Guest Blog: How Manchester is Developing its Digital Skills - Why Volunteer?
Manchester’s Digital Strategy aims to create a bold, inclusive and fair future where remarkable people can access extraordinary opportunities.
Making sure residents and business have access to the Digital Skills they need to thrive is one key part of the puzzle that Manchester must get right to achieve a future where everyone has the confidence to flourish and the ambition to achieve.
Whilst there are still challenges within the digital skills space, it is incredibly positive to see so many passionate people working towards innovative solutions and exciting projects. In the first case study of three, we highlight the work done with Open Data Manchester has done in partnership with the council to find out what motivates digital volunteers to help others and upskill their peers.
Manchester’s Digital Strategy aims to create a bold, inclusive and fair future where remarkable people can access extraordinary opportunities.
Digital Volunteer Skills in the Community – research with Open Data Manchester
Open Data Manchester worked with Manchester City Council to understand how digital exclusion is impacting local communities, how to support the people who volunteer and to how to build capacity in community organisations to develop a user needs approach to their programmes.
The first part of the programme has been to carry out research to help the council develop a sustainable digital champion’s programme, so that those that volunteer feel supported, valued and have a stake in the support process. The work tries to identify volunteer motivations and provides recommendations for support and progression within the programme and externally.
The report explores the experience of both those who volunteer in-person and those who help people online or over-the-phone.
From this initial report, several recommendations have been made to make the volunteering experience more enjoyable including addressing language barriers, a greater use of messaging services to communicate quickly and easily, opportunities to meet and socialise in person, more opportunities for positive feedback and celebrations of success.
This initial piece of research has also created several more recommendations based on challenges volunteers currently face.
Interested in becoming a digital volunteer? Check out our live vacancies or contact digitalinclusion@manchester.gov.uk for more information.
