK in its goal to help everyone in the UK reach their full digital potential since 2012.
Phil Bennett, web team lead at Carswell Gould, said:
"10.5 million UK adults and 1.58 million small businesses and charities are still digitally disconnected, despite it being an integral part of most people's lives and businesses now. We're aiding digital inclusion by helping to create tools like the digitalskills.com website where digital champions can be inspired to help others in their local community reach at least a basic level of digital skills."
CG backs the Go ON UK definition of these basic digital skills, agreeing that everyone should have the opportunity to reap the benefits of being online, such as being able to communicate, search and transact.
The DotEveryone campaign has three main priorities:
1. Improving understanding of the Internet at all levels of society -
2. Getting more women involved in tech -
3. Tackling the moral and ethical issues which the Internet has created -
Baroness Martha Lane Fox, co-founder of Lastminute.com said:
"We need a new national institution to lead an ambitious charge - to make us the most digital, most connected, most informed nation on the planet.
"I don't say this because I'm a fan of institutions. I say this because the values of the Internet have always been a dialogue between private companies and public bodies. And right now, the civic, public, non-commercial side of the equation needs a boost."
DotEveryone aims to educate everyone, including those in power, to help them understand how the internet can help define public services, improve the lives of the most vulnerable and bolster the economy. This inclusive approach reaches out to women to put women at the heart of the technology sector. As Lane Fox points out, "There are fewer women in the digital sector than in Parliament."
CG's creative director, Ed Gould, said:
"It's great that this has been put under a spotlight and we are so proud to be a part of putting Baroness Martha Lane Fox's and her team at Go ON UK's great thinking into action for three years now with the work we do with Go ON UK and digitalskills.com. Go ON UK has a great team of passionate advocates and it's a pleasure to work with them."
"Carswell Gould plays a tiny part in this but by all of us linking together, thinking bigger and acting now we can all help empower everyone to reach their digital potential."
Why not head over to Go ON UK now to find out more and check out digitalskills.com to become part of the solution.
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