Tackling The Digital Divide

An estimated 9% of families in the UK do not have a laptop, desktop or tablet at home. In Westminster, research has shown that in some schools 35-45% of children in each year group had no access to the internet or rely on one shared family smartphone for access. The pandemic has made this digital divide even more stark and has shown that digital access is not a luxury but a necessity for young people. Now Young Westminster Foundation – a charity focused on Westminster’s young people – is working to tackle digital exclusion in the borough by providing up to 5,000 laptops and free broadband to young people and their families.

Westminster City Council has already funded 750 devices for young people and  Young Westminster Foundation is now looking to work with local businesses, as well as individuals and key partners, to provide further funding. The project will supply digital devices plus one year of free broadband where needed.

If your organisation wants to join the effort to end digital exclusion in Westminster, get in touch with our Smarter Giving Manager Kate at smartergiving@bakerstreetq.co.uk.