OpenIT (OpenIT)

Presenting the technology that helps us manage our C&V groups. A series of four interactive workshops, presenting and demonstrating how IT can help us manage our C&V organisations.

Policy Context

e-Inclusion under the Access, Skills, Content initiative.

Description of target users and groups

Women in the home, the unemployed, older people, people with disabilities.

Main results, benefits and impacts

The ‘Reaching Out’ project is a fully self-contained project with the following tangible elements all designed to maximize an organisation’s ICT investment: • A series of four workshops and seminars on key topics as identified by people working in C&V organisations supporting the key late-adopter groups; • An accompanying series of fact-sheets and information sheets on the same key topics which will increase access possibilities for people working with late adopter groups; • A dedicated help-desk function focused on responding to ICT queries from people working in community and voluntary organisations supporting late adopter groups. The target group are people working in C&V organisations with responsibility for management, finance and IT. Groups to be focused on include groups working in the area of disability, older people, women at home and unemployed. The target number of beneficiaries is as follows: • Series of four workshops and seminars – 200 organisations in total. • Fact-sheets and information sheets – the same 200 organisations, plus an additional 50% take up, i.e. 100 more. • Dedicated help-desk function – The same 300 organisations, plus an additional 100 organisations per month over the final six months of the 2007. The total target number of beneficiary organisations is therefore 900. Each organisation where skills are increased also has an impact on the end-user i.e. the later adopter. As evidenced in the private sector, peer knowledge and advice are significant driving force in building the Information Society. Systematic programmes of raising awareness will have a significant multiplier effect as word of cost effective and powerful ICT tools, hitherto only known as ICT jargon words, are seen to transform work experiences. The recent report ‘Information Technology in the Community and Voluntary Sector’, notes the widespread use of IT for standard communication but emphasised the low level of use for service provision and management. This project targets this particular problem by informing, encouraging and leading change. It is also a self-contained programme that can be repeated in the future.

Return on investment

Return on investment: Not applicable / Not available

Lessons learnt

This project is still ongoing. Scope: Regional (sub-national)