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Eliz,
Maybe I am just making general points and not
adhering to the task this group has. However, as we have largely concluded
sustainability is a critical factor/requirement, I would say that in our
experience, that can only be acheived if one includes capacity building further
out from the community, working with the providers/knowldge
centres/institutions/projects/etc. If we just provided connectivity in these
remote island communities, the linkages required to achieve critical mass - or a
dynamic growth - would not happen naturally. This is just our experience here.
So these linkages are very much part of our "telecentre" model
here.
I hope this concludes my point and focuses it a bit
on what we should be discussing.
David
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, October 05, 2004 8:24
AM
Subject: RE: [Telecentres] Basic
Telecentre Items/ICT Definition
David,
Your points are well taken. Not
being a techie, my view of a telecenter is fairly simplistic. I see it
as a point/place in a community for interactive (two way flow) dissemination
of information. I view telecenters as interactive libraries.
Community libraries disseminate information, have community meetings/
seminars/discussions. It is the interactive nature of the ongoing
communication that distinguishes the telecenter from a library, which
obviously is related to the medium of the communication.
The importance of including necessary
content areas in the language of any outcome document is similar to insuring
that all the necessary sections for books are included in the library from the
outset. Once a plan (of action) is implemented, funding and space
allocation become very competitive. What is not in the initial
agreement/plan may end up being excluded.
Elizabeth
Dr. Elizabeth Carll
Focal
Point
International Society for Traumatic Stress
Studies;
Chair Media/ICT Working Group,
NGO Committee on Mental Health,
New York
Tel: 1-631-754-2424
Fax: 1-631-754-5032
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
-----Original
Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]On Behalf Of David Leeming
PFnet
Sent: Monday, October 04, 2004 12:39 AM
To:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: [Telecentres] Basic Telecentre
Items/ICT Definition
Then perhaps a definition of a Telecentre needs
to map out the functions these human resources perform. There
are also functions that are required for useful information exchange to take
place, that may not be strictly associated with the telecentre. These
include awareness raising, training, mobilisation of the stakeholders all
along the information "chain" including the "knowledge centres" (in a
country like ours, CRM is not widely practiced....the central institutions
are often the worst at communication). ICT strategy building is
important, too. In fact it is difficult to see where to demarkate a telecentre,
looking at it from the "information flow" point of view.
As a simple example, to allow rural people to
obtain legal advice by email, it was not as simple and notifying them of the
(say) Public Solicitor's email address. We had to train (remotely) the rural
ICT operators to publicise it and raise awareness, hold meetings with the
Public Solicitor and other stakeholders and discuss the procedures required
and other practicalities, and above all get everyone on board.
(now it works marvellously). Information doesn't just flow - it needs
to be driven by the knowledge owners as much as their "customers"
or "clients".
I suppose we are getting into a defination of
"content" as well as "function".
David
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Monday, October 04, 2004 12:48
PM
Subject: RE: [Telecentres] Basic
Telecentre Items/ICT Definition
David,
Thanks for the clarification. I
always thought that such staff support would be available at all
telecentres and considered that to be in the category of human
resources. It is always interesting to hear how others view and
designate telecentre support activities.
Elizabeth
Elizabeth et al.
Well, how about living ones - human
intermediaries. Community intermediaries to help people understand their
needs, to interpret and respond to incoming information, for
consultative processes, to learn how to filter information
appropriately. Technical intermediaries (commonly known as "assistants"
or "operators") to help people use the ICTs, when there are no
existing skills, and to train them as the demand and awareness grows.
The community driven ethic is extremely important, these are facilitators
only.
David
David,
Excellent point, as ICTs are
certainly only a means to the end product of learning and
participating. To what other appropriate tools are you referring,
in addition to ICTs?
Elizabeth
Hi,
If we're talking about the Information
Society then we should concentrate on the information activities and
not the techology. A telecentre may be simply described as a place
where people can participate (and learn to participate) in the wider
emerging information society, using appropriate tools
including ICTs.
David
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