These pages contain introductions by
people attending the Partnerships
for Tomorrow events September
1995. For other contacts, see IACN
introductions.
G Scott
Aikens
Nick Bailey
Jonathan
Baker-Bates
Clive Baldock
Mike
Brian
Jonathan
Brown
Thurstan
Crockett
Peter Davis
Peter Day
Mary Doyle
Peter Durrant
David Evans
Dave
Fitzpatrick
Dave Greenop
Kevin Harris
Eiko Itoh
Michael
Mulquin
Ian Pearson
Nick Plant
and Morris Williams
Tracy Stiles
Chris Stokes
Peter Stott
Chris Studman
Kay
Wagland
Chris
Whitmore
David Wilcox
J
Williamson
"G.S. Aikens"
<gsa1001@CUS.CAM.AC.UK>
I'm doing a Ph.D. at The University of Cambridge in the Faculty of
Social and Political Sciences. The title of my work is, "American
Democracy and Computer Mediated Communication - A Case Study in
Minnesota". Last fall I worked on an electronic democracy project in
Minnesota. I organised an on-line candidates debate that was
forwarded into a public discussion group of 700 citizen-participants.
I'm interested in how such "instrumentalities" might affect the
democratic process if widely implemented. I would be particularly
interested in how these "instrumentalities" might be translated into
British political community.
baileyn@wmin.ac.uk (Nick Bailey)
Tel: 0171 911 5000 x3117
Nick Bailey is a principal lecturer in the School of Urban
Development & Planning, University of Westminster. He has carried
out extensive research on partnerships and trusts (particularly those
involved in urban regeneration) and has recently published
"Partnership Agencies in British Urban Policy" (UCL Press, 1995) with
Alison Barker & Kelvin MacDonald. He has also developed
considerable practical experience of community participation and
capacity building through his involvement with community
organisations in central London and as co-Chair of the Fitzrovia
Trust.
Jonathan Baker-Bates
<jonathan@theframe.com>
Tel: 0171 434 3315
Formerly a freelance translator of Japanese with a degree in the
subject from Sheffield University (1991), I found myself becoming
more interested in themachines I was using to do the job than the job
of translating itself. After finishing (and publishing) a
particularly arduous book on the post-war history of the Japanese
monarchy in 1992, I decided to get out of translation and into
something in which I could indulge my technological urges.
While working as a freelance researcher and database designer for a
trade publication in Stockwell (Programme News magazine) last year, I
discovered the then nascent pHreak bulletin board being demonstrated
at London's Megatripolis club. I had tried other bulletin boards, but
on seeing pHreak, I became an instant addict. This addiction did not
go unnoticed by pHreak's owners, Intermedia Associates, who
eventually invited me to join them in the construction of their main
on-line project, *the frame.* I now work for Intermedia
full-time.
I now fill the few hours I have left in the day after working on both
pHreak and *the frame* by helping to promote the use of on-line
systems by non-profit, community and activist groups/institutions,
although I still find time to have a look at the Yomiuri Shimbun from
time to time...
cliveb@rsch.org.uk (Clive
Baldock)
Tel: 01273 696955 x4387
I am Senior Medical Physicist in the Medical Physics and Nuclear
Medicine Departments, Brighton Health Care NHS Trust, Royal Sussex
County Hospital, Brighton. I have used the Internet for a number of
years in a technical / scientific capacity whilst working in London
teaching hospitals. I conceived the idea of putting World Wide Web
pages for Brighton Health Care NHS Trust on the Internet towards the
end of 1994. On 20th December, 1994 we went 'live'. Since that date I
have managed and developed the web pages further. In the first 3
months 10,000 individuals had accessed the web pages. current
accesses are approximately 700 per week. The aim of pages is to
provide information about the organisation, such as waiting list
statistics, press release, patient services etc. to members of the
public, patients and members of the local medical profession.
