Update from end-March 2021
Welcome to the end of March 2021 issue of Digital WM News and our third issue of 2021.
We continue to help you and your organisation/community-led group to increase your digital skills and knowledge, and digital inclusion across the West Midlands.
In this issue we include:
- News including Brum Tech Tapas launch, Eradicating the digital divide with Qasim Majid, Black Disruptor Accelerator Programme, DDD call for speakers, Data Collective research analysis
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- Events and Training incl Pink Paper 2021 launch, CIoFWM Fundraising Through Covid, Volunteer with Code Your Future, Open Data Cafe, Birmingham Charity Meetup, Athena Hack 2021
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- People: Ken Banks, Head of Social Purpose, Yoti
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- Resources incl Ten tips for new charity digital leads, How to create a digital strategy for your charity
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- Vacancies: incl Email Marketing Officer, Social Media Executive, Applications & Data Analyst, Head of ICT, Legal, Governance & Data Manager, Digital Project Manager and Digital skills manager + *New* freelancers website
We continue to increase digital skills and inclusion in the VCSE sectors, continuing Project 2020, by curating the most useful items we see on the web during the month.
As we said towards the end of 2020, this includes other stuff from the web, not nec. 'digital' or 'tech' related, more 'solidarity' work (credit to @touretteshero for this wording, via @dandawcp)
Digital Stories request
We'd love to hear your stories of increasing digital skills and digital inclusion too.
We'd also like to hear from you if you are a digital lead in your organisation with a view to having a get together with other digital leads from organisations across the West Midlands
Please email your stories and details to Pauline at paulineroche.news@gmail.com
Subscribers
For our new subscribers in March, we welcome you! We'd love to hear from you so please email or tweet us at DigitalWMNews.
Please note that this issue and all previous issues can be found on our website here
Readership
In 2021 we continue our aim of reaching at least one person in every small charity, non-profit and social enterprise in the West Midlands.
You can help us increase our reach and increase digital skills in the West Midlands by encouraging your colleagues and friends to subscribe to Digital WM News in 2021.
They can SIGN UP HERE to ensure they receive the latest issue as soon as it is published.
Regards
Pauline Roche,
Editor, Digital WM News
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Photo by Pauline Roche - Irish Covid 19 induction poster
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Brum Tech Tapas launch
Bitesize culture from Brum's Tech scene, brought to you by the
@jumptwenty4 team.
The Brum Tech Tapas launch event on 25th March was live-tweeted by our friend Laura Creaven.
Guest speakers were Joe Schuppler, Founder, Independent Birmingham, Dr Victoria Barker, Creative Ecosystems Researcher, Foka Wolf, Street Artist and Casey Bailey, Birmingham Poet Laureate
Eradicating the Digital Divide with Qasim Majid from WOW! Group
Qasim Majid, the CEO of WOW! Group came and talked to Women in Tech Brum about one part of the group - WOWdot, an organisation that aims to provide 1000 families in the Birmingham area with free devices and internet access for a year.
See full video
Partnership encourages more black women into tech
A partnership has been launched to encourage and support more black women from the West Midlands to get into tech.
Birmingham’s 3D Agency and XR experts Taran3D are partnering with Niyo Enterprise on their Black Disruptor Accelerator Program.
This programme has been created specifically to redress the balance around the lack of black women in the tech industry.
The Immersive and XR Accelerator is designed for black women who would like to enter a career working with the Unity engine where they can create navigatable, virtual spaces for use with Virtual Reality.
...
The Black Disruptor Accelerator Program is run through the firm’s not-for-profit arm Niyo Network.
The deadline for applicants for this program is 9 April 2021. Further details are available here.
Full article on Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce website
DDD call for speakers opens 2nd April
DDD East Midlands is an inclusive, not-for-profit technology conference happening on 2nd October 2021 that celebrates the unique tech, talent and companies that the East Midlands has to offer.
This event is run by community members to promote collaboration and the amazing tech community that has already grown in the East Midlands.
