Addressing Digital Poverty Through Community Engagement

Poverty is a significant factor in digital exclusion. Discover was a Stoke-on-Trent, HM Government UK Community Renewal Funded project, delivered between November 2021 and December 2022 which aimed to boost digital inclusion in the city. Originally designed to deliver a series of short courses to the most digitally excluded people in the city, the team reflected the need to create innovative approaches to engagement and training delivery to meet their aspirations. This chapter will provide an overview of the Discover Digital pop-up shop and its role in helping the project reach communities most digitally isolated. It will explore the role it played in helping people access grants for digital equipment, and its role in building relationships that made people feel able to ask for the help and support they need.