ICT is now a big part of everyday life, but not for everybody. The Peer Review on the Galician Digital Volunteering Programme (VolDIX) focused on possible ways to avoid social exclusion to go digital.

© jesussanz, Fotolia

Host Country: Spain

Date: 25 March 2014

Peer countries: Belgium - Czech Republic - Poland - Portugal - Romania - Sweden - United Kingdom

The Galician Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare hosted in Santiago de Compostela (Spain) on 25 March 2014 a Peer Review on the Galician Digital Volunteering Programme (VolDIX). The programme exploits various forms of voluntary participation to combat digital and social exclusion as part of a broader effort to build an Information Society for all.

The key points emerged from the Peer Review are:

• Digital inclusion policies are strictly connected to social inclusion. As such they are relevant to the targets specified in the Europe 2020 strategy and supported by the Social Investment Package (SIP).    
• Inequalities in terms of ICT skills have scarcely narrowed in the last decade.
• Digitally excluded people often cumulate disadvantages e.g. both low education level and being unemployed. These disadvantages need to be tackled simultaneously.
• A “one size fits all” approach is not feasible and different solutions are therefore to be encouraged.
• Robust methodologies and adequate data collection shall support a more accurate assessment of the social outcomes of digital inclusion programmes.
• The impact of the programme on the desired outcome should always be assessed and valuable lessons, particularly as for proof of failures, must be shared.

Peer Review Manager

Ms Ulrike Hiebl (ÖSB Consulting GmbH)