[Sican] Success stories on use of ICTs in social services agencies

[Garth Graham]

Telecommunities Canada(TC), continues to advocate for federal funding =
for digital inclusion programs including CAP.  As part of that effort, =
it is collecting stories that might communicate a social economy message =
more broadly within the advanced technologies business sector.  It's =
looking for stories that zero in on real people creating real changes in =
their opportunities as a consequence of their uses of the information =
and communications technologies (ICTs) made accessible for them through =
community-based agencies.

In order to get to an effective national strategy for the digital =
economy in Canada, TC sees a need to enlist the business community in =
helping make the case that the social-cultural sector is an economic =
driver as much as any other contributor to the health of local =
economies.  Also that using ICTs can and does improve productivity both =
within that sector and among the individuals it serves.  TC believes =
that local businesses are often quite sensitive to the roles that social =
service agencies and their use of ICTs play in effective community =
development.  But the picture of the resilience that creates in =
communities is not punching through to the debate about the necessary =
components of an national digital economy strategy. Concrete success =
stories about what people are actually doing could help in communicating =
the significance of that gap.

Some of you, in communicating your own needs for support, will have =
created similar stories about the effectiveness of ICT use.  If you'd be =
happy to cut and paste them out from the files, and to share them more =
broadly, it could be a great help.  TC would be especially pleased with =
the ones that are very brief - two or three paragraphs.

As a reply, and in the interest of fueling similar local dialogues, =
please do post the stories to the list. And then I'll forward them to =
TC.

Garth Graham
Chair, Victoria Free-Net Board of Directors (and TC Board member)
25-721-5494