It’s time to Get Online – the campaign is revving up!

Get Online Week is coming, and this year we’re delighted that face to face events will be taking place once again. The last eighteen months have been incredibly challenging for all of us, but the pandemic has really laid bare just how vital technology is to our lives – keeping us connected to friends and family, helping us to access vital online services, and entertaining us during the dark days of lockdowns. 

And it has also exposed just how many people are being left behind. There are still 7 million people in the UK who have no internet access at home, and 9 million people can’t use the internet without help. During the pandemic, these people have been isolated – cut off from the support they need, and not able to do the things many of us have taken for granted. We want to ensure we can support these people so they can benefit from everything digital technology has to offer. 

Get Online Week 2021

This year, Get Online Week takes place from 18 – 24th October, and we’re calling on organisations to sign up to play their part in closing the digital divide, once and for all. For organisations who are only just starting to open up again after the pandemic, the campaign could be a great way to kick off your digital skills activity in style by getting people through your doors again to discover what digital can offer. And if you’ve been offering digital skills support throughout the pandemic, what better way to celebrate all that you’ve done and to bring your learners together?

We’re also hoping organisations who are just starting to think about digital skills support can get involved too. If you’re new to digital inclusion, signing up for Get Online Week will help you dip your toes into the water by running an event (or several) to test out the demand from your community, and to see how things work. And we’ll be here to support you every step of the way. 

We’re delighted to have the support of some fantastic partners this year. Thanks to Accenture, we’ve been able to print marketing packs to help you get out into your community and spread the word about the events you’re running. Packs are limited, so sign up for the campaign now to get your hands on them. 

And working with BT, we’ll be creating some special new content to help your learners to feel safe and confident online, and to help you provide them with the support they need navigating an online world that can seem overwhelming. 

Thanks to all of our partners for their support for the Get Online Week campaign. 

As always, Good Things Foundation will be here to support you as you look to plan and run your event and to promote it in your local community. As well as the hard copy marketing packs, we’ll have additional downloadable materials, as well as useful guides and informative webinars to help you prepare for the campaign – watch this space!

On top of this, we’ll also be raising the profile of both the campaign and the issues of digital inclusion through national and local media. 

Registration is open now – so do sign up now – we can’t wait to hear what you’ve got planned!