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Towards Digital Inclusion and Community Empowerment
- 1. Towards Digital Inclusion and Community Empowerment The What’s Up experience in Wisconsin Leo Burd MIT Center for Civic Media MIT-Knight Civic Media Conference – 2012.06.18 1
- 2. What’s Up initiative South Wood County, Wisconsin
- 4. challenges Unemployment rate: 8% since 2005 Medicaid increase: 75% FoodShare increase: 39% 37% of low-income families said they were not connected to the Internet
- 5. challenges Unemployment rate: 8% since 2005 Medicaid increase: 75% FoodShare increase: 39% 37% of low-income families said they were not connected to the Internet
- 6. 6
- 7. 7
- 8. 8
- 9. Signs located at: Walmart Job Center Food Pantry 9
- 10. Signs located at: Walmart Job Center Food Pantry 10
- 11. Paper Bulletins: Buyers Guide Job Center Food Pantry 11
- 15. Lessons learned Community foundations such as Incourage not only help us understand how the region works. They open doors to local organizations, provide credibility to the project, guarantee the sustainability of the activities beyond the initial pilots, and have little pockets of resources that play a critical role whenever things evolve differently than planned.
- 16. Lessons learned Community foundations such as Incourage not only help us understand how the region works. They open doors to local organizations, provide credibility to the project, guarantee the sustainability of the activities beyond the initial pilots, and have little pockets of resources that play a critical role whenever things evolve differently than planned.
- 17. Lessons learned Community foundations such as Incourage not only help us understand how the region works. They open doors to local organizations, provide credibility to the project, guarantee the sustainability of the activities beyond the initial pilots, and have little pockets of resources that play a critical role whenever things evolve differently than planned.
- 18. Looking ahead At the local level • Promote local adoption • Developing technical capacity to support What’s Up • Keep enhancing the system based on community feedback At the broader level • Publish white paper • Organize webinar to community foundations • Replicate the experience to other regions
- 19. Looking ahead At the local level • Promote local adoption • Developing technical capacity to support What’s Up • Keep enhancing the system based on community feedback At the broader level • Publish white paper • Organize webinar to community foundations • Replicate the experience to other regions
- 20. For additional information leoburd@media.mit.edu http://incourageevents.org/ http://incouragecf.org/ Special thanks to 20
Editor's Notes
- Hello everyone My name is Leo Burd I am a researcher here at the Center and I’m very interested in the design of local communication systems that give a voice to those who do not have access to computers, smart phones or the internet.
- Today I’m going to tell you about What’s Up, an initiative that we’ve been developing in collaboration with the Incourage Community Foundation in South Wood County, Wisconsin.
- South Wood County is an area with about 45,000 people Rural, very sparse community. A community that for the past 100 years has developed around a large (Fortune 500) paper company that provided jobs and resources for a lot of people in the area.
- Unfortunately, 10 years ago that company has been sold to a Finish group and a lot of people ended up losing their jobs. A lot of people who’ve always taken their future for granted are now in a very different situation, having to rely more on social services and find new venues for their careers. South Wood County Area: (as reported from most current version of Vital Signs, July 2012 for the area) POPULATION: 44,778 Wood County UNEMPLOYMENT RATE: 8% MEDICAID Caseload Increase: 75% FOODSHARE Caseload Increase: 39% Economically Disadvantaged STUDENTS: 44% Annual CHILDCARE COSTS over age 2: $6,336 Regarding Information Access: Incourage recently surveyed 728 south Wood County residents. Research compared three different groups: general population, low-income families (from “Stuff the Desk” event), and Internet-users. Of those surveyed in the general population, 22 percent cited no computer at home, yet there were significant differences among age groups. However, when compared to people at local “Stuff the Desk” events which provide school supplies for students from low-income families, nearly 30 percent of the respondents indicated they did not have a computer at home. That figure jumped in the same group to 55 percent for people 18-to-24 years old. Altogether, 37 percent of low-income families said they were not connected to the Internet.
