Opening Get Online Week to close the digital divide: House Of Lords launch event

The importance of Get Online Week

“There’s a great deal of work that needs to be done and that’s why this campaign is so important,” said Sir Chris Bryant, Minister of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, at our Get Online Week launch event held yesterday, Monday 14 October, at the House of Lords.

Despite the dreary Monday morning in central London, the atmosphere was buzzing with optimism and energy. Our strategic partners—Virgin Media O2, Vodafone, and Accenture—joined businesses and representatives from community organisations in the National Digital Inclusion Network, the heart of everything we do. 

A collective call for action on digital exclusion

The event was opened by Lord Jim Knight, patron of Good Things Foundation, celebrating the collective action of all attendees toward digital inclusion.

As Sir Chris Bryant pointed out, the challenge is multi-faceted: “There’s an issue about money,” he said, highlighting the difficult choices people face, such as having to choose between internet access and putting food on the table. “There are so many things we need to address, and one of those is skills.”

This year's Get Online Week campaign looks at how digital inclusion is supporting people to tackle the cost of living crisis: by learning the digital skills to manage money, seek employment opportunities and stay safe online, people are able to save money, as highlighted in our recent polling.

And then there’s the issue of trust, Minister Bryant continued: “There’s a great deal of work that needs to be done and that’s why this campaign is so important. That sense of joy in participating in the online community is a really important thing.”

What will the Government do to fix the digital divide?

“What is Government going to do?” asked the Minister, voicing the question on everyone’s mind.

"Well first of all we are very clear that we will deliver a digital inclusion plan and strategy. What we’re doing today and what is going on this week in communities across the UK is really important and wonderful, but in the end Government needs to take a healthy interest and responsibility and express its passion for binding everybody into the digital future that we want to embrace." - Sir Chris Bryant

We're delighted to see such ambition and leadership from Government. Following our roundtable discussions with experts from all sectors for Department for Science, Innovation and Technology this summer - it's impressive to see how fast this Government is moving to prioritise digital inclusion. We are proud to be offering our expertise and guidance throughout this process.

Sir Chris Bryant concluded his speech by saying: "Good Things Foundation is a wonderful organisation, I’ve seen some of its work in Newcastle and I know all across the UK it plays an important part in doing what we want to do. But in the end it’s got to be every single department in Government that acts."

Help us fix the digital divide

At Good Things Foundation, we’re committed to driving change and ensuring everyone has the digital skills they need to thrive. If you would like to partner with us to help shift the dial on digital inclusion, get in touch today.

See what happened at our House Of Lords event: