Bath Digital Divide Collective
In a collaboration with Tech4Good South West, Bath Bridge and a number of organisations in Bath have come together to collectively look at addressing digital poverty in Bath, forming the "Bath Digital Divide Collective".
The Digital Divide Collective is rooted in collaboration. We know there are a number of initiatives already underway, and the Digital Divide Collective provides a conceptual hub to bring resources, activities and learning in order to shape a longer term programme of activities to address digital inclusion and addressing inequalities in BaNES.
We designed a number of events during the Bath Digital Festival in July 2023 to understand and raise awareness of digital poverty in Bath. Several events focused on addressing the digital divide in Bath, from mapping the challenge to prototyping solutions and advocating for action. Since then, the Digital Divide Collective has collaborated with local charities, national organisations and industry partners to identify and amplify key initiatives that can help to #BridgeTheDivide.
Join the Digital Divide Collective
Join the next meeting of the Digital Divide Collective. Event dates are published via Bath Bridge on Ticket Tailor. Meetings are open to anyone interested in working with us to address the digital divide in those areas of our local community that are seriously disadvantaged and excluded from the digital society.
Our Digital Divide Focus Areas
1) Digital Playground
Our vision of a Digital Playground is a space which creates curiosity and interest, stimulates some play, and enables fun, and is both interactive and inspiring. By adopting a ‘playful’ approach, our aim is to create a pathway that offers access to skills, building confidence and trust as we go. We will do this by integrating the playground into the two existing community-focused spaces described above, where everyone in the community can:
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Have fun engaging in their own time and at their own pace
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Explore through play what digital has to offer and how this can be of benefit
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Ask for, and receive, help and support (and signposted accordingly) that meets their specific needs
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Access a range of resources – infrastructure, hardware, software, skills development
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Try something new and feel safe and supported to make mistakes
We are clear that our criteria for success includes having a:
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Digital playground that builds on, complements, and enhances existing activities and initiatives.
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Deep understanding of, and connection with, the specific needs of the community
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Service that is long-lasting.sacethat is supportive, safe, and trusted.
2) Addressing Digital Divide Health Inequalities
3) Supporting Children facing Digital Poverty
Bath and North East Somerset Technology Bank
Working together we can change lives in Bath and North East Somerset.
Devices are desperately needed and so the Bath Digital Divide Collective is working to establish a local Technology Bank.
Starting at the Bath Digital Festival 2024, we are seeking donations from local companies.
We're ideally seeking devices with the following specs:
✅ Good working condition HP, Lenovo, Dell, or equivalent brands laptops
✅ Operating System: Windows (8 or higher)
✅ Minimum 8GB RAM
✅ Minimum i5 CPU
✅ Storage: minimum of 250GB SSD
Donations can be delivered to Mayden (please book an appointment 24 hours before) or contact us at hello@bathbridge.co.uk
The Digital Divide
You’re far less likely to have access to the online world if you’re living on a low income. In fact, the lower your income the less likely it is. That means – increasingly so – not having access to the fundamentals of life. From social security, to healthcare, education and training, to finding work and applying for jobs – critical services are more and more online.
The Good Things Foundation's research has identified that over 90% agree that digital access is essential. But 𝟴.𝟱 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 people don't have basic digital skills to use the internet - and they're paying up to 50% more for necessities than their digitally included counterparts.
So digital inclusion is no longer something that’s ‘nice to have’ – it’s an essential. And being cut off from digital isn’t just an inconvenience – it compounds and exacerbates poverty. That’s no longer something we can ignore if we’re interested in a just society. (Digital Poverty Alliance (DPA)).
In May 2023 the DPA launched the National Delivery Plan, which “outlines an initial roadmap for ending digital poverty by 2030”.
Mission Six of that plan is “Increase local capacity to provide joined-up digital inclusion support to individuals and communities”; while we now have a national plan that aims to fix this issue in our society, it is on us locally in the tech sector to step up and play a part in acting on and delivering the outcomes of that plan.
The Situation in Bath
Bath is included in the affectionately coined “Silicon Gorge” (Wikipedia, 2019) which describes our region’s high density of technology expertise and innovation. Bath and North East Somerset Council (BANES) is ranked in the 2019 Indices of Deprivation as one of the 20% most affluent areas in the country (BANES, 2022).
However this average measure disguises the fact that Whiteway and Twerton West are among the 10% most deprived areas in England. In Twerton, 35% of children live in poverty (BANES, 2019) and the cost of living crisis is expected to result in 4,000 more people in BANES entering poverty in 2023 (BANES, 2022). 52% of people surveyed in BANES complained about their broadband connection (BANES, 2022).
As employment requires more digital skills, and access to key services moves towards digitisation, these statistics indicate a significant likelihood of persistent exclusion for many of Bath’s citizens.
Bath Digital Divide Collective
The newly formed Bath Digital Divide Collective is comprised of representation across the following founding members, of course welcoming a much wider community to address our city-wide challenge:
AgeUK Bath & North East Somerset
Bath BID
Bath Bridge
Bath Unlimited
BCS Digital Divide BCS Bristol & Bath Branch
Digital Poverty Alliance
Mayden
Quartet Foundation
Southside Family Project
Tech4Good South West
The House
Twerton & Whiteway Community Network
St Johns Foundation
West of England Combined Authority
We received a Magic Little Grant through the partnership between Localgiving and Postcode Local Trust. Postcode Local Trust is a grant-giving charity funded by players of People’s Postcode Lottery. Localgiving is the UK’s leading membership and support network for local charities and community groups. Our project received £500 to support our Digital Divide events.
