The Lived Experience of Digital Exclusion Event
Exploring the Real Lived Experience of Digital Exclusion
Consett, County Durham, DH8 5EF — Friday 26th June.
10:00am to 12:30pm, followed by a networking lunch!
Digital exclusion isn’t just about skills — it’s about confidence, access, opportunity, and the very real barriers people face in everyday life. Join us in Consett for a half‑day event bringing together organisations across County Durham to explore what digital exclusion really looks like, who it affects, and how we can respond with empathy, creativity and practical support and understanding.
This event is designed for community organisations, frontline staff, digital champions, volunteers, funders and anyone working to improve digital confidence and inclusion or with a wish to do so.
Workshop: Young People & Digital Exclusion — A focused session exploring the specific challenges young people face, from device access to online safety, confidence, and the pressures of digital‑first systems. Let's challenge the myth that all young people are fine in an increasingly digital world!
Workshop: Understanding Lived Experience — A broader look at digital exclusion across communities, including real stories from people who have struggled with digital confidence and overcome barriers with the support of digital champions, friends, and local services.
Networking Lunch — A relaxed opportunity to connect, share ideas, and build partnerships over lunch from 12:30pm onwards.
Community Stalls — A limited number of spaces will be available for community organisations to host informal stalls, share leaflets, chat with attendees, and showcase their digital inclusion work during breaks and over lunch.
Who Can Attend
The event will open first to organisations based in County Durham, with remaining places later offered to partners and networks across the wider North East.
Whether you’re supporting people with digital basics, delivering community services, or shaping strategy, this is a chance to deepen understanding, hear lived experience, and strengthen the collective effort to close the digital divide.
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'Two Hundred Years Later'
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Heritage / November 17th, 2023
Edwin Oxley - Consett Heritage Podcast
Edwin started as an apprentice at the Consett Steelworks in 1961, as a 15-year-old. Over time he developed a whole host of skills and describes the excellent training he received both at technical college in Consett and Gateshead, and on the jobs in the boiler shop, foundry, blast furnace, plate mills - amongst others. He worked in every department! Take a listen to his podcast which gives a fascinating insight into the opportunities made available to him and how this gave him a solid foundation for the rest of his working life. He also gives our young people some great advice!
Heritage / August 25th, 2023
Voices of Consett - Sharon
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