What does Nobody in the Dark mean? Well, put simply it’s about digital financial inclusion for every single one of us 
As the Covid 19 pandemic took hold, the world moved indoors and online. Mastercard wanted to understand more about the challenges faced by those of us who couldn’t or didn’t want to be online and what they could do to help. They formed Nobody in the Dark along with Clean Slate (home to Quids in!) Lloyds Bank and Good Things Foundation.
Together, we developed new ways to help people get online to become better off.
How are we doing?
The Lloyds 2022 Digital Skills Index suggests that 99 per cent of us now make use of the internet (up from 89 per cent in 2016). But there is still a gap when it comes to digital inclusion.
Around 14 million of us still have the lowest measure of digital ability. This means we’re likely to struggle to interact with online services and we’re at risk of being left out of society. The cost-of-living crisis doesn’t help. With deals harder to find than ever, our digital skills need to be up to scratch to make the biggest savings. And we have to be online to access things like Universal Credit.
Quids in! and our parent company Clean Slate are now leading Nobody in the Dark. The project will continue to raise awareness of the issues, provide free tools and signposting to those of us at risk of digital and financial exclusion and work with partners to reach more people.
How it started – the campaign
On 10 November 2020, using the words of poet Hussain Manawer, Mastercard lit up tower blocks in Bristol and London for 19 minutes 40 seconds. That represented the 19.4 million people who didn’t feel prepared for difficult times ahead due to digital or financial exclusion.
The campaign began to tackle the problems with practical help, such as online resources and one-to-one support in 20 communities across the UK.
The aim? To shine a light on the people in the UK who are still in the dark about their digital finances and make sure the right help is there for those of us who need it.
Next steps – where else can I turn?
This website of free, simple courses is run by Good Things Foundation. It covers everything from keyboard skills to Universal Credit. And we can find an online centre (like Clean Slate) for more support.
How about taking charge of our finances, while learning useful digital skills along the way? With 25 yes/no questions and helpful video guides, the Quids in! Future-Proof Finance Quiz is free, simple and secure.
The National Databank is providing free data to 500,000 people who need it. The data is handed out via Good Things Foundation’s community partners, along with Virgin Media O2, Vodafone and Three.
