The document discusses reconstructing communities through innovation. It outlines the mission of RLabs to develop an empowering environment for students and staff to create and apply knowledge that contributes to community development. It discusses various community innovation projects from 2007-2010 and partnerships with government, academia, industry and community. The goal is to train community champions and empower citizens and communities through collaboration and innovative technology.

1. Reconstructing Communities through Innovation By Marlon Parker RLabs

4. “ A Community in Tension is where the wellbeing of Citizens are being threatened”

6. “ Hope is like a road in the country; there was never a road, but when many people walk on it, the road comes into existence.” Lin Yutang

7. People passionate about reconstructing communities

8. Our mission is to develop and sustain an empowering environment where through teaching, learning, research and scholarship our students and staff, in partnership with the community and industry , are able to create and apply knowledge that contributes to development.

9. Collaborate

10. Impacted… 2007 Empowerment Champions Uplift

11. Athlone Living Lab (ALL)… 2008 Community Innovation Community Driven Capacity Building

12. “ A reconstructing interaction space for collaborative design, creation, dissemination and application of knowledge for empowerment , upliftment and development of people and communities in or headed for tension through the use of innovation ” Reconstructed Living Lab (RLabs)… 2009

13. Government Academia Industry Community Innovation Partnerships

14. Innovative Partnerships – Academic Visits

15. Innovative Partnerships – Student Engagement

16. Innovative Partnerships – Business/Government Engagement

17. Innovative Partnerships – Community Empowerment

18. # of Blog Posts: 2,000 # of Social Network on FaceBook: +10,000 # of Followers on Twitter : +10,000 # of Twitter updates: +60,000 Community Skills Development Social Media Surgeries Mobile Citizens Journalism Mobile Phones for Social Good # of Subscribers: + 80,000 # of Interactions: +2,500,000

19. … 2010

22. Technology and Innovation Conclusion…

23. Collaboration / Partnership

24. Reconstructing Citizens

25. Reconstructing Communities

26. “ Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”

27. Reconstructing Communities through Innovation

28. Thank You www.rlabs.org www.marlonparker.co.za [email_address] Marlon Parker @marlonparker marlonct +2721 469 1138 +2721 637 4037 +2776 403 4920