Within Brighton Health Care we have a Internet Steering Committee, of
which I am a member, which advises the Trust on all aspects of the
Internet. On 4th July, 1995 we hosted a one day workshop 'Towards an
Information Superhighway in Medicine at Sussex University. It was
attended by 130 individuals from all over the UK. Speakers included
David Wilcox who spoke about community networking. As a result of
this we plan to host 'MEDNET 96 - European Congress of the Internet
in Medicine' at the Brighton Centre in October 1996. A call for
papers will be issued during October this year. I am interested in
developing all aspects of the internet as a medical resource for
local communities.
esccplan@pavilion.co.uk (Mike
Brian)
Tel: 01273 481619
Head of research at East Sussex County Planning department.
Responsible for organising "Multimedia 2000" conference recently held
at Sussex University. Currently trying to set up an organisational
arrangement that will bring the local commercial, voluntary/community
and public sectors together to advance a range of projects exploiting
the benefits of new information technology for the citizens and
businesses of Sussex.
Jonathan
Brown<100670.3467@compuserve.com>
Tel: 0171 713 6161
Jonathan is the Development Officer of the Rural Team of the National
Council for Voluntary Organisations. He has written on fundraising
for Rural Voluntary Action and on funding from Europe. Previously
Assistant Director of Powys Rural Council, he developed several
community based projects including a radio station and two rural
childcare projects.
Tel: 0121 212 9221
Thurstan Crockett is the new Information Manager for the Shell Better
Britain Campaign, which has recently been revised to support
community-based sustainable development. A central part of the new
Campaign is the three year development of a major Information Service
with a commitment to using new media technologies. Thurstan's
background is in journalism, campaigning, community action, local
group development and fundraising.
P.G.Davis@open.ac.uk (Peter
Davis)
Tel: 01908 652183
My interest in the 18th Sept forum is its community network
agenda.
I have been involved in setting up and developing Milton Keynes
Community Network for the last year or so with a particular interest
in its capability to support links between school age students and
adults other than teachers both inside and outside of curriculum
settings.
MKCN at present involves about 30 groups and organisations and 13
schools in Milton Keynes albeit embryonically. MKCN has a virtual
link with another community network in Las Vegas Nevada which to my
knowledge at the moment is the first international community to
community link of its kind in the world.
MKCN is supported by First Class. We have a gateway to the Internet
for communication purposes and are developing means to give schools
full internet access. We have done this to a limited extent. We also
have an available Web site for local schools and organisations to
use. The Mark 1 MKCN home page is at:
http://www-emrg.open.ac.uk/mkcn/mkcn.html from Monday 4th
Sept
day <P.Day@bton.ac.uk>
Tel: 01273 643513
I'm employed as a Research Assistant at the Department of Library and
Information Studies, University of Brighton, where I'm also
researching a PhD. My main focus is the social impact of Information
Communication Technology (ICT) on a variety of communities. I have
collaborated with a number of trades unions in raising awareness of
ICT related issues such as telework and am currently undertaking a
comparative case study of UK and Scandinavian Telecottage
initiatives. I am also investigating the potential for a Telecottage
initiative in East Sussex with a local authority and educational
institutions. My research stems from a human-centred, participative
approach to ICT design and development.
I feel strongly that tripartite collaboration and co-operation
between public, private and not-for-profit sectors is the only way
forward for the development of a socially acceptable information
infrastructure. I believe Community Networks to be an exciting and
innovative initiative and a refreshing departure from the often
techno-economic driven Information Society debate.
Mary Doyle
<100607.542@Compuserve.com>
Tel: 0171 706 4951
Assistant Director Development Trusts Association, the DTA is a
membership organisation for community development trusts and their
partners across England, Wales and N.Ireland. Community Development
Trusts are partnership organisations engaged in economic, social and
environmental regeneration. The Association presently has 120
members.
