Digital Inclusion Grant

Advancing Youth Foundation Inc (AYF), formally the Boys Brigade, has existed for over 130 years and has helped change lives through providing financial grants to service providers and schools delivering programs, education and support for many young people at risk, who may otherwise fall through the cracks.

As a grant making body, AYF exists to support community responses that seek to improve the lives of young people aged from 10 to 18 years who require assistance to live their best lives.

The AYF has identified the digital world as one of the single biggest forces shaping our current generation of young people. However, digital access and digital inclusion are not shared by all young people across South Australia. Given the high digital needs and expectations on young people the digital divide has a disproportionate impact on them and, therefore, they constitute a group requiring targeted digital inclusion strategies for them to be able to achieve their life outcomes.

Whilst COVID-19 has highlighted and exacerbated digital inequality, the Australian Digital Inclusion Index has shown that this divide has existed for years, and, whilst there have been some small improvements across South Australia, the ‘digital divide’ and resultant digital exclusion remains significant. South Australia remains the second lowest digitally inclusive state or territory, with low levels of digital access, digital literacy, and digital inclusion.

Digital exclusion is a systemic issue that impacts children and young people’s learning, opportunities, and relationships. It includes a digital ‘use’ divide or digital ‘opportunity’ divide.

The Grant

The AYF Digital Inclusion Grant will resource initiatives and projects that address young people’s digital access and inclusion.

Grants of up $10,000 are available to incorporated community groups who can address the AYF’s vision of reducing digital exclusion amongst young people aged 10 to 18 years. Projects should provide young people from all backgrounds and abilities with access to:

  • devices and/or data
  • digital literacy
  • digital capability
  • digital empowerment.
Apply Here

 

Eligibility Criteria

In order to further progress work in this area the Foundation has introduced a grant program for incorporated community groups to access funds to address young people’s digital access and inclusion in South Australia.

Eligibility for funding requires groups to:

  • have appropriate legal structures and are community based
  • want to improve outcomes for young people in their community
  • have appropriate child safe policies and practices
  • use the financial support directly for the purposes intended
  • work collaboratively with the Advancing Youth Foundation
  • allow the Advancing Youth Foundation to promote or publicly refer to the project.

The Foundation’s Digital Inclusion Grant calls for recipients to

  1. undertake a project that recognises digital inclusion as issues fundamental to young people’s lives
  2. provide a brief report on outcomes of the project to be shared by AYF
  3. Involve the Advancing Youth Foundation in the project as appropriate.