Trusted Connections: Digital inclusion in, for and by the North East

What follows was the speech we gave at the beginning of the Digital Festival of Digital Culture and Inclusion. The purpose was to capture the spirit of the project and highlight some of its impact.

Good afternoon, everyone.

It is our pleasure to open the Festival of Digital Culture and Inclusion.

This has been a very rewarding project, and we are glad to be here today to celebrate our collaboration and discuss a topic that is shaping not only our region but also the country and the globe. In a world where digital participation is increasingly tied to opportunity, wellbeing, and social connection, ensuring that everyone …. not just a privileged few …  can navigate digital spaces confidently and safely is absolutely essential. But it is also incredibly hard.

The irony is not lost on us that we say this in a place of such privilege. Literally, we are in a Castle!

Standing here in University College, known for its motto Non nobis solum (not for ourselves alone), we are reminded of something very simple and yet so powerful: that universities have the mission to be influential centres of knowledge and learning not just for ourselves but for others. The knowledge and learning universities produce are only as relevant as the communities they impact. 

While universities are important in the context of technological advancements and societal changes, our challenges look very different from the challenges they had when the university was founded in 1832.

… our collective world is now digital, more complex than ever, and moving at an unpredictable pace. But the principles that make learning meaningful and community important have not changed. We remain reliant on and feel safer when we are ina trusted environment, are part of a supportive community, and have access to mentorship – formalised or otherwise – that helps build confidence. It is exactly these principles that underpin the ethos of our project and our approach to digital inclusion.

This is especially epitomised by the central role of a network of mentors, which has been the glue of this project.

The Trusted Connections project brings together academic expertise, community organisations, and social enterprises to address digital exclusion in a holistic and sustainable way. It focuses on four priority groups who are affected by the digital divide: young people, unemployed adults, NEET young people, and adults aged 55 and over.

What makes Trusted Connections so powerful is the recognition that digital inclusion is not just about skills. It is about confidence. It is about trust. And above all, it is about people, people supporting one another to thrive in a fast paced digital world.

Together as a team, we have developed a shared regional definition of digital inclusion built on four pillars:

1. Access,
2. Digital Literacies,
3. Agency and Empowerment,
4. and Inclusive Participation and Support.

These pillars remind us that digital inclusion is not a transactional process. It is relational. It is about creating environments where learning can develop as a shared venture, where people feel valued and understood in the big or small questions they might have about the digital, and where technology becomes a platform for opportunity and connection – not just online but in the heart of the community – rather than a barrier.

And crucially, this work cannot happen successfully using a top down approach. It happens through communities, by communities, and with communities.

One of the strongest elements of the Trusted Connections project is the development of a mentoring network, the training and support of community based digital champions. These are individuals who know their communities, who understand local needs, and who can build trust where trust is needed but may be fragile at times.

These mentors are much more than tutors. They are trusted and respected guides; they make up an incredibly important living source of knowledge and support network. They help people gain confidence when engaging online, whether that means setting up an email account, navigating online forms, coping with online banking when their local branch disappears from the high street, or understanding how to stay safe in digital spaces and supporting content creation that is sound. Their dedication is extraordinary, and the difference they make is profound.

And so we cannot overstate the importance of trust in this work. Trust is the backbone of this project.  Many individuals facing digital exclusion have had experiences that made them wary: wary of institutions, wary of systems, and sometimes wary of technology itself. Trusted Connections recognises this, emphasising the value of human centred digital experiences that allow people to participate fully, safely, and ethically.

And this is where the partnership between universities and communities becomes ever so vital.

Universities bring research expertise, but communities bring lived experience, cultural perspectives, and trusted relationships. When these strengths meet, we see a model that works. We see an impact that is real and hopefully has a lasting effect.

But even the most promising initiatives need time. They also need care. And they definitely need sustained resources.

Just as digital confidence does not appear out of nothing, neither do systems of digital inclusion. A project like Trusted Connections may run for five months, but we hope that the relationships it has helped build, the trust it has fostered, and the networks it has helped strengthen continue long after the funding ends.

The legacy of this project includes a community of digital mentors who are now recognised as digital leads, someone who acts as a trusted connection and who will continue to empower their communities with digital confidence and safety.

It also includes the ongoing Trusted Connections platform, led by Digital Safety, which supports continued communication between partners and provides up to date digital resources and training.  

And perhaps most importantly, it establishes a proof of concept that is as old as these walls, if not more, and that is that people can learn, that communities can grow in confidence when trustworthy connections are fostered, and that the digital divide is not an inevitable feature of our society. We also learn that digital inclusion is not just for ourselves alone; it is for everyone.

So today, as we reflect on digital inclusion in the North East and the example set by Trusted Connections, we want to highlight three key lessons, which we now see as commitments we should carry forward with us:

First, we must continue to invest in community embedded digital mentors, because trust cannot be automated. There is no AI machine that can replace the warmth of community.

Second, we must strengthen partnerships between universities and community organisations, because together we create a meaningful bridge between research and real world impact. We all win in an approach like this.

And third, we must recognise that sustainable change requires sustained resources, because digital inclusion is not a moment: we cannot just go in, fix it , and leave. Digital inclusion is an ongoing effort, especially as technological development has become a moving target.

The North East has the essential elements to lead the way in digital inclusion: extraordinary communities, dedicated partners, and a shared commitment to include everyone who needs it.

Projects like Trusted Connections show us what is possible when we work collaboratively and when we centre humanity at the heart of digital engagement. We are here not for ourselves alone. We are here for the community.

Thank you.

Cristina and Michaela on behalf of the Trusted Connections Consortium