Digital Inclusion in the UK - From Desktop Computers to Mobile Phone Apps for Social Change

Centre for Digital Inclusion
Transforming lives through technology, education and citizenship
Contributing to a Digital Britain
From desktop computers to mobile phone apps for social change

Agenda
CDI
Digital Inclusion in the UK
UK Pilot Programme
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One of the leading social enterprises in the world
Who we are

Founded in 1995 by Rodrigo Baggio
Pioneer of digital inclusion in emerging economies
753 CDI Communities in 12 countries
1,250,000 youth and adults trained
2,000 educators trained
More than 60 international awards including Ashoka, Avina, Clinton Global Initiative, IDB, Schwab Foundation, SkollFoundation, Time Magazine, Unicef, Unesco

CDI global operations
Full operations
Institutional development

Large scale impact in deprived communities
Our impact
1,250,000 youth and adults
Profile *
65% between 10 and 18 years
56% are women
63% have no source of income
Outcomes+
78% improved understanding of local community
75% improved reading and writing skills
47% found a new job
34% increased their income
23% re-enrolled in formal education
12% opened their own business
* Based on CDI impact monitoring system
All based on data by INGAP (2006 & 2007) and Fonte Institute (2007)

3 core elements of success
What we have
Learn by solving social problems (informal education)

Develop agents of change in communities through 5-step methodology inspired by critical pedagogy (Paulo Freire)

Work with local partners

Thorough due diligence process of partners
Local innovation and delivery; but central quality management, support and evaluation across network

Sustainable business model

CDI Community as a local point of reference (no hands-out approach, enterprise and services)

CDI’s 5-step methodology framework
Beyond pure technical skills
Step 4
Step 5
Step 2
Step 3
Step 1
Solution delivery
Impact assessment
Community analysis
Problem definition
Solution design
“Read the world”
“Research data”
“Plan action”
“Take action”
“Evaluate path taken”

How can CDI contribute to a Digital Britain, in order to be:
Our challenge in UK

Innovative
Inspiring
Inline with UK leadership position on digital inclusion & technology
Not duplicating, but learning from & complementing existing work
Helping to build Digital Britain of the future

UK Internet adoption far ahead of other CDI countries
Internet penetration (2008)
% of population
Source: Internet World Stats 2009
Internet penetration benchmark

Unemployment is rising among young people
Economic challenges in the UK
Jobless aged 18-24 (02/09)

A growing challenge:
928,000 under-25s unemployed in 06/09 (700,000 in 02/08)
19.1% 16 -24 year olds seeking work compared to 7.8% adults
31.7% 16-17 year old school leavers officially unemployed
Autumn 2009: 300,000 new graduates & 400,000 school leavers need to find work
Unemployment in early work years has important long-term effect on self-esteem and earnings

Source: BBC 2009, UK government employment statistics June 2009

Deprivation has an impact on aspirations of young people
Education challenges
Young people’s beliefs in abilities

Communities and social context matter:
Young people in deprived areas tend to have lower educational aspirations
Aspirations are linked to sources of inspiration – who you know and your knowledge of what’s out there
Lack of role models and opportunities

Abilities belief scale measured at ages 8 / 13
Points
Source: Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents And Children by Indices of Multiple Deprivation published by Cabinet Office December 2008

Agenda
CDI
UK Pilot Programme
1
2
3

CDI’s learning plan about the digital inclusion landscape
What did we do
45 interviews

experts in digital inclusion, youth, entrepreneurship, community & social media, community development & regeneration, informal learning and citizenship education

9site visits

UK Online Centres and community organisations in London (Hackney, Lambeth, Victoria), Nottingham, Shipley, Manchester, Cambridgeshire, Black Country and Birmingham

2 informal discussion groups

young unemployed people in Hackney and Southampton

Definition
Digital Inclusion means different things to different people:
giving people the basic ICT skills to participate in the knowledge economy
closing the Digital Divide
making technology & electronic services accessible for disabled & elderly
giving people broadband Internet access
preventing economic exclusion from electronic commercial & public services
preventing social exclusion from digitally connected communities
using any digital technology to tackle social exclusion
using any digital technology in communities to tackle area-based deprivation
“The use of technology either directly or indirectly to improve the lives and life chances of disadvantaged people and the places in which they live”
(Digital Inclusion Team)

