Finance giant backs Clean Slate and partners to deliver service to low income households linking them to online help with their finances
On 11th November 2020 Mastercard shone a light on digital and financial exclusion by lighting up tower blocks in London and Bristol. The buildings were lit up for 19 minutes 40 seconds, to represent the 19.4 million Britons* who are not prepared for the current economic downturn. They feel in the dark, due to digital and financial exclusion made worse by COVID-19. (*Source: YouGov)
Buildings were located in residential areas in Southwark, London, and Hartcliffe, Bristol, where Clean Slate offers a money health-check service by phone and online to help people develop digital skills and re-organise their finances. [Click below to see more, including incredible footage of the messages]
Influential poet and mental health advocate, Hussain Manawer, joined the campaign to craft the powerful messages projected onto the tower blocks. Growing up in East London, Manawer was exposed to crime and juvenile behaviour which for many, harmed the ambition of their futures. Now, as a campaigner he uses his voice to raise awareness of the support available to help the millions of people who feel left behind or in the dark.
His messages ‘In The Dark?’ and ‘With a year full of so many question marks, I know it’s hard to find yourself in the dark’ illuminated the night, inviting people on lower incomes to search for help if they feel the economic downturn has hit them in the pocket.
Hussain Manawer said: “The term digital inclusion is something that affects many people in my life. There are so many people I know and love that are used to dealing with things their way, however with everything changing so quickly it’s important this lets people know that they are really not alone.”
Clean Slate is part of a coalition of organisations, led by Mastercard, coming together with the campaign ‘Nobody in the Dark’, offering digital and financial support and guidance to those in need. It aims to promote financial and digital literacy across the UK. It is supported by Mastercard, Good Things Foundation, Clean Slate Training & Employment CIC, The Joseph Rowntree Foundation and The APLE Collective. Its self-service web hub, Nobodyinthedark.co.uk, signposts online support about money and digital skills like online safety, and links to a pilot service developed by Clean Slate to help people ‘future-proof’ their finances.
WHAT CAN I DO?
Clean Slate’s money health-check service, using the Future-Proof Finance Quiz devised by our money skills programme Quids in!, is conducted by phone. We guide people through the online toolkit, which identifies steps people on low incomes might take to improve their finances. People can self-refer or advisors can refer them via the homepage and the ‘Make A Referral’ link.
