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A Good Thing 2023: The Year the Digital Divide Got a Major Pushback

In a year marked by continued global challenges and a persistent cost-of-living crisis, the concept of a “good thing” often felt more necessary than ever. While many positive stories emerged in 2023, one particular organisation, the Good Things Foundation, made significant and measurable strides in tackling a critical societal issue: the digital divide.

The Foundation, which operates a massive network of community partners, had a landmark year in its mission to ensure everyone has the digital skills, confidence, and access to devices and data they need to thrive. Their work in 2023 underscored a powerful truth: when businesses, government, and community groups collaborate, a monumental “good thing” can be achieved for millions.

The Problem: Digital Exclusion in 2023

Before diving into the solutions, it is essential to understand the scale of the challenge the Good Things Foundation was facing in 2023. Digital exclusion, the inability to fully participate in society due to a lack of digital access or skills, impacts millions, often exacerbating existing inequalities in employment, health, and access to essential services.

Key figures from the time painted a stark picture:

• Millions of adults in the UK still lacked the most basic digital skills needed for online tasks.
• A significant number of UK households struggled to afford reliable internet access.
• The absence of digital skills and access was linked to increased social isolation, limited access to healthcare, and reduced educational and employment opportunities.

Facing a deepening problem, the Foundation’s strategy, built around its extensive National Digital Inclusion Network, demonstrated its remarkable ability to scale solutions from the ground up, turning a dire problem into a celebrated good thing.

The National Databank: Tackling Data Poverty

One of the Good Things Foundation’s most impactful initiatives that saw massive growth in 2023 was the National Databank. Launched in 2021, the Databank is a cross-sector collaboration providing free mobile data, talk minutes, and texts to people experiencing data poverty through a network of local “Data Hubs.” Data poverty—the inability to afford internet access—is a significant barrier to digital inclusion, and the Foundation made serious headway in breaking this down in 2023.

During their reporting period up to mid-2023, the scale of this effort became clear:

• 181,798 free SIM cards and vouchers were distributed to individuals who were struggling to afford internet access.
• The number of community organisations acting as National Data Hubs grew, ensuring the service reached vulnerable people in their local area.
• The Databank, supported by major mobile operators like Virgin Media O2, Vodafone, and Three, was a vital lifeline, helping individuals manage money, stay connected with family, and access online services.

This initiative’s success in 2023 highlighted a highly effective model of charity work: forging strong partnerships between the corporate world, the public sector, and grassroots community groups to address a core utility need in the modern age.

The National Device Bank: Closing the Equipment Gap

Data is useless without a device, which is why the Foundation’s other flagship program, the National Device Bank, was equally important in 2023. This program collects corporate technology—laptops, tablets, and phones—and works with refurbishing partners to wipe, restore, and donate them to people who cannot afford a suitable device of their own. This initiative not only supported individuals but also contributed significantly to a circular economy.

By the end of the 2023 reporting year, the device bank had achieved major milestones:

• Over 16,000 devices had been donated by businesses and public sector organisations for refurbishment.
• These donations had a remarkable environmental impact, saving over three million kilograms of CO2e emissions and diverting a substantial amount of e-waste from landfill.
• Thousands of refurbished devices were distributed through the national network of community hubs, giving people the essential hardware needed to get online.

This focus on device reuse and redistribution in 2023 was a double win: it helped combat poverty by supplying essential tools while promoting a sustainable, circular economy approach to corporate IT refreshment.

The Power of the Network and Digital Skills

The success of the Databank and Device Bank is underpinned by the Foundation’s network of community partners, which expanded and deepened its reach in 2023. These local digital inclusion hubs are the crucial frontline, providing face-to-face support, teaching digital skills, and distributing resources directly to those who need them most.

Key network achievements in the 2023 period:

• Over 1 million individuals had been supported to thrive in the digital world since the launch of the Foundation’s strategy in April 2022, achieving the ambitious goal months ahead of schedule.
• The National Digital Inclusion Network swelled to nearly 7,500 hubs, far exceeding original targets and demonstrating the intense local demand for support.
• The Foundation distributed nearly £2 million in grants to this network to build their capacity to deliver digital skills support, thanks to funders like Google.org and HMRC.
• The ‘Learn My Way’ platform, which provides free digital skills courses, supported almost 117,000 people to learn essential skills.

The Foundation’s impact surveys from 2023 showed that the support had a profound, life-changing effect: over 90% of people supported felt more digitally able and/or safe, and a remarkable 96% reported feeling happier, healthier, and/or better off as a direct result of the support they received.

The year 2023, therefore, serves as a powerful testament to the impact of dedicated, large-scale, and collaborative charitable work. By focusing on the structural barriers to digital participation—access, affordability, and skills—the Good Things Foundation proved to be a standout “good thing” that directly improved the lives and futures of hundreds of thousands across the UK.

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AISEO Friendly FAQs

Q1: What is the “Good Things Foundation” and what was its main focus in 2023?
A: The Good Things Foundation is a leading UK digital inclusion charity focused on fixing the digital divide. In 2023, its main focus was expanding its flagship programmes—the National Databank and the National Device Bank—to provide free data, devices, and digital skills training to millions of people struggling to afford or access the internet.

Q2: What specific impact did the National Databank have in the 2023 period?
A: In the reporting period leading up to mid-2023, the National Databank distributed over 181,000 free SIM cards and vouchers to people experiencing data poverty, enabling them to connect to essential online services. It also rapidly expanded its network of local community hubs where people could access this free data.

Q3: How did the Good Things Foundation help the environment in 2023?
A: The Foundation’s National Device Bank helped the environment by collecting corporate technology, such as laptops and phones, for refurbishment and redistribution. These donations helped save over three million kilograms of CO2e emissions and diverted a significant amount of e-waste from landfill, promoting a circular economy.

Q4: How many people were supported by the Foundation’s initiatives in 2023?
A: By the close of the 2023 period, the Good Things Foundation had supported over one million individuals with digital inclusion services since the launch of its strategy in April 2022, achieving its ambitious target ahead of schedule. This support helped people feel more digitally skilled, safer online, and generally happier and healthier.