Presentation
Description
Network of field actors in digital inclusion, especially concerning the digital divide. This network allows them to have better political visibility of their field findings (the problems encountered by the public and by the field actors themselves).
Digital activity
The Caban network brings together actors in the field concerning the digital divide. It brings these findings to the political level when the latter decides to take action in digital inclusion. It acts as an advisor. The organizations it gathers are EPNs (digital public spaces) aiming to improve citizens' digital knowledge and fundamental digital skills. There are also ASBLs acting with target audiences in the fight against the digital divide (reconditioning equipment, working with Alpha audiences, and service providers ...).
Good practice targeted
Inclusion
To go further
Good practice
fight against the digital divide
Costs
financed by calls for tender, public contracts, calls for projects
Starting date of the good practice
2010
Time to implement the good practice
The network has been in place for 10 years.
Tools/partners/suppliers of the good practice
The partners of the Caban network are the Brussels EPNs but also public actors such as the public computer scientist who travels around the territory to organize individual interviews, where the EPNs are collective. The public informatician goes to look for people for whom going to an EPN is a step to take in itself. He is there mainly as an administrative help and he also encourages the person to go to EPN to have a better digital autonomy. Other actors of the network also relay to the EPNs the same political claims, such as the necessity of a structural financing for the employment of digital helpers.
Reach digital autonomy
What are the benefits of the project ?
"These are devices that work on the three levels of the digital divide. :
- Access: it is already simply having access to quality equipment and a quality connection, either for people who have no access at all or for people who have no access temporarily (e.g., if you move and you need to do online procedures, which are difficult to do on a telephone). The EPNs are open to all.
- Skills: provide activities according to the demands of the public (banking, teleworking, using a smartphone, etc.). Technology evolves all the time, and so does its use, which means that the digital divide will continue as long as technology evolves. EPNs are there to work on the different types of divides that will emerge.
- Access to rights: urgent help approach. This is mainly the role of the public computer scientist.
EPNs are also a place of social cohesion due to their collective nature. This can change people's perception of the digital world."
What were the constraints faced by the company ?
"EPNs need other actors to function correctly. Typically, if all bank counters are closed, EPNs cannot answer specific banking questions. They can help understand the bank's digital tool, but EPNs need to have public or private services accessible. The fact of not having services open easily makes the EPN facilitators' tasks heavier; they cannot replace the employees of public and private services.
The second constraint is the difficulty of people who come to EPN to work independently at home because they do not necessarily have a connection or quality equipment. Of course, they can stay as long as they want in EPN, but to achieve autonomy, it is always better to practice at home (trial and error).
Finally, the funding of organizations that do social cohesion. This problem is even more pronounced in a context where public or private services are less and less physically accessible. Funding is granted based on a specific mission or audience (call for projects), which does not allow for ""all public"" digital inclusion. These calls for projects take time to be carried out without any certainty of being granted, and these projects must be ""original"". At the same time, some problems continue to exist, such as manipulating the keyboard or the mouse. C
This difficulty of financing also poses a problem for personnel: the contracts are precarious, which causes a lot of turnovers, whereas an EPN functions well when the facilitator establishes a relationship of trust with the public."
Which advice would give to another company ?
Be realistic. To be able to realize the amount of work that the creation of an EPN requires (animation, coordination, communication, search for partnerships, etc.). All this implies putting the question of the animator's salary and the contract (full time) on the table. Do not ask too much of the people who will work in the EPN, so think carefully about financing and the way the EPN will be organized. You have to be ready to start looking for funding. The second advice is to be part of a network to aim for structural funding, even if it is modest (guarantee a minimum level in EPNs).
What are the next steps?
The constant search for structural financing of EPNs and focus on other members of the Caban network who are not EPNs. To revitalize all the actors around a common issue, that of human support in a digital society.