DLNGO - Digital Literacy Education Frameworks for Social Sector

Project summary

Digital innovation is a hot topic that is very relevant today. However in order for individuals to get to digital innovation, they must first have strong digital literacy skills. If you do not know how to use technology, you cannot be expected to play a part in its innovation. NGOs (i.e. non-profits, charities, social enterprises, civil society organisations, third sector, social service providers, etc.) makeup one of the largest sectors of our economy, employing millions across Europe. However, NGOs and their employees and volunteers are some of least digitally literate, due to the fact that they cannot afford to invest in proper digital training. Furthermore, not only are NGOs lacking in digital literacy, but the constituents that they typically serve (i.e. low income communities, refugees, disabled people, elderly, rural youth, etc.) are even more disadvantaged when it comes to digital literacy. Thus the NGO sector not only needs better digital competencies themselves, but they also play a crucial role in spreading digital literacy practices to the most marginalised and disadvantaged parts of our society. The general objective of the DLNGO project is the exchange of best practices to shape a basic educational framework for digital literacy in the NGO sector at a European level, integrating the expertise of partners engaged in different topics related to technology for social good. This will contribute to efforts in increasing competencies of NGO employees and volunteers on digital literacy, that is, providing them with accessible training on how to improve their digital skills and lay the groundwork for a European wide standardised digital literacy programme that can be scaled throughout the EU. We chose the project partners on the basis of their engagement and expertise in digital literacy, digital social innovation, ability to reach disadvantaged communities, and of course, their keen interest in the DLNGO project. They also have strong working relationships with one another as members of the TechSoup Europe network (www.techsoupeurope.org). All members share a common vision and mission — to strengthen the local communities and non-profits they reach with technology, know-how, and access to peers, experts, volunteers, grants, and other resources. This network also is made up of foundational, visionary leaders in the European non-profit sector who share a mission to wisely steward shared resources and make it easier for civil sector stakeholders to connect and have collective impact, growing in the process. The 8 members who will partake in this project are: Les Ateliers du Bocage (France), the Fundraising Verband Austria (Austria), Fundacja TechSoup (Poland), ILUNION TA (Spain), Mozaik Foundation (Bosnia and Herzegovina), SocialTechno (Italy), SOCIALware (Belgium), GURT (Ukraine). The activities involved as part of this project are: - Identify and explore currently existing digital literacy best practices. - Organise and analyse the results of the information that was collected to identify synergies, areas of biggest need, best practices, key content, and to begin shaping a basic digital literacy framework for NGOs. - Further shape the basic education framework for NGOs by identifying/mapping out existing and future content for a potential curriculum that would guide an NGO on their digital transformation journey. - Explore how partners could provide digital literacy for underserved communities (migrants and refugees, disabled people. etc.). Partners will also strategise and discuss how to organise and implement a Europe wide digital literacy programme that can be scaled. The main result that we expect from the DLNGO project is that it will contribute to the development and enhancement of the digital literacy programmes of each of the project partners in their respective regions, which serves a vast network of NGOs. We expect to learn from each others’ digital literacy practices, identify synergies, come up with effective ways to continue working together through the exchange of ideas, practices, experiences, and methodologies among partners. We hope to see the following long-term benefits: Improving the digital skills of adult learners in the social sector to narrow the digital literacy gap; Integrating online participatory learning, web social learning, peer learning, and self-learning practices into digital literacy programmes; Stimulating NGOs towards digital literacy improvement and professionalisation.