How to change lives with Get Online Week 2024

In 2024, Get Online Week, the annual campaign run by Good Things Foundation,  aims to reach 25,000 digitally excluded people, helping them understand and experience how getting online can help them become happier, healthier, and better off. Taking place from Monday 14 October to Sunday 20 October, the week will consist of free local events hosted by community organisations up and down the UK.

In the UK today, 8.5 million people lack basic digital skills to use technology and the internet, 7.5 million working age adults don’t have the right level of digital skills for work, 3.7 million families aren’t equipped with the right level of connectivity at home, and 2.4 million households can’t afford a mobile contract. 

Good Things Foundation says, “People who are disconnected due to lack of access or skills are digitally excluded. They’re locked out of our modern society and often experience loneliness, social and financial exclusion, and poor health outcomes.” 

Below, we explore the three key ways you can help. 

Host an event 

Hosting a digital inclusion event can be a fun and engaging way to introduce people in your local community to the digital world, helping them get online safely, confidently, and affordably. 

Local events provide an approachable place for people to gain experience using digital technology and ask questions.   

Good Things Foundations’ Event-holder Toolkit, which you can download below, provides a step-by-step guide to putting on a successful, safe, and fun event for your community. It includes a range of ideas for event themes, from the “Techy tea party” to the “Online cook along”. The toolkit includes a checklist for promotion and logistics of the event, as well as other advice to help on your way. 

Comments from past event hosts reveal that the events can be exciting for staff and attendees, bring together new people, gain interest from other local organisations and community boards, mark the start of new digital inclusion projects, and be an effective way to promote your organisation. 

Download the Event-holder Toolkit 

Raise awareness 

If you’re not in the position to host an event, it’s also beneficial to signpost your charity stakeholders to the events taking place, if they need help with basic digital skills or access. This might be for example service users or volunteers. There are over 900 free community events taking place across the UK during Get Online Week, helping attendees boost their digital skills and confidence. 

Explore the map: Events near you 

Another way to participate in Get Online Week is to raise awareness of the challenges that digitally excluded people face. The #ConnectIn5 challenge is a way to do just that. The challenge helps bring digital inclusion to the forefront and encourage others to reflect on their own digital experiences and how they can help.  

Here’s how it works: