
Changing the narrative about regional women and technology
Author ADM+S Centre
Date 30 January 2025
A newly released evaluation report highlights the success of the Victorian Women’s Trust’s Rural Women Online program in addressing digital exclusion among women in regional Victoria.
Involving hands-on digital skills workshops on a range of topics, a help desk for one-on-one support, stands from local services providers, and keynotes from leading thinkers and writers on digital inclusion in Australia, Rural Women Online was delivered in August and September 2024 in Greater Shepparton and North East Victoria following extensive community consultation. Hundreds of women from across regional Victoria participated in the program, gaining new skills, confidence, and forging new social connections and opportunities.
Key outcomes include
- Boosting confidence: The program saw significant increases in participants’ confidence with digital technologies, with 43% reporting they felt more capable using digital tools and navigating online platforms. Workshops focused on practical skills like managing passwords, identifying scams, and safely using online services, helping participants overcome fears and avoid common pitfalls.
- Tailored support: Over half of participants sought personalised assistance from local mentors at the program’s help desks. Mentors were not necessarily ‘tech experts’ but were relatable and were happy to learn alongside participants, setting up a space for mutual empowerment for a range of often highly personal tasks.
- Strengths-based learning: By focusing on participants’ existing capabilities and reframing digital challenges as opportunities for empowerment, the program created a supportive environment. This approach empowered women to see themselves as capable digital users, shifting the narrative from vulnerability to resilience.
- Social connection: The program fostered a sense of community among participants, enabling them to share experiences and build networks for ongoing support. Informal workshops and “chat corners” encouraged open dialogue and connection, reducing feelings of isolation and promoting collaborative learning.
Rural women are among the most digitally excluded groups in Victoria, facing barriers like limited access to technology, low digital confidence, and a lack of locally relevant resources.
To address these challenges, Rural Women Online adopted a place-based approach, creating tailored learning environments that recognised and responded to the unique needs of each community.
The program was independently evaluated by a team of digital inclusion researchers at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society, with the evaluation report detailing how place-based, community-driven programming boosted digital skills, confidence, and resilience for participants.
The evaluation also revealed that Rural Women Online effectively engaged participants from diverse cultural and economic backgrounds and different age groups. In Shepparton, where 44% of participants spoke a language other than English at home, the program provided sessions with local translators and culturally sensitive information about the online world. Meanwhile, sessions in Yackandandah in North East Victoria addressed disaster preparedness, reflecting local concerns in the region.
The program also supported older participants, with 66% of attendees aged 55 or older. eSafety sessions were particularly popular, with 79% of participants reporting they felt safer online after attending these sessions. For many, it was the first opportunity they had to learn collectively in a supportive environment.
Sustained impact
The program’s ripple effect is likely to extend beyond the workshops. Participants reported that they were keen to share their newfound knowledge with family and friends, helping to spread digital inclusion throughout their communities. The program also connected women with local resources and organisations for continued learning, connection and support.
In a keynote delivered as part of the program in Shepparton, ADM+S Director Distinguished Professor Julian Thomas noted importance of programs like Rural Women Online in building digital inclusion in local communities: “Tackling [digital exclusion] in isolation can be debilitating and discouraging… The genius of the Rural Women Online program is recognising we can share the labour of learning, and that we often learn best from each other and in company”.
The success of Rural Women Online underscores the importance of listening to community needs and designing solutions that empower everyone to thrive in an increasingly digital world.
The full evaluation report is available here.
Learn more about the program in this video.