Citizens Online is a UK basic digital skills and digital inclusion charity that was founded in 2000 by Mark Adams and CEO John Fisher. Its aim is to ensure this switch to online doesn't exclude people, and help to bridge the

digital divide The digital divide is the unequal access to information technology, digital technology, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, and the internet. The digital divide worsens inequality around access to information and resources. In the Information ...

. The group works to help other organisations with the impacts of the switch to online services. The main service offered by Citizens Online is called Switch, which won "Best Digital Inclusion Product or Service" in the Digital Leaders Award for best product in 2015.

Current projects

*Digital Gwynedd Gwynedd Ddigidol launched in October 2015 with funding from the

Big Lottery Fund The National Lottery Community Fund, legally named the Big Lottery Fund, is a non-departmental public body responsible for distributing funds raised by the National Lottery for " good causes". It is the largest community funder in the UK and ...

, as an initial partnership between Gwynedd County Council and Citizens Online to work together to tackle digital exclusion across Gwynedd. As of January 2018 there were 35 partners involved in the project including Digital Communities Wales, Job Centre Plus, Cartrefi Cymru,

Citizens Advice Citizens AdviceCitizens Advice is the operating name of The National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux, which is the umbrella charity for a wider network of local advice centres. The abbreviation CitA is sometimes used to refer to this natio ...

Gwynedd, Cyngor Gwynedd and BT. *Digital Brighton and Hove launched in February 2016 as a partnership with Brighton and Hove City Council and Citizens Online. The project was initially funded by Big Lottery Fund and BT. As of January 2018 there were 130 organisations working together in the cross sector partnership to tackle digital exclusion.

Fix the Web

Fix the Web was Citizens Online's project to address digital accessibility issues for disabled people. The project won an award, was featured on the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

and supported by

Stephen Fry Sir Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director, narrator and writer. He came to prominence as a member of the comic act Fry and Laurie alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring in ''A Bit of ...

. An

animation Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby still images are manipulated to create moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Animati ...

about the basics of web and software accessibility was launched on

Global Accessibility Awareness Day Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) is a consciousness-raising awareness day focusing on digital access and inclusion for the more than one billion people alive today who live with disabilities or impairments. It is marked annually on the th ...

in 2015, but the project failed to attract sufficient funding and is on hiatus.

With BT

Corporations have played a role in the understanding and delivery of digital inclusion. Citizens Online have previously worked with and for

BT Group BT Group plc (formerly British Telecom) is a British Multinational corporation, multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered in London, England. It has operations in around 180 countries and is the largest provider of fixed-li ...

Together, Citizens Online and BT supported research into the

Social return on investment Social return on investment (SROI) is a principles-based method for measuring extra-financial value (such as environmental or social value) not otherwise reflected or involved in conventional financial accounts. The method can be used by any ent ...

created by digital inclusion activity. BT's Get IT Together programme was run by Citizens Online in communities in the UK. Citizens Online was also involved in delivering BT's Everybody Online initiative, which started in 2002. EverybodyOnline included delivering basic digital skills to groups within specific demographics, such as people affected by homelessness in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

. Citizens Online also reviewed BT's computer giveaway programme Community Connections.

Research and lobbying

Primarily, Citizens Online focus on delivery of projects, however the organisation has also lobbied the UK government for greater input and join up around the digital inclusion agenda, including a speech at the

Institute for Public Policy Research The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) is a Progressivism, progressive think tank based in London. It was founded in 1988 by Clive Hollick, Baron Hollick, Lord Hollick and John Eatwell, Baron Eatwell, Lord Eatwell, and is an independen ...

. A

white paper A white paper is a report or guide that informs readers concisely about a complex issue and presents the issuing body's philosophy on the matter. It is meant to help readers understand an issue, solve a problem, or make a decision. Since the 199 ...

produced with Trapeze Transformation suggested that digital inclusion is a systemic issue needing system-wide solutions and laid the foundations for the Switch programme of work. Citizens Online have also done research for Government Departments and agencies such as Nidirect and

BECTA Becta, originally known as the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency, was a non-departmental public body (popularly known as a Quango) funded by the Department for Education and its predecessor departments, in the United King ...

Award schemes

Citizens Online have run; the 'Innovation on the Community' award scheme with

AOL AOL (formerly a company known as AOL Inc. and originally known as America Online) is an American web portal and online service provider based in New York City, and a brand marketed by Yahoo! Inc. The service traces its history to an online ...

, the

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company, technology conglomerate headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975, the company became influential in the History of personal computers#The ear ...

Community Learning Awards, TalkTalk Digital Hero Awards, and the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...

One Digital

Citizens Online are part of the One Digital partnership with

Age UK Age UK is a registered charity in the United Kingdom, formed on 25 February 2009 and launched on 1 April 2009, as a merging of Age Concern England and Help the Aged. Despite the national merger, many local Age Concern charities decided not to ...

Clarion Housing Group Clarion Housing Group is the largest housing association in the United Kingdom with 125,000 properties across more than 170 local authorities. Clarion Provides a home to over 350,000 people. Clarion is based in London Borough of Camden, Camd ...

, Digital Unite, and

Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is the national membership body for Scotland’s voluntary organisations. SCVO's mission is to champion the role of voluntary organisations in building a flourishing society and support them ...

. One Digital is funded by the

References

External links

* {{official website, www.citizensonline.org.uk
Fix The Web

One Digital
Digital divide Information technology organisations based in the United Kingdom Non-profit organisations based in the United Kingdom Organisations based in Gloucestershire Organizations established in 2000 Stroud