Practice what you preach

Came up to London today to meet Jane Robbins from the CLG Digital Inclusion team (you must watch the video on the wiki BTW!). Lots to talk about, particularly on overcoming barriers to use of technology by individuals and groups. What stops groups using technology … is it fear, cost, change, scale, confusing terminology – we covered them all. Often it’s simply that small groups need someone to hand-hold them through the maze and match a solution to their needs. A social enterprise or local ICT advisor. Something that might just be addressed by other things taking place within CLG today …

Dave Briggs says today is one of the most exciting in history for CLG, well perhaps they don’t get out much, but I would have to agree. The long awaited Empowerment White Paper – Communities in Control (£33.45 or 1.8MB download) has been published, their department is now on Twitter and Hazel Blears has started to blog – he’s probably right.

But hang on, dig deeper. The engagement is only temporary! The blog and the twitter account will only be open for 7 days (excluding the weekend!). 7 days, just 7 days, is this a consultation, an elongated press release announcement or a half hearted attempt at using social media?

What if Hazel Blears wanted to continue blogging after the 7 carefully snipped posts have been made? What if she wanted to share with us about what she had for tea, how heavy the rain was (like the rest of us use Twitter for … ). Please shoot me down, but this isn’t setting a good example for “Real People, Real Power”.

Maybe I’m being a bit harsh as there are many positive statements in the document covering community involvement in many ways, including a number where the third sector will be involved, where use of technology, ICT, social media etc. will be called for and where access to public information (as already started by the POI taskforce) will increase. So I do welcome the report.

• £7.5 million to be invested in support for national third sector organisations – turning ideas into practical action.
• £2 million for people with disabilities to volunteer
• £70 million fund to help community led organisations become more sustainable

With some relevant sections …

Section 1.15 – third sector organisations should be full and equal partners on Local Strategic Partnerships

Section 1.54 – creation of an Empowering the Frontline task force

Section 1.55 – support for national third sector organisations through the Empowerment Fund

Section 2.17 – funded opportunities for those with disabilities to volunteer and be volunteer managers

Section 2.23 – community leadership support programme

Section 2.27 – the Communitybuilders fund to develop neighbourhood organisations

Section 2.29 – (Office of the Third Sector) grassroots grants funding

Section 3.12 – support for the network of Digital Inclusion Advisers to local authorities

Section 3.13 – The Digital Equality Action Plan to smooth out some of the inequalities that exist in communities and with citizens use of the range and benefits new digital technologies can offer

Section 3.14 – recognition that section of the community don’t want information digitally or need support to access digital information

Section 3.34 – support for innovation in new technologies through community and social media

Section 3.35 – a Digital Mentor scheme to train groups in development of websites / podcasts / blogs etc

Section 4.35 – strengthening the voice of the local third sector

Section 4.38 – encouraging individuals and groups to form enterprises to deliver local services

Section 8.11 – establishing a social enterprise unit to recognise the part these play in delivery of services for the community

Section 8.17 – opening the supply2.gov portal so that social enterprises can bid for public sector contracts

Lifted from the executive summary

“A vibrant participatory democracy should strengthen our representative democracy. The third sector – through charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises – has much to offer from its traditions of purposeful altruism and selfless volunteering”

and

“We particularly value the role of the third sector in social and democratic renewal, by which we mean groups, campaigns, co-operatives, mutuals and social enterprises owned and run by their own members, investing their profits in the local community. These types of organisations are where people learn the skills of democracy and where democracy can flourish”

“within the third sector, we recognise and celebrate the role of individual active citizens, social entrepreneurs, campaigners, volunteers and political activists. Our civil society is defined and energised by hundreds of thousands of decent people, performing acts of altruism and selflessness, and these people deserve the support and recognition of government”

Excellent!

Finally, met with Simon Berry (yes, he of Coca-Cola fame!) for a beer in the Rocket by Euston Station, we’ve been meaning to do this for a while, but it was good to catch up and talk net:gain, Ruralnet, Social Enterprise ICT support (more on that tomorrow) and inevitably the Communities in Contol report. All too brief before we headed separate ways into the rain!