The DTA provides training, advice, information, consultancy, a
regular newsletter, conferences and development support services to
members. We are in the process of developing a "new" information
system with on-line access for e-mail, bulletin board and WWW. The
information system needs to respond the information needs of both our
members and partners. We intend to "grow" the information system
interactively and organically with our members and partners, it is
this work that has dragged me kicking and screaming into the world of
the "information superhighway".
My concerns around these developments focus on the feeling of
travelling the highway in a "Skoda" (for reasons of resource
economy), being aware that many organisations are not even in
possession of an appropriate vehicle and some legitimate fears around
who does the road building programme and who's involved in any
tolling system, in addition to the issues that surround the ability
of not for profit organisations and those people they work with and
for to access, be empowered by, have interactivity with appropriate
information and colleagues and use these tools to take control of
their own lives, neighbourhoods, towns, villages etc.
My expectation for the meeting:
* an opportunity to meet other people facing the challenges of this
"new world"
* an on-going forum for debate and discussion
* an forum for sharing promising practise and the pleasures and pains
of these initiatives
* a place for not for profit organisation to discuss and debate (off
and on-line) issues/challenges of particular relevance to them and
the sector
* the development of a forum that is inclusive not exclusive
* development of a group which wishes to take the issues outlined
above forward development of a group who wish to contribute to each
others understanding and learning
My back ground in mostly in the not for profit sector ( paid and
unpaid) in community development and community economic development
providing information, advice, training, consultancy, management
development for not for profit organisations. I have occasionally
strayed into the public and private sectors delivering training,
development and consultancy services to small and medium enterprises.
I have been active in the local voluntary sector wherever I have
lived and was until my move to London involved in the development of
a community information network (on and off line), which stalled at
the hurdle of access to and integration with partners databases and
enquiry systems.
Peter Durrant
<thedurrants@cityscape.co.uk>
Tel: 01223 262759
Peter Durrant is the Co-ordinator of the Brit. Assoc. of Social
Workers Special Interest Group on Community Social Work as well as a
member of the Standing Committee for Community Development, Assoc. of
Community Workers et al. For the past ten years he has worked
part-time as a development worker in Cambridge with a recently
established Consortium, made up of Health, Community Education and
Social Services, working with individuals and families with learning
difficulties. Together with a range of other interests including
Credit Unions, Food Coops and the like. Or, more philosophically,
community development approaches which offer an alternative and/or a
complementary approach to mainstream social work.
ex2014@ccug.wlv.ac.uk (David
Evans)
Tel: 01902 353929
I'm Director of Open Learning at Bilston Community College, where
we're in the process of establishing a First Class based Community
network, hopefully with European funding, over the next year or so.
Our interest in the educational and access side of community
networks, but we're working with a wide variety of organisations
(schools, SMEs, churches, mosques, tenants associations, voluntary
sector groups etc.) to create something which will have spin-offs for
all those involved, and a lot more besides. We're planning to develop
a WWW site as well, and other projects involving video conferencing,
access for the house bound etc.
Dave Fitzpatrick
<d.fitzpatrick@lond.geonet.de >
Tel: 0171 241 2162
Managing Director Computer Access
Computer Access is a not for profit community sector organisation of
some 13 years standing that offers independent advice, support,
consultancy and training in information technology.
In the last few years, Computer Access has piloted and now
implemented a full secure e-mail system (under GeoNet) that now
offers full graphic access to and from the Internet. Electronic
publishing is also part of their service.
Projects currently include the developing and implementation of a
"Teleregion" for East London & the Lee Valley, offering full
broad band access across the 6 London Boroughs contained within the
region.
As a pioneering organisation within this area of "telematics",
Computer Access is keen to disseminate appropriate information as
widely as possible to avoid any organisation re-inventing the wheel.
Working with Poptel/Soft Solution in this context, current clients
range from the CBI to the Labour Party... as well as numerous
community sector organisations.
