I sometimes get a bit befuddled by these new terms and I assume that I’m just a bit slow on the uptake. And then the penny drops. That’s how my brain works – I mull things for a while and then I suddenly get it. It was the same I remember when learning German. I just couldn’t get by head around the ‘accusative’ case and what ‘direct object’ meant. It all seemed a bit abstract. And then one morning I literally woke up and suddenly got it.
And so it’s been with ‘Digital Social Action’. Not only did I suddenly get it, but I also saw a way of doing something by bringing together one of my long-held dreams along with tackling Norfolk’s social mobility doldrums.
So, here it is – ‘Your Own Network. It’s a great partnership. Thanks to funding from Santander, support from Norfolk Pro Help and Naked Marketing and the web build from SoftApps, we’re now creating a website to bring young people together with all sorts of help from you! That’s their local community, be it individuals, businesses or providers of services.
It will be managed safely to allow young people to share a profile that includes their dreams and aspirations. And you can then help them to be fulfilled. You may be able to offer words of encouragement, point them towards a job advert you saw, buy them something for their new flat or even get involved as a Volunteer Tenancy Mentor and provide some non-virtual support.
That folks, is digital social action. You will be the ‘pointy elbows’ that many young people lack!
And we’re launching it very soon, so get in touch if you’d like to be part of something pretty groundbreaking.
rebecca@yourownplace.org.uk