Representing the National Youth Agency here. Our main concern lies with how reliant young people are on digital connection for inclusion. With a digital poverty there are many young people that will be affected with the phase out of 3G
The biggest sunsets have happened in countries where English is not their first language and the communication campaigns in their mother tongue were key to the success of the progress of the sunsets. Japan was a great example. Here is the report on APAC: https://www.gsma.com/connectivity-for-good/spectrum/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Legacy-mobile-network-rationalisation.pdf
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Valuable to see these stats to help contextualise how many people will be affected. Thanks Mani.
Great point Jay - again certain groups of young people (for instance young folk who are care experienced) also more likely to be digitally disadvantaged. And then this. What f you’re just transitioning out of children’s services into your own home for the first time and you depend on an old mobile, with 3G ? How do you make all that work?
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My concern would be about ensuring those who are in remote communities and also where mobile devices are shared. Women are less likely to be owners of mobile phones so getting disconnected in a place where the online space is a lifeline for support for survivors of gender-based violence, would be devastating. To ensure they can remain connected - we need to make sure they’re factored into policy planning.
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Absolutely. Great point Hera.
Safety is such a huge factor - and barrier.
That is true! All those nuances need to be considered when planning a sunset planning. And countries where this happened have done so.
Our second question for today’s discussion:
Completely agree, Hera - we’ve been doing a piece of work around digital inclusion and supporting women and girls who are victims of violence. So often the phone is a lifeline - to essential services, to escape even.
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So true Rhys, this will undoubtedly impact some of the most vulnerable in our communities, further impact the disadvantages they are facing. Getting clear information out to them and making them aware of shut down crucial. Often people will think it is something THEY have done wrong, and won’t realise the wider problem.
To engage vulnerable groups in rural communities requires a multi layered approach. Societal connections may be more infrequent or less accessible when vulnerable in a rural setting, and so there becomes the need to present messages through a variety of sources to ensure they reach those on the outer fringes of their community.
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In our experience I really think it is about consistency and repetition. For many living in poverty, this will not be at the forefront of minds while people deal with the challenges of every day life. It is no good support organisations flagging this issue once and thinking it’s job done, it needs to be a constant topic on the agenda of each engagement
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Work with partners who are already engaged and supporting these vulnerable groups (health/social care, support groups, community centres, village halls, rural Scotland, crofting communities). Go to these partners and organisations with some practical solutions, rather than just providing information that is likely to cause worry and upset.
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From our experience (again in the context of working in low and middle income countries), it is important to work with trusted community organisations that have access to and relationships with the groups that we’re trying to engage. For example, we wanted to reach women entrepreneurs in a rural community in Vietnam to provide with them access to HerVenture, the Foundation’s an entrepreneurship skills development app (HerVenture - Cherie Blair Foundation for Women).
To build their confidence and trust in the product, we worked with a local business association that had a physical presence in the region and were known within the local community. The business association’s staff visited women in the local community and discussed (in person) the benefits of the app. Although the women were interested in the app, they required training on how to use the app so through the business association, we also ran in-person training workshops so that trainers could provide 1:1 support to women who wanted to use the app to strengthen their business skills. While our primary purpose was to increase their access to entrepreneurship skills training to enable the women to run stronger, more resilient businesses, we also indirectly improved their confidence in using digital tools.
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Communicate clear messages and strategies to those statutory and voluntary organisations that work with vulnerable groups. For example
Carers organisations – such as Crossroads
· Social Services
· Local councils
· Citizens Advice
· GP surgeries
· Age UK
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A ‘helping hand’ scheme is required to help (logistically and if required financially) older and vulnerable consumers to transition to newer handsets and technologies; Additionally, a nationwide awareness campaign is required
Short answer (less from Chayn’s experience and from things I’ve heard from peers in our sector):
Health workers, Educators (Especially on wheels programs), Religious leaders, SMS and Radio!
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Having consistent comms across key services and partners will alos be important, so that individuals who are engaging with multiple services are getting a consistent message that will remove confusion
We need clear and targeted communications as per the above comments - in accessible formats (inc. larger font sizes) and multiple languages
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