"Greenop, Dave"
<GREENOPD@oldpaul.agw.bt.co.uk>
BT European Platform Strategy Manager
David Greenop has worked for BT since graduating in Physics and Logic
from Sussex University in 1975. He has a Master degrees in
Telecommunications from Essex University. His early work within BT
included the development of mathematical models and tools for
planning telecommunications networks, he had involvement in the
design of BTs current digital network.
Over the last seven years he has been involved in the development of
BTs future network and technology vision. This included forward
looking work that identified for BT many of the key issues that we
now group under the banner of 'Information Superhighways'. David has
also been heavily involved in working with other European
Telecommunication companies on future pan European strategic studies.
The outputs of this European work has influenced the Bangermann
Report on The Information Society and the recent G7 conference in
Brussels on the same topic. David has become increasingly aware of
the social implications of the new technology and in particular how
it can be used to exploit and dis-empower the individual rather than
enrich our lives.
cdf@geo2.poptel.org.uk (Kevin
Harris)
Tel: 0171 226 5375
Head of Information, Community Development Foundation (since 1987).
Formerly British Library Research Fellow studying online use by end
users (remember them?). Established Volnet UK database service
jointly with the Volunteer Centre UK, online since 1989, on CD ROM
since 1993, available through the Internet since 1994. Former Chair
of INVOG (Info Workers in Vol Orgs) and ASSIG (Aslib Social Sciences
Info Group). Secretary to ITaC (IT & Communities) Working Party,
part-funded by BT and IBM, which produced the report 'Press enter' in
1992, and other papers. Served on IBM Community Computing Fund Panel
and the associated research group. Er, what else. Currently:
Secretary to INSINC, IBM-sponsored working party on Social Inclusion
in the Information Society. Carrying out research into 'public
libraries, vol orgs and the internet'. Organising conference and
drafting strategy paper on public libraries and community
development. Working with a consortium of CD agencies to set up a
bulletin board and get up to speed using email.
Role: promoting the sharing of information, and its exploitation, in
community sector.
Dream: documented, evaluated evidence of the difference this
technology can make to community orgs achieving their
objectives.
Tel: 0171 381 6276
I am a Japanese postgraduate student at the University of Sheffield ,
doing an MSc in Information Management. The dissertation that I am
working on, is providing MIND's (Mental Health Charity Organisation)
information on the Web. Part of this work, requires me to do a
research on the use of the Internet by Voluntary Sector Organisations
and the various implications related to this. In order to consider
the implications of using the Internet, one needs to be aware of what
is happening with regard to Community Information Networking. I would
be finishing this course by the beginning of September after which I
will be moving to London.
Michael Mulquin
<ASTON-CIU@LOND.GeoNet.de >
Tel: 0181 519 2244
I co-ordinate a team of 11 people - the Community Involvement Unit,
working in Newham (East London), the most deprived borough in England
and Wales. It also has one of the highest percentages of ethnic
minorities in the country (at least 42%) and has the most ethnically
diverse population. In short, it is a very exciting place to live and
work. We seek to "encourage and equip the people of Newham to work
together to effectively tackle issues of poverty, deprivation,
discrimination, prejudice, disadvantage and powerlessness." We help
in the setting up of community groups, provide training and support
in the areas of financial and organisational management to community
groups and maintain a library, including access to on-line databases
for the benefit of community groups. We also have a strong research
programme looking at key issues relating to community and the
voluntary sector. Newham Council has been granted #2 million from
Europe to set up multi media kiosks around the borough to provide
access points for information and help and we have begun working with
them on developing the project. We are very new to electronic
networking, but are trying to ensure that the voluntary sector in
Newham benefits from the technology and, more generally, are wanting
to make sure that poor communities are not further excluded by
developments in electronic communications.
