Islington Giving – How local community organisations are addressing the digital divide

This month, The BIG Alliance team caught up with Islington Giving to find out how Islington-based community organisations have been working to address the digital divide in the borough. Back in September 2020 Islington Giving had highlighted a few examples of the growing digital divide facing people in Islington.

Since then, thanks to a collaboration between Islington Council, Islington Giving, Cripplegate Foundation, and the Richard Reeves Foundation, together with government funding and Arsenal in the Community, 3,000 devices were donated to the most vulnerable pupils in the borough between March and December 2020. This has led to more students accessing education, reconnecting with friends and participating in online activities.

Other partner organisations such as YES Outdoors or Mer-IT launched different tech appeals throughout 2020, Healthwatch Islington and others have been offering online training for parents and carers, and mobile providers have offered free mobile data increases to vulnerable families.

To respond to the increasing needs, Islington Giving is now reaching out to individuals and businesses in the borough to contribute to a special young people’s fund to help the variety of groups providing activities and support to young people, including support towards bridging the digital divide. If you’d like to get involved or support this appeal, please donate here: islingtongiving.org.uk/your-giving.

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