Digitober may be over, but Stockport Digifest is around the corner!
We're planning more activities to engage residents with digital, as it's an essential part of everyday life.
During Greater Manchester’s ‘Digitober’, we showcased many of the ways we’re using digital in Stockport. The highlight of the month was Get Online Week, when we participated in the UK’s largest digital inclusion campaign to help people access the internet or improve their digital skills. There were more than one hundred events at different locations in Stockport, organised by the community groups and organisations that are part of the DigiKnow community network.
Councillor Jilly Julian, Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources, says: “The internet offers so many opportunities for improving lives, from finding work to saving money, finding information to staying in touch with friends and communities. But we know that there can be lots of barriers to people being able to comfortably and confidently access the online world, and lots of people in Stockport are not enjoying these benefits. That’s why the DigiKnow network hosted events across Stockport during Get Online Week, to help people do things online. It was a wonderful initiative and I’m thankful to everyone who made it possible. It was completely inspiring to meet residents taking their first steps online and the Digital Champions who supported them.”
But it’s not all over because there’s more to come! We are excited to announce that Stockport Digifest is coming soon as part of Stockport’s Town of Culture year. Stockport Digifest celebrates digital creativity and innovation, featuring workshops, competitions, live streams and more. You can explore digital arts, music, movement and crafts and discover new ways to express yourself.
Cllr Julian continues: “Digifest will be lots of fun, but also educational. We want to showcase the diverse and creative aspects of digital technology. Learning new digital skills in a creative way can also open up new opportunities and benefits for people in many different areas of life.”
Grants of up to £2,000 are available to DigiKnow Alliance members to run events to inspire more people to get online through digital makes, sounds, moves and tastes. The fund is open until 1 December 2023. Find out more and apply. You can learn more about joining the alliance on the council’s DigiKnow web pages or by emailing digital@stockport.gov.uk.
Stockport Digifest is happening in February 2024. If you’d like to learn more about digital before then, DigiKnow, with free community classes and a Device Lending Library, can help. Call the DigiKnow Helpline on 07724 217888, visit https://www.stockport.gov.uk/topic/help-doing-things-online or drop into your local library.
