Plugging the Digital Skills Gap in North Tyneside.

Society is undergoing a digital transition where many day-to- day activities are becoming dependent on having access to the internet. This is creating a negative impact on older and disabled residents who are unable to maintain their independence because they are not in control. Lack of skills, unseen benefits, privacy, and cyber activity are some of the comments made by our residents as to why they have not invested time in digital learning. in sum, for older people, it is resistance to change, self-perception and lack of confidence, whereas younger disabled children and adults, it is potential abuse, cyber bullying, and physical/intellectual digital access issues. We can all do more to bridge the Digital Divide. So come along to one of our Digital Drop-in services to get involved either as a volunteer or, if you are new to the digital world, to make friends while you learn.

Both our website and blog are built social capital, incorporating community development practices where ownership is shared, where governance is not exclusive but inclusive and where diversity is embraced. As web-based community service we adopt social accounting to understand how our community strategies work. We can obtain qualitative information about life changing impacts on those participating; the type of user that the internet can support and, importantly, the mapping of individuals in relation to community involvement, including those who become digital champions The park View website lends itself to capturing and archiving data that can be reproduced in a number of formats.