The May meeting of the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) Forum, organised by Haringey Community Collaborative, focused on digital inclusion and technology, gathering community groups, council representatives, and residents at St John Vianney Church Hall on West Green Road, N17. The event highlighted the importance of equitable access to digital tools and skills.
Facilitated by Juliet Chard, Capacity Building Lead at Haringey Community Collaborative, the session was described as lively, engaging, and full of inspiring energy, where the audience discussed how digital inclusion initiatives are changing lives across Haringey.
The event featured a variety of presentations, showcasing both grassroots community-led projects and Haringey Council’s strategy to tackle digital exclusion. Presenters shared stories and insights that underscored the real-world impact of their work.
One of the presenters, Tender Loving Care (TLC), showcased moving testimonials from service users of their 10-week digital skills programme at the Northumberland Park Resource Centre. TLC is one of the funded projects for the Cost of Living round of the VCS Challege Fund. Attendees heard how some participants had progressed from learners to becoming volunteer mentors, evidence of the life-changing potential of inclusive digital education.
Another presentation came from Atypify, which focuses on digital skills development for neurodiverse girls. The team highlighted that technological barriers are not one-size-fits-all and that tailored support is essential. Their data revealed that 15% of UK adults, around 8.5 million people, lack basic digital skills, emphasising the scale of the issue.
Speakers also underlined the importance of physical access to technology. “One laptop in a family with three school-aged children just isn’t enough,” one participant said. “And trying to apply for a job or do homework on a smartphone is simply not viable.” Access to affordable or donated second-hand laptops was identified as a potential solution.
The Forum also reinforced Haringey’s commitment to supporting voluntary and community groups through capacity building, including helping them improve their own technology and systems.
Supporting VCS through technology and systems is one of the organisation’s key capacity-building priorities, as outlined in the Our Priorities 2024/2025 report. As part of this ongoing commitment, a training session will be held in July to help community groups develop their own websites.