Hope Amplified

The Digital Inclusion Initiative is both a financial and computer wellness activity geared towards ensuring that participants money is managed well; that they have access to appropriate financial services and can manage their money on a day to day basis; and they can plan for the future and deal effectively with unexpected financial pressures due to welfare reform. Workshops included those on computer literacy & numeracy.
The project sought to increase the "Digital Inclusion Initiative" due to an increase in demand from families and young people of African community resident in Cambuslang, Springhall, Whitlawburn and Rutherglen area of South Lanarkshire. It is a regeneration area with a population of 13000 people. It consists of high-rise flats, tenement and back and front door houses. The hub of the area is a rather bleak, windswept shopping mall that also contains a local community services centre.
More than half of the local population live in a bottom 15% ranked ' income derived' zone. The neighbourhood is one of the most deprived in Scotland in terms of opportunity and activities for the youth and the elderly.
The initiative started as a pilot project and has seen an exponential increase in demand from the community stemming from Welfare cuts. The Initiative ran a two hour session every Friday with 12 residents in attendance.
The outcome of the project sample was very worrying, more so, for the African (formerly asylum seeker and refugees) communities who are at the bottom of the ladder with respect to financial exclusion and computer literacy. The Pilot project shows that over 81% (37) of the 44-young people from the African communities are unable to use the computer to access or use basic financial services and products such as bank accounts, credit cards or affordable loan, which make it difficult for people to manage their money, cope with financial pressures as a result of the welfare cuts and plan for the future.

Context: Hope Amplify is a community-led organisation working & supporting vulnerable and disadvantaged family, young and children in every aspect of life ensuring they are given every possible chance to meet their full potential and to participate fully in society.
They ensure people from this disadvantaged community are given a fairer chance to develop their social, employment and life skills. They advance the education of the disadvantaged and vulnerable in the community by encouraging and developing their skills.

Stakeholders involved: SCVO

Key learning points: NEI.

Evaluation: No

Information sources: https://scvo.org.uk/funding/community-capacity-resilience-fund/projects/a0gb00000129R1dAAE/digital-inclusion-initiative

Read the full analysis: https://www.hopeamplified.org.uk/