{"alias":"blogEntry","byline":"By Tom Bell, Digital Community of Practice Lead","standfirst":"Now, more than ever, embracing digital has never been so important. From ordering your groceries to booking train tickets, or catching up with friends on a video call, technology is useful to so many aspects of our lives \u2013 personally, at work and at Scouts.","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EOne of the things that makes me so proud to volunteer with Scouts is how diverse we are \u2013 we\u0027ve volunteers from all walks of life, with all sorts of different careers and skillsets. From nurses, lawyers and teachers to astronauts!\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe all have our part to play, and we all bring something different to the table. Some feel more confident in their digital skills, and some less so, but that\u2019s still OK.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAs we look to embrace our journey to become a digital first organisation (but not digital only), how we use \u003Ca href=\u0022https://www.scouts.org.uk/volunteers/learning-development-and-awards/digital-skills-and-inclusion/\u0022\u003Enew digital tools and systems\u003C/a\u003E will play an important part in how we can make our lives as volunteers easier.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhether it\u2019s using OneDrive to store your Trustee Board\u2019s minutes, using Zoom to host an international sleepover for your Beavers, or rolling out Microsoft365 for your District, and everything in between, there\u2019s a tech solution for almost everything!\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAs we embark on the next chapter of volunteer experience, we\u2019ll be introducing new systems and tools. We want to do everything we can to help you, our volunteers, to be confident when using technology.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThat\u2019s why we\u2019ve created a brand new \u003Cspan\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https://digitalskills.scouts.org.uk/\u0022 title=\u0022Digital Skills tool\u0022\u003EDigital Skills tool\u003C/a\u003E\u003C/span\u003E \u2013 something that\u2019s been built with volunteers at every stage, and is designed to enable volunteers to learn and help each other develop and grow.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe Digital Skills tool\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen we looked to develop our plan for becoming digital-first, we knew we had to do something to support our volunteers. It had to be something more than just a manual, and something that can help them develop their digital literacy as a whole.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESome volunteers are using technology day-in-day-out in their professional live, as well as in their volunteering lives to make their lives easier. But, we also know others may be using technology far less and prefer to use more traditional methods to help them in their volunteering roles.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"value":"https://player.vimeo.com/video/837973811?h=be5c4e7579\u0026amp;app_id=122963","gridType":"embed","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass"},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EThe \u003Ca href=\u0022https://digitalskills.scouts.org.uk/\u0022\u003EDigital Skills tool\u003C/a\u003E has been built with all of our volunteers at the heart.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ERight from the start, volunteers have been involved in its creation. They\u0027ve taken in part in workshops to identify the skills that would be useful to develop and supported us through to the testing to make sure it\u2019s easy enough to use.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe\u2019re also thankful for the professional help from Nominet, Yalla and CAST, who all helped support the tool\u2019s development.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe \u003Ca href=\u0022https://digitalskills.scouts.org.uk/\u0022\u003EDigital Skills tool\u003C/a\u003E allows you to do three things:\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Col\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EReceive tailored learning\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EGet help with tasks\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EGet personalised support\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003C/ol\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETailored Learning\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ETailored learning is all about bitesize learning.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EYou can complete a quiz, either by yourself or with someone else, and the \u003Ca href=\u0022https://digitalskills.scouts.org.uk/\u0022\u003EDigital Skills tool\u003C/a\u003E will serve you recommendations based on skills gaps it identifies. As you complete more activities your score goes up. You can save your progress as you go along by creating an account which is quick and easy to do.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe tool has over 300 curated activities dedicated to the digitals skills that\u0027ll make your life as a volunteer easier. The activities are focused around different areas, including administration, programme planning, keeping data safe and much more. The tool offers a range of different learning methods including curated online articles, tutorials and step-by-step guides.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhy curated? There are thousands of tutorials out there, but our content has been checked by other Scouts volunteers to make sure it\u2019s accurate and reliable. We\u2019ve picked the best articles and tutorials based on your needs as a volunteer.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGet help with tasks\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWant to learn how to schedule a Zoom call? Maybe you want to try Zoom\u0027s Breakout Rooms function? This is the place for you. Using the \u003Ca href=\u0022https://digitalskills.scouts.org.uk/\u0022\u003EDigital Skills tool\u003C/a\u003E, you can search for what you want to do and even the platform you\u2019d like to use. The tool will then provide you with the content you need to help you.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThere\u2019s a range of different Scout related tasks and platforms we can use, from Microsoft and Google to Zoom and WhatsApp. The \u003Ca href=\u0022https://digitalskills.scouts.org.uk/\u0022\u003EDigital Skills tool\u003C/a\u003E should cover the wide breath of different platforms that are being used by volunteers across the UK.