Proposals for an electronic Community Regeneration Network for the UK stemmed from ideas originally developed by Partnerships for Tomorrow and the Communities Online Conference at BT Centre in October 1995 . Initial proposals of December 1995 were revised in discussion with BT. The revised proposals of March 1996 led to development of Communities Online, an initiative which focuses on both local community electronic networking, and networking communities of interest like regeneration practitioners.
The proposal below, of March 1996, developed from an earlier proposal submitted to BT Community Affairs in December 1995. That earlier proposal contained a higher budget and proposals for an independent server running FirstClass conferencing software. That proposal was modified on the basis that BT would provide server space.
The aim of CRN is to demonstrate how
the Internet and other new media technologies can benefit urban and
rural communities.
It will do this by helping develop and link new national and local
online networks based on existing network organisations.
Its main audience will be professionals and activists involved in
regeneration projects and partnerships. They will use CRN for
information and discussion.
The main partners in the development of CRN will be national network
organisations who currently support local action, and their local
equivalents. CRN will build on their existing methods of
disseminating information and facilitating discussion through print
and meetings.
Throughout the project we will explore how to bridge the gap between
those struggling to cope with the basic use of computers, and the
expectations created by the enthusiastic champions of telematics.
We will root development in the realities of the day to day work of
professionals and activists in the field.
There are three strands to the plan:
- and then bring these strands together in a demonstration seminar in July.
We will confirm working arrangements
with the current partners in our proposal: National Council of
Voluntary Organisations, Urban Forum and rural team; Community
Development Foundation; Development Trusts Association; Standing
Conference for Community Development.
We will develop partnership arrangements with other networks that
serve and represent local umbrella organisations: NACVS (mainly urban
Councils for Voluntary Service), and ACRE (Rural Community Councils).
We are already in discussion with both these bodies.
We will analyse their needs, which are likely to include support and
training for members connecting to the Internet; designing
information structures and resources; facilitating online
discussion.
In addition to these national networks we will recruit local projects
which are using or developing electronic networking for community
benefits. These may include partnerships of local authorities,
universities and voluntary organisations.
For the purposes of demonstration and evaluation we will aim to
recruit, by the above processes, at least 100 professionals who will
be actively involved in using and developing the system. Many more
will, of course, be able to access the Web site.
Progress on the project will depend on the speed with which the
network organisations can engage with the technology and relate it to
their day to day operations. This will provide important lessons for
future development.
We will work with BT Labs and our
technical partners to create mailing lists, one or more demonstration
Web sites and a demonstration bulletin board system for discussion
groups.
The Web site will be the shop window for CRN, linked to other
existing sites and to the sites we will develop with our network
partners. We will undertake initial Web and BBS design, and discuss
with BT Labs the scope for using their servers for public access.
Initial development will be for working demonstration purposes: that
is, it will be fully functional for initial users, but not configured
for wider public use. We will plan the further technical development
of Web sites and BBS in conjunction with BT Labs and implement during
the second phase.
We would like to explore the possibility of an Internet access
package provided by the BT Internet service.
We will work with our network
partners to develop an overall editorial framework, and a structure
which will allow updating both centrally and through partner
organisations.
The content will cover social, economic and environmental topics
relevant to community regeneration, and the processes of partnership,
participation and organisational development. This will allow us to
provide both file libraries of information on Web and BBS, and to
develop discussion groups.
As with technical development, during the period of the project we
will be able to provide a first range of useful material and
discussion groups. Expansion of the system will be planned on the
basis of first stage evaluation and second stage
fundraising.
The programme will culminate in a
demonstration seminar involving BT, partner networks and other
potential sponsors and funders. It will provide the deadline for
bringing all elements of the project together, and assist in second
stage fundraising.
We have already started work on network recruitment, and outlining
the information structure and technical requirements. The milestones
in the programme are:
Network recruitment, overall project management
and evaluation £6000
Training workshops for network partners £1000
Editorial structure and initial content £3000
Web development and design £2500
BBS development and design £2500
Graphic design £1500
Workshops and seminar £1500
Total £18,000
We suggest that the balance of items within this budget p; for
example between Web and BBS p; is reviewed after the meeting with
BT Labs.
The budget is tight to cover the three elements of the programme:
technical, network development and information. Throughout the first
phase we will be seeking help in kind and p; where possible p;
some cash contributions from network partners. We will also make bids
to other potential funders and sponsors, subject to agreement with
BT.
In order to ensure the longer term sustainability of the network it
will be important that network partners recognise the costs of
developing and maintaining Web sites and a BBS, and that we jointly
secure resources for further development.
During the four month development period we will examine a number of options for the longer term business plan for the network. These are likely to include the following elements:
A key issue to examine will be whether to continue to treat the project as a testbed and demonstration for, say a year, or to attempt to move to wider service provision more rapidly. This decision will depend partly on the likely earning capacity of the project, and partly on the opportunities that it provides for BT to experiment with different approaches.
The three strands of the original proposal - network development, technical platform, content - were developed on the basis that:
In practice these assumptions did not hold and other opportunities arose which led to a change of priorities.
These changes of course and the outcome will be detailed in the project report.
This proposal outlines a development
partnership between BT, the National Council for Voluntary
Organisations, and Aston Charities Trust to create a new national
charity called Partnerships for Tomorrow.
It sets out how these partners, and others, will develop a 'friendly
island' on the Internet to demonstrate how new media technologies can
benefit voluntary bodies and communities.
The initiative stems from development work funded by BT which
culminated in a conference Communities Online at BT Centre in October
1995.
As a result of this earlier work the initiative is already supported
by major national bodies working in the not for profit sector. These
include the Community Development Foundation (CDF), Development
Trusts Association (DTA) and Standing Conference on Community
Development (SCCD). Our aim is to attract other key organisations
from the public and private sectors to form a unique cross sector
partnership.
The primary service offered by Partnerships for Tomorrow will be to
provide a means by which private, public, and voluntary sector
organisations can work together to promote, develop, support and
evaluate projects for community benefit based on the use of new media
technologies.
This proposal covers the first stage of a three stage process to
create the technical platform, develop and test the information
systems, establish 'real world' partnerships, and move towards a
financially sustainable service with a year.
It builds on the pilot system demonstrated at the conference, where
pioneer users have already started development of a Community
Regeneration Network (CRN). During phase 1 we will:
This proposal makes the case for BT
involvement in Partnerships for Tomorrow, not just as a source of
financial support and expertise, but as a partner. We are seeking
first stage investment of £24,600 plus a high capacity Internet
link.
We are offering BT a key role in the first initiative of its kind to
demonstrate widely and practically the potential benefits new media
technologies can offer in the fields of community regeneration and
social change.
As described above, these proposals of December 1995 were modified in
discussion with BT. The budget was reduced to £18,000, and
instead of a high capacity Internet link to a server provided by
Intermedia Associates, BT offered space on their own servers. The
implications of these changes are discussed in the project
report.