- Unfortunately, 10 years ago that company has been sold to a Finish group and a lot of people ended up losing their jobs. A lot of people who’ve always taken their future for granted are now in a very different situation, having to rely more on social services and find new venues for their careers. In order to address those challenges, Incourage Foundation is bringing new opportunities to the region and mobilizing the community to assume ownership over their own future. South Wood County Area: (as reported from most current version of Vital Signs, July 2012 for the area) POPULATION: 44,778 Wood County UNEMPLOYMENT RATE: 8% MEDICAID Caseload Increase: 75% FOODSHARE Caseload Increase: 39% Economically Disadvantaged STUDENTS: 44% Annual CHILDCARE COSTS over age 2: $6,336 Regarding Information Access: Incourage recently surveyed 728 south Wood County residents. Research compared three different groups: general population, low-income families (from “Stuff the Desk” event), and Internet-users. Of those surveyed in the general population, 22 percent cited no computer at home, yet there were significant differences among age groups. However, when compared to people at local “Stuff the Desk” events which provide school supplies for students from low-income families, nearly 30 percent of the respondents indicated they did not have a computer at home. That figure jumped in the same group to 55 percent for people 18-to-24 years old. Altogether, 37 percent of low-income families said they were not connected to the Internet.
- That task is not easy. One of the biggest challenges has to do with making it easier for people to learn about the opportunities that are available to them. That’s precisely the goal of the What’s Up system.
- Basically, the system aggregates the calendars of local service providers and distributes that information through several online and offline channels that are accessible to all.
- For instance, by going to the What’s Up portal, anyone can post events and find out what is happening in terms of work, health, education, fun and more.
- Distributed to low-cost digital signs spread all over the community Each sign is associated with a specific location and keywords. Whenever the system identifies an event that fits the criteria, the event is displayed on the sign. This way, on your way out of Walmart you might find our about free computer training, and other opportunities. All of that without having to have access to a computer or the internet.
- Distributed to low-cost digital signs spread all over the community Each sign is associated with a specific location and keywords. Whenever the system identifies an event that fits the criteria, the event is displayed on the sign. This way, on your way out of Walmart you might find our about free computer training, and other opportunities. All of that without having to have access to a computer or the internet.
- In a similar way, What’s Up also generates flyers that can be printed and distributed by community partners. Once again, information that is only available on the web becoming available to all.
- Finally, What’s Up also generates a community hotline that can be accessed via regular phones or text messaging. Each event inserted into the system receives its own extension number. By dialing the central number and going to that extension, you might find additional information about the event, you may press 2 to get a text message reminder about the event, and you may also dial * to be redirected to the organization responsible for the event. In the process, we can collect usage statistics and, with that, know who is calling what and when, and then make that information available to local service providers, so that they can ask their questions directly
- Finally, What’s Up also generates a community hotline that can be accessed via regular phones or text messaging. Each event inserted into the system receives its own extension number. By dialing the central number and going to that extension, you might find additional information about the event, you may press 2 to get a text message reminder about the event, and you may also dial * to be redirected to the organization responsible for the event. In the process, we can collect usage statistics and, with that, know who is calling what and when, and then make that information available to local service providers, so that they can ask their questions directly
- Finally, What’s Up also generates a community hotline that can be accessed via regular phones or text messaging. Each event inserted into the system receives its own extension number. By dialing the central number and going to that extension, you might find additional information about the event, you may press 2 to get a text message reminder about the event, and you may also dial * to be redirected to the organization responsible for the event. In the process, we can collect usage statistics and, with that, know who is calling what and when, and then make that information available to local service providers, so that they can ask their questions directly
- We’ve learned a lot throughout the development of the What’s Up initiative. However, beyond anything, this project helped me develop a deep appreciation for community foundations.
- There are tons of lessons that have been learned throughout the development of the What’s Up initiative. However, beyond anything, this project helped me develop a deep appreciation for community foundations.
- There are tons of lessons that have been learned throughout the development of the What’s Up initiative. However, beyond anything, this project helped me develop a deep appreciation for community foundations.