Timeline
A decade of policy initiatives
2009
Informal Adult Learning whitepaper (DIUS) & Informal Learning Transformation Fund
1998-2003
Tools for schools & capital modernisation fund (Big Lottery)
1999-2004
Office of the e-Envoy (Cabinet office)
2004-2007
E-Government Unit (Cabinet office)
2007
Digital Challenge DC10+ Network
(CLG)
2008
Minister for Digital Inclusion (Cabinet)
2009
Digital Britain report (BERR/DCMS)
2000
UK Online Centres created (DfES)
2000-2003
Wired-up Communities (DfES)
Computers Within Reach
2005
Inclusion through Innovation & Digital Strategy
(Cabinet Office/ DTI)
2008
Digital Inclusion Action Plan Consultation (CLG)
2009
Martha Lane Fox appointed
Digital Champion
2006
Digital Inclusion Team
2008
Communities in Control Whitepaper & Digital Mentors Programme (CLG)
2009
Aspirations & attainment in deprived communities Whitepaper (CO, DCSF, CLG)

£5 billion invested in formal & informal educational ICT infrastructure 1997-2007
School pupils per computer in 2007 - 6:1 in primary & 3.6:1 in secondary education

% of adults, Great Britain
Source: Office of National Statistics 2008
Adults who have never used Internet
Internet access & educational qualification
Internet usage UK
A glass half full or half empty?

% of non-Internet users
Reasons of household for no Internet
Internet non-usage UK
Lack of interest and no need are becoming more important
Internet adoption is flattening out and non-users are late or non-adopters
Source: Office of National Statistics 2008

UK consumer-only smartphone sales
New technology trends
Mobile Internet and mobile application usage are major areas of growth

Mobile broadband sales grew from 76,000 in 02/08 to 263,000 in 05/09
Q1 ’09: 8 million people accessed the Internet via their mobile phones compared to 5.7 million in Q1 ’08
Increasing take-up of smartphones drives mobile Internet usage
Smartphones defined by Ofcom as handset running an full operating system (e.g. Symbian, Android, iPhone)

Source: Ofcom The Communications Market Report 2009

Digital Inclusion value chain
Successful digital inclusion players adapt and expand into new areas
Safety & security
Computer recycling
& procurement
Basic IT skills
Access to IT
IT outsourcing & data base design
IT maintenance & support
Internet cafe
& printing services
Programming & advanced skills
Website design
& other services
Digital media skills
High value offer in UK
1999-2000
2001-2003
2003-2005
2006-2009

Wired-up communities
Community networks

Examples of initiatives

UK Online Centres
Easy Internet cafes
Recycle IT
Cosmic in Devon
WiseKids
CHC BIT
4iP
Talk About Local
People’s Voice Media

Current economic value

CDI focus vs. UK market focus
Most of CDI’s existing activities are no longer priority areas for the UK
Safety & security
Computer recycling
& procurement
CDI

Focus on access, basic skills & recycling
Expansion into services, maintenance & support

Basic IT skills
Access to IT
Internet cafe
& printing services
Website design
& other services
Safety & security
Computer recycling
& procurement
Basic IT skills
Access to IT
UK market

Focus on programming skills and digital media
Decline of recycling, Internet cafes & support

Internet cafe
& printing services
Website design
& other services
Heavy focus
Medium focus
Low focus
Very low or no focus

The next bounce of the ball?
New technologies will expand the digital inclusion value chain further
Safety & security
Computer recycling
& procurement
Basic IT skills
Access to IT
Universal high-speed broadband
?
Internet cafe
& printing services
Mobile Internet skills
Website design
& other services
2010-?
1999-2000
2001-2003
2003-2005
2006-2009
Mobile Internet skills will be more important as mobile Internet and smartphone markets grow
Fixed broadband is likely to become seen as an essential utility with universal access

Digital inclusion & Social Change Theory
Different theories of social change used for digital inclusion
Learn social entrepreneurship
Support social entrepreneurs
No explicit social focus
Document social issues
Activities

None
Sole focus on learning technical skills
“Give people a voice”
Train people to express their thoughts and to document their life realities
Identify people who are already involved in community
Teach them to use technology, so they can be more effective
Structured process to make people conscious of their environment
Train people in social mobilisation

Theory of social change

New voices will attract attention and other people will act
Existing community activists achieve more social change
New networks are created in community and people become social entrepreneurs
None
Only individual

