Impact

Large numbers of people received training as a result of this initiative. A total of around 8,500 people received solid training on basic ICT skills, while around 5,500 used the Cambridgeshire Community Access Points to access more general online learning opportunities. Specific training was provided to 107 people with disabilities to enable them to access the Internet and use other key computer software.

Significant numbers of public/community access points have been set up through the CitizenFirst programme, many of which have been very well used. A total of 50 sites have been supplied with 128 access points, made up of 18 dedicated Internet Kiosks with the rest being public PCs. Almost all of these provide full internet access; all make it easy to access online government and other local services. They have been sited in a range of different environments, including local authority one-stop-shops, libraries, community centres, shops, public houses, tourist information offices, or even as stand-alone kiosks in a town square. They have been deliberately set up to be seen as a resource for everyone and not simply for people who do not have PCs at home. Because of the Internet access they provide, they are useful to enable people away from home, both tourists and local residents, to get information and undertake transactions.

In Kortrijk the Internet Kiosks were linked to electronic card readers to enable residents to use their electronic identity card to download and print out official certificates and documents. This meant that they can provide a valuable service that people cannot get from a home PC. In MWRA two of the kiosks were sited in local One-Stop-Shops to enable citizens to get information while counter staff were busy. In this way the Internet Kiosks are used and valued by people with all levels of Internet skills and are not seen as a second class resource for excluded communities.

Some very important work was done on defining good practice around disability issues including some detailed best practice for ICT training courses developed for people with disabilities and the building of a library of information on software and hardware suitable for people with a range of disabilities.

Ieper also used the links with experts helping on these aspects of CitizenFirst to trial a number of other initiatives. For instance they ran awareness sessions for front office staff on disability issues and, notably, decided to make a certain production from the existing cultural programme accessible to people with sensory disabilities.

Track record of sharing

While most of the CitizenFirst programme has now been completed, it has left behind some very significant long term assets. First of all there is the large number of public access points that have been set up. Not only are the local authorities committed to continuing to maintain them, but several have plans to extend the network further.

Thousands of citizens are now confident to use online services, communities have been strengthened and a number of new neighbourhood groups have been set up. Significant numbers of people are now involved in volunteering. Strong partnerships between agencies have been set up which are likely to result in further important initiatives. More people have been involved in local governance and a stronger relationship has been developed between public bodies and the citizens they serve.

Lessons learnt

Lesson 1 - One of the key issues in any initiative that is trying to tackle the digital divide or to deliver services more effectively to the citizen, is to decide whether it should be top down or bottom up? The experience of CitizenFirst shows that the question is more complex than it might appear and that there are advantages and disadvantages to both approaches.

Lesson 2 - The content of the free courses has to be adjusted for each, given that life environment plays a big role. The biggest challenge is the first step; that of convincing people to join. A personal approach and using champions from the specific target group is highly recommended.

Lesson 3 - The digital train drives fast and tends to run over the elderly people in our society. This is one of the most vulnerable target groups because more and more everyday services are becoming digitalized. Independency is threatened and social exclusion can result if they do not participate.

Lesson 4 - Indoor information kiosks and public PC are very similar. One advantage of kiosks is that they are more visible. Their visibility makes them a good focus for publicising more general initiatives on service provision or building digital inclusion.