Our Digital Community

Our Digital Community

Social enterprises and community organisations are invited to join our digital community, a peer network for people interested in developing digital assets and enterprises to deliver social impact.

Note parish councils themselves are not eligible - this scheme applies to a registered charity, community interest company or industrial and provident society operating in England. However, parishes could form consortiums with one of the above types of organisations. Parishes may also wish to alert their community partners to this opportunity.

http://www.ourdigitalcommunity.org/ and Twitter: @ourdigitalcomm

Some community organisations are already developing their own broadband networks, online archives and apps – harnessing local can-do and know-how to develop digital assets and enterprises for social benefit as well as to generate an income. 

Community organisations sometimes lack the confidence and experience of working with IT professionals to enhance the tremendous work they undertake offline – online. But, our communities are reservoirs of immense talent and, working together, we believe people from broad-ranging backgrounds can learn to collaborate to forge the best possible solutions.
That's why the Government is backing Our Digital Community – an online peer network and learning programme being hosted by The Creative Coop to help social enterprises and community organisations who want to explore new ways of working with IT professionals in a supported environment. 

So, whether you want to manage a service with a digital component, have an idea for a new digital service or enterprise, or want to make use of open data for the benefit of your community – and, crucially, no matter what you know already about technology - you can access peer support or express interest in joining the Learning Programme and make a start today: http://www.ourdigitalcommunity.org/ 

The Learning Programme: Digital Service & Enterprise Development
- The modular course will be delivered over a period of three months from September 2013. Formats for learning will include face-to-face group meetings, online seminars, one-to-one skype sessions and interaction with a host of bespoke resources.

- Will work with you to understand your idea, translate/enhance your idea using technology, prototype, prove and document your concept, develop a functional specification, engage in business modelling

- Ultimately, participants will be supported to undertake the preparatory work needed to apply for feasibility funding/investment from broad-ranging organisations so they can graduate to build and test their digital services and enterprises in practice.

Practical examples:

• The Lyme Regis Development Trust built the UK's largest pop-up wireless network to enhance the experience of visitors to the annual Lyme Regis Fossil Festival, and is now undertaking a feasibility study to explore the potential to establish a more substantial network on a permanent basis, linked to its efforts to build an ambitious Jurassic Coast Studies Centre in the locale. It has also worked with its partners, the Natural History Museum, to develop a number of related apps.
• Toynbee Hall helps organisations and individuals tackle financial exclusion through a range of consultancy, training and financial capability services, and is exploring the potential to enhance its offline service using technology – in particular, to deliver better for less outcomes in respect of its Financial Inclusion health check: http://www.communityknowledgetransfer.org.uk/blog/brief-overview-toynbee-halls-first-digital-asset
• The Hastings Pier and Whiterock Trust is taking ownership of Hastings pier to kick-start local regeneration efforts. Integral to its work, the Trust plans to establish a 'Living Pier' - that is, an intelligent physical space that is seamlessly connected with its surroundings, using smart information and communication technologies to create a fully immersive, interactive and educational visitor experience. In the first instance, it has plans to develop a series of augmented reality embedded postcards.