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPersonalised support\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBut what if what I\u2019m looking for isn\u2019t on the \u003Ca href=\u0022https://digitalskills.scouts.org.uk/\u0022\u003EDigital Skills tool\u003C/a\u003E? We know we\u2019ve got some super digital savvy volunteers across Scouts.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EPersonalised support is all about getting help with a specific thing you want to do, from setting up Zoom meetings for your local area to organising a virtual camp for Jamboree on the Air. This is where our peer-to-peer network of Digital Champions come in.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDigital Champions\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EDigital Champions are Scout volunteers who also have a passion for helping others learn about digital. Whether they work in a digital space, are studying at University or they love tinkering with tech at home, these are volunteers who\u2019ve signed up on the platform to help you.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe know that peer-to-peer learning has been proven to work, especially with helping people learn digital skills.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOn the tool, you can request support from a Digital Champion and it can take place either over email or the phone \u2013 or even a coffee if they\u2019re local!\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EChampions can also suggest content where they feel there are gaps on the tool, which\u2019ll help us to grow it over time.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EDo you think you could be a Champion? So far we\u2019ve over 50 Digital Champions registered on the tool, but we\u2019re always looking for more. You can volunteer as a Digital Champion for as little or as much time as you\u2019d like \u2013 \u003Cspan\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https://digitalskills.scouts.org.uk/\u0022 title=\u0022Digital Skills tool\u0022\u003Ehead to the Digital Skills tool to sign up\u003C/a\u003E\u003C/span\u003E!\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/21256/30.jpg","width":6000,"height":4000,"altText":"Image of a male volunteer wearing a UK necker in front of a screen with a laptop","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EThe \u003Ca href=\u0022https://digitalskills.scouts.org.uk/\u0022\u003EDigital Skills tool\u003C/a\u003E is now available and we can\u2019t wait to see what you learn, or if you\u2019re a Champion, what you create.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhile we\u2019re excited to see everyone start using it, we\u2019re aware that a basic requirement is to have the ability and equipment to be able to access it.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAs part of our \u003Cspan\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https://www.scouts.org.uk/volunteers/learning-development-and-awards/digital-skills-and-inclusion/\u0022 title=\u0022Digital Skills Tool guidance\u0022\u003Eonline guidance for the tool\u003C/a\u003E\u003C/span\u003E, we\u2019ve created a section around digital inclusion. This provides links and support to help unlock training and equipment from other national charities, such as the \u003Cspan\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https://www.goodthingsfoundation.org/\u0022 title=\u0022Good Things Foundation\u0022\u003EGood Things Foundation.\u003C/a\u003E\u003C/span\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe can\u2019t wait to see the difference the tool will make to helping volunteers across the UK. It was fantastic to see the tool already gain recognition as featured as part of a wider package.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIt came runner-up in the Digital Leaders 100 Awards for Digital Skills or Talent Initiative of the Year (Product or Service) category, after being up against some other great initiatives from other brilliant organisations.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EDigital plays such a huge part in enabling us to do what we do best - giving our 400,000 young people across the UK skills for life.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":null,"pageType":null,"location":null,"versionDate":"04 July 2023","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[{"caption":"","title":"Looking to the Future: Coventry","url":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2023/june/looking-to-the-future-in-coventry/","newWindow":false},{"caption":"","title":"Continuing our journey to the future","url":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2023/april/continuing-our-journey-to-the-future/","newWindow":false}],"relatedLinks":[{"caption":"","title":"Visit the Digital Skills tool","url":"https://digitalskills.scouts.org.uk/","newWindow":false},{"caption":"","title":"Get help from a Digital Champion","url":"https://digitalskills.scouts.org.uk/request-digital-champion","newWindow":false},{"caption":"","title":"Good Things Foundation","url":"https://www.goodthingsfoundation.org/","newWindow":false}],"id":50431,"nodeName":"Let\u2019s talk about digital skills and why they\u2019re so important","title":"Let\u2019s talk about digital skills and why they\u2019re so important","type":"blogEntry","image":{"url":"/media/21256/30.jpg?cc=0,0.0786120062893081,0,0.07763799371069176\u0026width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1dae985841769a0","caption":"Digital skills volunteer holds presentation","type":"jpg","size":7684147,"width":6000,"height":4000,"altText":"A volunteer wearing a UK necker stands in front of a screen with a laptop."},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"Let\u2019s talk about digital skills and why they\u2019re so important","headerSubTitle":null,"headerCta":null,"headerCtaText":null,"headerCtaLink":null,"headerBackgroundColour":null,"showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":null},"subHeader":"Our Digital Skills tool is here to help you learn and manage your digital tasks or gain support from a Digital Champion.","browserTitle":null,"silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC81MDQzMSJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2023/july/let-s-talk-about-digital-skills-and-why-they-re-so-important/"}