Issues

No social change
Tech skills irrelevant to people
Unclear link between voice and action
No new people
Small target market
People might not want to become active in community

Competitive Map by Social Change Theory
Social entrepreneurship learning program as gap in digital inclusion field
Talk About Local
Citizens Online
Moving IT Forward
We Share Stuff
Social by Social
UK Online Centres
Podnosh
ELATT
CDI
CMA
IT in schools
UK Villages
Cambridge Archive Network
CDI’s 5-step pedagogy enables people to achieve social change in their communities is unique in the UK and offers an opportunity

CDI mobile addresses technology and social change gap in UK market
Technology & Social Change Matrix
CDI Mobile
Fix My Street
Mobile Internet skills
Handheld learning in schools
We Share Stuff
Talk About Local
CDI 2.0
Social & digital media skills
Social by Social
Podnosh
CMA
UK Villages
Moving IT Forward
IT in schools
Cambridge Archive Network
CDI 1.0
ELATT
IT & Internet skills
UK Online Centres
Citizens Online
CDI has the opportunity to become a market leader in the emerging mobile Internet space and to expand the concept of digital inclusion further

Agenda
CDI
UK Pilot Programme
1
2
3

Income through services
Up-to date skills
Valuable to community partners
Technology pull
Technology attractive to CDI students
CDI’s core target group: young people
Criteria for pilot program options
Based on the historical success of CDI’s model in Latin America
Community partners and students have potential to earn additional income
Clear benefits for partners to engage
Access to expensive technology
Contacts to companies or new resources
Offers students leading skills to leap-frog into education, employment, entrepreneurship
CDI’s successful model can only be replicated when all of these criteria are fulfilled

What technologies are attractive to young people in deprived communities?
Sources of inspiration

Smartphones: iPhone, Blackberry Storm, etc.
GPS systems
iPod and music players
Gaming consoles: PSP, Xbox360, Wii

Expand CDI approach from desktop computers to smartphones
Our vision
“Enable people in low-income communities to use, design and develop mobile apps for social change and community action”
“Apps For Good”

Example of civic-minded iPhone app
Nascent, but growing

FixMyStreet iPhone app developed by MySociety/ UK:
Report local problems (graffiti, broken street lightning)
Record problems with iPhone, using camera and GPS & submit to local council
Create network of citizens interested in community problems

Three elements will be required for CDI’ s new operating model in the UK
Operating approach

People come to IT-experienced community partners in deprived areas
Community orgs select CDI students

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CDI students get high-end mobile phones as part of the programme (monthly fee or volunteering)

3

4-month CDI Mobile course working as a small team with educator on social issue while learning technology skills
Mobile app for social change used, designed and developed

Upgrading CDI framework to UK education and skills context
Beyond pure technical skills
Step 4
Step 5
Step 2
Step 3
Step 1
Solution delivery
Impact assessment
Community analysis
Problem definition
Solution design
“Read the world”
“Research data”
“Plan action”
“Take action”
“Evaluate path taken”
Skills
Creative & design,
planning
Analysis
& research
Technical
(IT & mobile)
Communication & mobilisation
Evaluation

Re-enrol in formal education
Increase chances to get a new/ better job
Found social or commercial enterprise

CDI’s approach looks beyond narrow course outputs
UK outcomes & ecosystem
Next step elements required

Industry certification & accreditation of training programme
Apprenticeship programme with companies
Partnership with further education institutions
Partnership with social enterprise seed funders & support e.g. UnLtd
Partnership with commercial seed funders & support

Employment
Partners
Course
Pre-Course
Education
Enterprise

Two pilot types will answer technical & educational questions
Multiple pilots
Launch
Refinement
Prototypes
Critical learning prototype
Critical learning course pilot

Take decision about core course content
Launch core course
Continue to develop advanced courses
Full-run 4-months course by partner
4-6 weeks
Short run
Focus on pedagogy

Mobile app development prototype

Involvement of technical experts
Full mobile app development
Coding & testing
4-months course

A learning plan
A12-month programme to launch
Launch
Refinement
Prototypes

Million users
PC Internet growth 1995-2008
A global opportunity for growth
In 5 years mobile Internet will be bigger than PC Internet today
Broadband Internet forecast
Million users
Source: Internet World Stats, Ovum broadband forecasts 2009

A significant opportunity for social impact
Strategy for global expansion