A scrapbook of our journey tackling technology together

In the East Midlands region of the UK, DAIN recruited and trained over 100 unemployed individuals to help over 1000 people in their local communities.

Digital activists helped people with getting an address choosing a service provider shopping online dating online looking at holiday venues booking tickets using skype uploading photos writing memoirs accessing services and much more joining facebook doing google searches creating a CV searching for jobs building their family tree

Sessions in libraries, community centres, markets, museums, shopping arcades and pubs

Our locations

Digital activists Getting certificates at the end of the training course

Training course materials are available for anyone to use as a guest on the community learning environment, and as an offline workbook.

Digital activists were involved in every aspect, including the steering group. We used social media all through the project

Local and national campaigns iTea!

NIACE led our transnational work Preparing for estonia – before the volcano! Delayed – but eventually filming in Tallin The team in Berlin Hard at work blogging in Brussels!

wrote and produced newsletters Digital activists blogged made films

Launch movie What we did to 2010 European Year of Volunteering good practice movie Berlin Brussels..... and films were made about the project. Inspiring Learning Award Winners ALW 2012

In March 2012, we celebrated the end of DAIN phase 1. Our Digital Activist award winners

I want to deal with computers more with understanding than with fear Really fired my enthusiasm to get stuck in – given me the confidence to go to the library and have a go myself This kind of help is not available anywhere else Very very good tasters. 1 to 1 really helps. What people said about DAIN and our satisfaction ratings!

I can’t help notice the joy on people’s faces when they realise that they’ve actually learnt something useful to them for a change. I suddenly realised they were talking to me as a responsible adult, which no-one has done for a long time...the DAIN project has been a very positive and worthwhile experience, giving me what I suspect will be a lifelong interest in community and voluntary work (indeed it has been a catalyst for me getting involved in other voluntary work). Although still unemployed, it has provided me with an opportunity to develop new skills as well as more confidence as I face the challenges of today’s job market. I learned lots of new skills, meeting different people, being given a free laptop to use in the community, travel expenses paid, and being given a chance to go to Estonia..travel expenses and support through guidance and counselling helped me stay on the project. and DAs said.....

and the evaluators said We have been delighted to meet many DAs and hear of some inspirational work. Their personal progress, commitment and ingenuity are impressive. The open and reflective way in which DAs have shared their thoughts on DAIN and what it has meant to them has been insightful. We have never seen a project where the satisfaction rating in the community has been universally so high. There is a real need for a continued presence and to find new ways to reach the difficult target of the most excluded. DAs have worked on undeterred by external circumstances such as the unforeseen economic climate and it has been rewarding to see how national initiatives such as Race on Line have adopted methods and training piloted by DAIN. Other European organisations have been inspired by DAIN successes and are keen to emulate materials and idea. cont

Resourcefulness and perceptiveness has abounded and deserves a wide audience and a longer term future. So, we are working on phase 2!

The DAIN project was led by the Workers’ Educational Association East Midlands click on throughout this presentation to look at the links