Previously, digital readiness efforts were primarily led by the government with some corporate volunteerism support and ad-hoc ground up efforts. However, since COVID-19, many organisations have stepped forward on the digital inclusion front. Through MCI/IMDA’s Emerging Stronger Conversation on Digital Readiness, which engaged a wide range of stakeholders across the community and industry, many organisations have expressed keen interest to work together to further the digital inclusion cause. The Digital for Life (DfL) movement aims to mobilise the Public-Private-People sector network as a unified effort and galvanise the community to help all Singaporeans embrace digital as a lifelong pursuit and enrich their lives using digital.

Further, to uplift digital tools, skills and habit of all Singaporeans in a rapidly changing digital landscape and help build a digitally inclusive society, the DfL movement was established to support projects and activities that promote:

a) Digital Technology and Inclusion – building digital resilience, and exciting different segments of society on how new digital technologies can enrich their daily lives,
b) Digital Literacy and Wellness – promoting good digital habits as society engages in the digital domain, including in the areas of cyber safety, media literacy and mitigating the risks of online harms.

To grow the DfL ecosystem, supporting platforms, resources and funding are provided to support programme development and execution. Potential 3P entities requiring funding support to scale their projects can tap on the DfL Fund, established to support community projects and activities aligned to the two pillars of DfL.

Since its launch in Feb 2021 the number of participating organisations has grown to more than 100 partners and projects which have benefitted more than 50,000 people across various segments ranging from youths, seniors, disadvantaged groups, families, women, persons with disabilities to hawkers.

https://www.imda.gov.sg/digitalforlife

• Singapore, Singapore

• Youth
• Older persons
• Women
• People with disabilities
• The unemployed
• The poor

Given that it is a national movement, there is low barrier to entry for organisations to participate. The intent of the movement is to allow for anyone and everyone – whether you’re corporate organisation, ground-up group, or even an individual, to play a part in creating a more digitally inclusive society for everyone. Participation in the movement is easily done through:
(1) Starting a project or branding an existing project under the DfL movement by including the DfL logo, hashtags or mentions in various publicity platforms
(2) Volunteering for one of the partners’ projects
(3) Donating to the DfL Fund

With the low barrier to entry to participate in the DfL movement, many organisations with CSR efforts and community groups have joined the movement in one way or another. The eventual goal for the movement is that it would take a life on its own and proliferate the community with the “many helping hands” approach.

The Digital for Life movement is a tripartite programme where many hands come together to help citizens of all ages and walks of life to embrace digital learning as a lifelong pursuit. There are several factors to ensure sustainability:
(i) Low barrier to entry for anyone and everyone to participate in the movement. Simply brand an existing project under DfL as long as it falls under any of the areas of Digital Technology & Inclusion or Digital Literacy & Wellness, volunteer with one of the DfL partners’ projects, or donate to the DfL Fund.
(ii) Funding is provided to support projects by non-profit organisations whose community projects and activities are in line with the 2 focus areas of the DfL movement.
(iii) Resources are provided to support the programme development and execution. For example, useful resources and content eg. toolkits, training curriculum, public education content are developed and shared on the DfL website.
(iv) Networking opportunities for partners under the DfL movement with similar interests and causes to come together as a Community of Practice for ideation and collective learning. For example, the inaugural Digital for Life Play It Forward Brownbag Series took place virtually between Nov – Dec 2021. Through a series of thematic group discussions, it brought together likeminded partners to share project ideas, tackle problem statements, and identify areas of opportunities to collaborate in bringing digital to life to seniors, youths, and the community. Over 200 participants joined the Brownbag Series to exchange their experiences in implementing projects to help Singaporeans embrace digitalisation and technological adoption.

The DfL movement aims to promote the WSIS values of equality, solidarity and shared responsibility. The movement is designed to engage the corporates, community groups, government and individuals to pay it forward and help more Singaporeans enjoy better quality of life through technology. This is especially so in light of the COVID-19 pandemic which has hastened Singapore’s digitalisation efforts, but also the potential to widen the digital divide. Going digital has become a way of life, as a live in a digital universe filled with many wonders. From education, finance and medica, to music, games and shopping, the digital life connects us to these and more, enriching our lives. Ensuring that everyone embraces digital as a lifelong pursuit to enrich their lives so that no one is left behind in Singapore’s journey into the digital future, is a national effort. IMDA reaches out to a broad network of partners from corporates, community organisations to individuals to share the responsibility of providing help to vulnerable segments of the population so that Singapore can be a digitally inclusive society. With the robust conversations and connections made in the DfL ecosystem, IMDA hopes to establish more 3P partnerships in empowering Singaporeans, regardless of race or language, have equal access to confidently and competently adopt digital technology for life, work and play.