Digital Inclusion - it's all about thriving communities

Sharing the Future-U Literacies at SLQ’s Digital Inclusion Forum. Image by Justine Hyde

My work as an educator (and previously a library assistant) over 18 years has taught me the central place that inclusion must hold in any community that wants to thrive. The 25+ developing personalities of a classroom are possibly a great analogy for wider society, and require the same balance of co-operation, being involved with everyone, being into everyone, and including all perspectives, if it is to work as a fruitful environment. Attending the SLQ Digital Inclusion Forum on 26 June exposed me to this same type of understanding. Obviously Inclusion was in the title - but saying it and being it are two different things - and I came away refreshed by how strongly this commitment was reflected in the stories, conversations and presentations I encountered.

Also beyond this was a high level of interest from library staff across Australia in considering the larger role that they play as physical and conceptual centres for demonstrating inclusiveness in actuality - how they can take the idea and make it real for their patrons and communities - and real right now is reflected in the other main part of the events title - the digital. We do usually associate digital with future in most cases - but what I found was a commitment among forum attendees to ensuring that digital tools and the benefits they can provide are available to patrons today - and in ways that are accessible and practical. All of this sets the stage for what I was privileged to share - which was how libraries can continue this commitment through the huge social transitions associated with the rise of automation, robotics and the post-work era. The understanding of inclusiveness is the perfect foundation for extrapolating to how libraries can be THE place that helps communities know how to dream up their own vocations, projects and teams in a 2035 world where 40-70% of jobs have disappeared. My suggestion was to use the Future-U Literacies Framework as the conversation starter for this journey. This framework sets out five meta-domains - areas of skills which can future-proof communities no matter what developments occur in next 15 years. Anyone interested can download my slides telling the story of our transition to the post-work era here - AND even join the private discussion community around the future literacies and helping all communities thrive here (on movie device, download the app as prompted, then re-use the link to join). If you have any questions please be in touch via contact@future-u.org. Let’s keep the conversation of where inclusion goes going :)

About the author

Jonathan Nalder is the Founder of Future-U and JNXYZ. Jonathan is a Brisbane-based educator and digital storyteller who helps fellow Queenslanders think beyond today to plan for a successful future. His long-time mission has been to help people transition to working digitally, assisting all learners and leaders to embrace technology and participate fully in progressive and innovative ways.

Jonathan is convinced that education, digital learning and agile thinking have the potential to transform lives. As an Advance Queensland Digital Community Champion (2017) and in his other roles, he will continue to help Queenslanders shift their thinking and embrace digital literacies.