Their call for speakers opens on 2nd April and will close on 30th April - all details will be on their website
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Research request: Overcoming cultural barriers to data transformation
Open Data Manchester is collaborating with Catalyst, part of The National Lottery Community Fund COVID-19 Digital Response, to understand how the use of data is transforming the social sector.
"...we’re looking for charities in England that have had such ‘data success stories’ to share what they have learned, so that we can help others with similar ambitions get the confidence that they need to take the right steps.
If you’ve undergone a data transformation – however big or small the success – we want to hear from you.
We need one to two hours of your time during April and can offer £250 for your time".
Interested? Please complete this form agreeing to be contacted by Open Data Manchester and CAST for the purposes of this research
How might the Data Collective make a difference in the non-profit sector?
"Since November, the Data Collective pilot has been conducting user research. There were a whole host of questions we were trying to answer, including (but certainly not limited to):
- Who’s the Data Collective for and what does this mean for others who aren’t part of it?
- What happens in the Data Collective and what does it do?
- What is the Data Collective trying to achieve and what outcomes is it aiming to bring about?
- How can the Data Collective structure its activities to promote participation?
- How can the Data Collective organise and share content or outputs?
As we near the end of that user research, analyse what people have said, and reflect on the things we have tried out so far, things are becoming clearer..."
Full post by Tom French on Data Collective website
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NOTE: All events subject to latest government guidance on responding to the Corona Virus
Thurs 1st April 10.30-12.30
Event speakers: Laolu Dada, CMO & Co-founder of Niyo Enterprise, Dr Wanda Wyporska, Executive Director, The Equality Trust, Faeeza Vaid MBE, Executive Director, Muslim Women's Network UK, Dr (Hon) Pauline Roche, Producer, Presenter, Journalist
Official launch of the Pink Paper 2021
50 pages of shocking facts & stats about women in the UK today, researched by Birmingham-based business women's organisation Shakti Women
Hear inspirational women speak about their use of research and evidence in the development of amazing projects and business ventures for women, by women
Thurs 1st April 15.00-16.30
Chartered Institute of Fundraising West Midlands April First Thursday
Meet & learn with fellow fundraising professions.
April's session is on Fundraising through COVID, with Charlotte Schofield from UHB.
Wed 7th April 18.00-19.00
Volunteer with CodeYourFuture - Find Out More!
Use your skills for good by helping local disadvantaged people and refugees, including in the West Midlands, learn to code, be more confident - and ultimately, find meaningful work in tech.
People from all industries welcome in this vibrant community, not only tech
Thurs 8th April 19.00-20.00
Citizen Scientists Making Waves
Katie Dyke, Policy Officer with Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) will be sharing details of their Shorewatch project.
Learn how citizen scientists are making waves in marine conservation and find out how you can get involved in spotting and recording whale and dolphins species seen from your local coast.
Sat Apr 10th 12.00-13.30
Open Data Cafe
Due to the pandemic, the Open Data Camp team cannot run a real life Open Data Camp as they would love to. Instead, they're organising an Open Data Cafe!
If you have already signed up, pitching is now open!
Tues April 13th 10.00-12.00
Birmingham Charity Meetup
How to Boost Your Funds with Grants
Hosts: Vicky Kangurs and Hope Drew
These events are open to all, but will be particularly relevant to people working in a comms, fundraising or marketing role.
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Fri 16th - Sun 18th April
Athena Hack 2021
An all-women/non-binary hackathon, online, helping shine the spotlight on some of the most amazing women and non-binaries in tech
Teams will be tasked with hacking together ideas and presenting them for the Circular Economy
Wed 21st April 18.00-19.00
Volunteer with CodeYourFuture - Find Out More!
Use your skills for good by helping local disadvantaged people and refugees, including in the West Midlands, learn to code, be more confident - and ultimately, find meaningful work in tech.
People from all industries welcome in this vibrant community, not only tech
Thurs 22nd April 11.00-12.00
#OpenDataSavesLives & COVID-19
A weekly/semi-regular session from ODI Leeds to work out how we can get a local perspective and impact of the COVID-19 / coronavirus outbreak.
