![]() ![]() The charity has secured three years of funding from the National Lottery Community Fund to continue to deliver Zoom sessions. ![]() “There is still a need for inclusive, disability-led sessions across the UK and, as DanceSyndrome is based in the north-west, the only practical way to deliver nationally is online,” says Nicholson. Three years on from the first lockdown, the charity has seen demand for its Zoom sessions lessen, but delivering in this way means it can still reach participants in areas where they cannot access this kind of service. “Often, it is simply a case that this type of inclusive, disability-led activity is just not available in their local area.” Its managing director, Julie Nicholson, has found that this has helped widen the charity’s horizons.ĭigital service delivery has helped her charity engage people who are isolated, as well as “people without transport, people without enough support and people who are still shielding, in the comfort and safety of their own homes”, she says. Soon the charity was reaching 600 people in the UK and as far afield as South Africa, Europe and the US.ĭanceSyndrome began face-to-face classes again in summer 2021, but continues to offer Zoom sessions. When lockdown happened, its dancers – with and without disabilities – came together to co-design an extensive programme of online dance sessions that helped the charity extend reach beyond the 150 participants it offered face-to-face classes to. Last year’s Charity Digital Skills Report found that almost three-quarters (73 per cent) of charities were delivering digital services it will be interesting to see if this trend continues into 2023.įor DanceSyndrome, a small, multi-award-winning charity that delivers inclusive dance workshops, training and performances that focus on ability rather than disability, digital service delivery was a lifeline that meant it could continue to support people with learning disabilities. Yet it quickly became clear from the charities I spoke to that there was a longer-term opportunity here.ĭigital service delivery meant charities could reach more people across the UK and beyond, effectively scaling their impact. So how have digital services evolved across the sector since then?ĭigital service delivery always struck me as more than a temporary solution, enabling charities to continue helping people when they could not see them face-to-face. Three years on, few of us want to do a Zoom quiz or eat more banana bread.īut digital service delivery felt like it was more than a passing trend. That same month charities had to pivot rapidly, shifting many of their services online as the Covid-19 pandemic struck. There are three things that will always remind me of March 2020: Zoom quizzes, banana bread and digital service delivery. ![]()
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