Posts Tagged ‘digital exclusion’
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Volunteers can make a difference to digital exclusion
Today saw the launch of Race Online’s Manifesto for a Networked Nation, which recognises that the 10 million UK adults who have never used the internet are missing out in all areas of life. Several of the recommendations are aimed at the voluntary sector, as these are nicely summarised on the NCVO blog, so I won’t go into it here.
Instead, I’m going to tell you about a bloke called Darren who I met at Sidekick Studios recently. Darren runs EcoComputer Systems, a South London-based Social Enterprise that recycles computers and uses them to do good – whether it’s helping socially isolated elderly people to get online, or selling them and using the money to fund training courses for unemployed people and low-income families.
There are lots of reasons to like the EcoComputers model – it’s recycling, it does good and it makes sense for businesses or charities who would otherwise have to pay someone to take their old stuff away. But what really chimed for me was the attitude towards their volunteers. They see the value in investing in volunteers’ skills & personal development – for example, giving them a refurbished PC to use at home, so they can develop skills which they can then share with the elderly, or supporting their volunteers in setting up a community radio station broadcasting from the shop.
There’s something really nice about this “pass it on” approach to sharing skills, whether it’s training volunteers from scratch, or teaming up skilled digital media volunteers with voluntary organisations in need of help, as the Media Trust has done through the Community Voices project. I’m sure there are hundreds of examples out there, and many more in development – I’d love to hear more about them.
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Brazillian project provides practical solutions to bridge the digital divide
MetaReciclagem is an open network in Brazil which shows young people how to acquire, recycle and use technology for social change and inclusion in their communities.
This programme has spread really quickly, creating dozens of recycled computer labs throughout Brazil. In these labs, young volunteers collect used computer parts from donations and learn how to reassemble them, taking advantage of free software and internet access to learn through structured workshops, mutual learning and experimentation.
Completed, recycled computers are often donated to non-profit organisations or used to provide lower-income communities with access to technology and the Internet. The volunteers are then encouraged and incentivised to go on to set up new laboratories, with support from the virtual community of projects throughout the country.
Volunteers stay involved for an average of 1 year. Since 2003, over 5,000 young people have participated, most of whom come from families earning less than US$500 a month. Labs champion youth leadership, as volunteer Joe Nascimento explains: “The project is very decentralised; there is no boss. Instead, decisions are made through group discussions, and every opinion is valued.”
MetaReciclagem is a really practical way to show young people that it is possible – and affordable – to access technology and use it for social change and inclusion in their communities. It’s an inspiring project which keeps young volunteers at its heart, giving them the tools they need to help their communities cross the digital divide. MetaReciclagem champions open source, collaborative production and the use of technology for positive social change, and their business model suggests a commitment to practicing what they preach.
For more examples of practical projects tackling the digital divide, visit the UNESCO website, which also hosts a Community Multimedia Centres guide.
MetaReciclagem was one of 22 global projects analysed as part of Innovations in International Youth Volunteering, by v and Innovations in Civic Participation (ICP).
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