There is a lot of coverage about the impact of the virus nationally but a majority of citizens' concerns will be focused locally. They want to know how their local area will be affected - businesses, education, social care, transport, even green space and parks. Where is the data about the local perspective? Who is working on what, and how can others get involved?
To get a better understanding of the #OpenDataSavesLives meetings so far, please visit the website where you can find recordings of previous sessions, notes, useful articles and more.
Thurs 22nd April 14.00
Digital Accessibility Experts Live
Making sure my digital agencies and software vendors are delivering accessibility. Most organisations either get vendors to custom build their digital products or buy products for their internal staff or customers. So how do you make sure these vendors meet your promise of digital accessibility?
Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates (VPATs) can be helpful. But the right 5 questions, asked at the right time, can be even more powerful.
Wed 28th April 16.00-18.00
Soft launch of UK and Ireland Tech for good network
Building a community of organisers across the UK and Ireland supporting each other to fuel the tech for good movement.
To us, “tech for good” is the intentional use of technology to drive positive outcomes for people and planet.
Regular Meetups
Brum Social Media Cafe – monthly (last Fri, 11am) social media meetup
Tech Wednesday – monthly meet up for like-minded individuals in tech industry in Birmingham area
Training
Ongoing
IT courses
Fircroft College, Birmingham
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Ken Banks, Head of Social Purpose at Yoti
Ken is the Head of Social Purpose at Yoti, a social enterprise working on digital identities.
Ken has worked for over 15 years helping social innovators, entrepreneurs, and non-profit organizations make better use of information and communication technologies.
The Pursuit of Purpose is Ken’s upcoming book. Part memoir, part study, it presents a much richer view of Ken’s remarkable career, while also dwelling on questions about meaning, passion and purpose.
Hear Ken speak in a podcast about building Frontline SMS on Rowena Luk's Aid ,Evolved: a podcast about Technology, Poverty and Health
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Pauline Roche, a freelance writer and broadcaster about charity digital, gives her top ten tips for people who've just taken on responsibility for digital in their charity.
"...if you’re starting out as the digital lead in your small charity, how is that going for you? Do you know where to start? Has someone in the organisation asked you to implement a new service using digital?
This article is intended to offer some general tips on how to make a success of doing that job, based on my own long experience of working with and supporting people who do exactly that"
Full post on Catalyst website
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Going digital or going bust
This report covers a series of blogs commissioned by Carnegie UK Trust. to reflect, explore and share the experience of one organisation, Your Own Place, a social enterprise that exists to prevent homelessness, of moving online with their delivery.
Full report
How to create a digital strategy for your charity
"...Let’s assume that you feel you’re at the right point to set a strategy. What’s the next step? What goes into a digital strategy? What should it achieve?..."
Full post by Dan Sutch on the ACEVO website
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All listed vacancies are in the West Midlands - positions are listed by closing date (unless otherwise stated); please note we will only list vacancies where salaries (or a range) are stated
4th April
Email Marketing Officer
The Charity for Civil Servants
£32,000 - £33,000 per year
5th April
Social Media Executive
Alzheimer's Society
£12,650 - £13,814 actual per annum (depending on skills and experience)
11th April
Digital Content Executive
Alzheimer's Society
£25,300 - £27,628 actual per annum (depending on skills and experience)
12th April
Applications & Data Analyst
St John Ambulance
£36,000 per year
18th April
Internal Communications Manager
Islamic Relief Worldwide
£34,920 per year + excellent company benefits
19th April
Head of ICT
Bournville Village Trust
£53,636 - £58,189 - full time - permanent
Legal, Governance and Data Manager
The Brilliant Club
£41,218 per year, plus £2,000 London weighting if applicable
No closing date
Digital Marketing Executive
Muslim Hands
Up to £26,000 dependant on experience
Digital Project Manager
Developer Society
£32,000 - £45,000 per year
Digital skills manager
upReach
£27,500 - £35,000 per year
Need a freelancer to help with a project or even step in as an interim?
Take a look at freelancefinders.co.uk Tiny businesses with big talent. (HT @ByTheWaves on Twitter)
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