Copenhagen, DENMARK | 20 MARCH 2013
This week more than 200 data lounges, libraries and education associations across the entire country will be ready to do a special effort to bring as many Danes as possible on the digital band wagon.
The occasion is the joint European campaign Get Online Week, which takes place from 18th – 24th of March. During the week, an extraordinary effort will be made to help those people, who are not online yet. The EU commission supports the campaign.
In the EU-member countries, approximately 60 percent of the citizens in the age of 16 to 74 years are on the Internet every day. Even though in 2012 Denmark, together with Sweden and Holland, are head of the class with around 80 percent of the age group daily on the Internet, there is still a need for example for activities in libraries and data lounges to give a chance to those who are not yet online to integrate IT into their daily life and into their contacts with the authorities.
Joint effort
Voluntary organizations and libraries in Denmark work together with the government, the municipalities and the regions to achieve the ambitious goal of digitalizing 80 percent of communication between citizens and the authorities. The aim is to secure the welfare of the future and provide an even better service to citizens and businesses.
“Denmark has set the bar high. We expect from our population that they use the many great opportunities of using the Internet. And we are also in the lead. Since 2010, about 170.000 more Danes between the age of 65 and 89 have been on the web. The support from voluntary organizations and libraries to help even more Danes to get on the web is of vital importance for us to succeed with the digitalization and with having most possible citizens to use for exameple “NemID” and digital self-service” says Lars Frelle- Petersen, Director of the Agency for Digitisation.
Help is available
“All year round, the libraries support the effort of including all in the digitalization. They help locally – there where the citizens are, both physically and in terms of expertise. In 2011 for example, 88% of all the libraries had classes in digital self-service, helping in that way with an important community task” says Anne Mette Rahbæk, Director of the Agency for Culture.
Also Ældre Sagen and Ældremobiliseringen offers the year round a wide variety of IT classes in comfortable surroundings.They are contributing to get more and more older people on the digital bandwagon, so they can have digital access to public services and a chance to be on Facebook with their grandchildren or do hobbies and networking on the web.
“We have over 1600 volunteers who do a huge effort and have taught more than 11.000 elderly people alone in 2012” says Managing Director Bjarne Hastrup from Ældre Sagen, adding that Ældre Sagen now have IT-offers in 200 of th 217 departments.Head of Secretariat Gitte E. Olsen at Ældremobiliseringen supplements: “Ældremobiliseringen offers free training to those elderly who want to learn about digital solutions like web banking, e-mail and public self-service pages. We go out to the smallest villages where many need help.” That the need is there is clearly shown by the backing of Ældremobiliseringen’s “Projects Days about the Digitisation Challenges”.
Behind the campaign in Denmark are the Agency for Digitisation, Ældre Sagen, Ældremobiliseringen, the Agency for Culture and the libraries.
» List of places in the country where you will find a “Get Online Week” activity
» Read about the participants of “Get Online Week 2012”
» Statistics about internet use in Europe
If you would like to know more about the many local initiatives happening during “Get Online Week”, please contact Communications Advisor Geske Fischer-Hansen at the Agency for Digitisation by phone: 40 906 073 or by e-mail: gfh@digst.dk
