Daniel, Ubuntu Pledge
Ubuntu is a South African word I am because we are. It’s about the collective, about how we lift each other up, and that really is at the heart of what we do. Our pledge is simple: we show up as our best for everyone who comes into our service, whether that’s for digital training or for the wider life management.
We often say we’re helping people who’ve landed on the 15th floor of the digital world. And what we mean by that is imagine being 66 years old, being handed an Android phone, and being told you need an app just to book a GP appointment at the end of your road. That’s the 15th floor.
We start on the ground floor, everyone’s ground floor is different but, all people are teachable with time, patience, and someone willing to walk alongside them without judgement.
Hennock, Ubuntu Pledge
And quite quickly, it stops being just about digital. It becomes about life. About all those systems people are expected to just ‘know’ as adults when many don’t, or haven’t had the chance to learn, or just need someone to sit with them and work it through.
So alongside helping people navigate the digital world, we’re also helping them navigate everything that sits around it. And that only works because of the relationships we build, they’re everything.
One of our strongest pieces of work actually came through KCSC. By being in those CEO meetings, we were introduced to the Head of Communities at RBKC, which then led us to Big Local in World’s End. From there, we started running digital skills sessions and mentoring circles and that work has really grown.
Daniel, Ubuntu Pledge
It wouldn’t have happened without those initial connections. And that’s the thing about KCSC a lot of what it does happens in the background. You meet people, you build trust, and things start to form. Which is essential, particularly in parts of the borough where people can feel quite isolated, those connections really matter. For us, it’s opened up partnerships and helped us start to become part of the fabric of that community.
We know we can’t be everything to everyone. And we don’t try to be. That’s why those KCSC networks matter because when someone needs something more, we can pass them on in a way that feels human and connected, not like they’re starting again.
At Ubuntu Pledge, we talk about uplifting, upskilling and upgrading people’s lives and we stand by that. The cost of living, mental health, all of it shows up in our digital skills training room, every day. And in one way or another, we’re meeting people in that space. Not with big statements, just with steady, practical support that helps people move forward."