8x8’s ongoing commitment to adding social value includes developing future digital talent. Now, 94 school children at Ferham Primary School in Rotherham have started to grow their digital wings thanks to a collaboration between 8x8 and Digit<all>, a UK charity that helps young people develop their digital skills.

Digit<all> aims to inspire young people to be the digital leaders of tomorrow and the designers and coders of green solutions of the future. One of the ways it helps achieve this is by running workshops and enrichment camps for children in school and in the community. Importantly, it also provides training for teachers to make sure they can carry on the important work.

Make the world a better place

As part of our partnership, 8x8 provided funding to enable Digit<all> to deliver a hands-on coding experience for Ferham’s schoolchildren, with a number of number of workshops where the children learn how simple it is to code using the micro:bit, a pocket-sized programmable computer. To appeal to the children, Digit<all> workshops focus on coding solutions that relate to their interests in nature, climate action, space and physical activity. This creates a focus for activities and enables the children to see how they can use coding to make the world a better place.

Our social investment in the charity, part of a total £59,050 donated by 8x8 UK in 2023, was used to connect Digit<all> ambassadors and volunteers with the primary school children, helping them understand how technology can help their well-being, local species of birds and how early warning systems can help reduce the effects of natural hazards and save lives.

To promote teamwork and collaboration, pupils worked together to make use of radio transmissions and channels so that they could transmit data from one micro:bit to the other. They developed a transmission system to send messages about how many times they spotted a bird species, for example. The children also made use of the micro:bit digital LED display to create customized warning signs and messages.

Encouraging girls to code with confidence

The hands-on activities were designed to develop the confidence and participation of girls. This is a focus that Digit<all> and 8x8 share. In fact, 8x8 has recently created a dedicated group of female leaders within our organization to support and empower women who want to advance their careers in technology.

A lasting legacy

As a result of our work together, 8x8 and Digit<all> has provided Ferham School with a class set of 30 micro:bits so it can continue to progress the activities for the benefit of the whole school and future year groups. To embed the ongoing commitment to the program, Ferham Primary’s teachers also gained essential professional development on how to make physical computing lessons in the classroom engaging, active and collaborative.

Championing digital skills

8x8’s engagement with Digit<all> also saw us sponsor its Communication and Collaboration (individual or group) award at their CODE awards 2023. The award was won by Broughshane Primary School, Ballymena, N. Ireland with Bishop Douglass School, London N2 commended.

Not standing still

Moving forward, 8x8 will continue to help many such organisations, promote volunteering for our employees, and offer social value within the communities of our customers. Learn more about 8x8’s ESG initiatives.