Ian Pearson
<ian.pearson@bt-sys.bt.co.uk>
Ian Pearson graduated in 1981 in Applied Mathematics and Theoretical
Physics from Queens University, Belfast . After four years in the
defence industry, he joined BT Laboratories, where he was involved in
analysing the performance of computer networks and protocols and
helped develop ATM transmission over optical networks. He has since
become more generalised, covering broadband networks and services,
and advising on the telecommunications impacts of new developments
throughout information technology.
nick.plant@csm.uwe.ac.uk (Nick
Plant), morris.williams@csm.uwe.ac.uk
Tel: 01272 656261
Nick Plant and Morris Williams of the University of the West of
England Department of Computing come from a voluntary sector
background, and their experience includes IT consultancy, training,
support and software development in community organisations,
extensive involvement in community development and management
training for voluntary organisations. As academic staff in the School
of Information Systems, their work remains closely focused on the
community and voluntary sector, involving them both for example in
the Department's pioneering student consultancy projects in community
organisations, voluntary sector consultancy work, and several
significant research and development projects.
Morris and Nick are both starting work currently on a local project
on the use of new communications technologies in community
organisations. Amongst other concerns, this work involves them in:
mapping out and evaluating existing "community telematics" provision
in the light of the limited general IT infrastructure available to
the voluntary sector; defusing the hype and examining in detail at a
practical, grass roots local level the potential for new forms of
information exchange within the community sector; identifying through
pilot sites the telematics infrastructure required to deliver
sustainable benefits to community organisations; and disseminating
findings regularly in an accessible manner.
The project involves a participative approach including active local
partnership work. We are also committed to linkage with partners at a
national and international level, for mutual benefit where resources
permit. We are for example keen to work on local/regional events
linked with national developments, contribute project findings to
appropriate publications, and do human and electronic networking
around areas of mutual interest.
Individual and project-specific WWW pages are in the pipeline and we
will publicise these, and alternative print-based sources of further
information, soon. Meanwhile, we can be contacted as shown
below.
lvsc-library@geo2.geonet.de (Tracy
Stiles)
Tel: 0171 700 0100
I work in the Voluntary Sector Resource Centre library in North
London. I am employed by London Voluntary Service Council (LVSC) -
the umbrella organisation supporting London's voluntary sector. The
library provides information on organisational development issues,
such as funding and personnel matters. There is also a social policy
section.
We have recently gone online and want to look at ways of using the
new technology to enhance the service we provide. We would also like
to disseminate information to the voluntary sector in London on what
it means to be online, and what the possibilities are, and to
encourage their involvement.
I still have a lot to learn about the new technology and I am
concerned about the issue of avoiding an information elite, and would
like to find ways of encouraging and enabling access and usage of
this technology to smaller voluntary groups, not just the larger and
more established ones.
c.stokes@lancaster.ac.uk (Chris
Stokes)
In 1994 I converted from engineering to the sociology of science and
technology. In my past life I graduated in electrical engineering,
did a masters in artificial intelligence, worked for a time for the
UK Atomic Energy Authority (no longer, honest!), worked for a firm of
patent agents, and then as a research assistant at Lancaster
University in conceptual engineering design.
I started a PhD in 1994 on the ways in which technologies and
associated practices come to have the stable forms they usually
achieve, with a specific interest in information highways. I'm doing
this in the Centre for Science Studies and Science Policy at
Lancaster University.
My interest in community networks is a result I suppose of work I was
doing earlier this year for my PhD and reading Howard Rheingold's
book, 'Virtual Community'. Since then I have adopted community
networking as a specific arena in which a technology and associated
practices are in the process of stabilising, and one related to
information highways.
However, I am not playing the part of the good old-fashioned
sociologist in all of this. That sociologist would have insisted on
maintaining ananalytical distance between herself/himself and the
object of study. I do not; indeed I cannot. I certainly wouldn't call
myself a technological optimist, still less a technological Utopian.
I think the things that people call 'technology' and the other things
they usually don't but which nevertheless are inextricably tied up
with them are not inherently 'good' or a sure sign of the 'progress
of civilisation' (as we approach the 50th anniversary of the
atom-bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki). I do think we need to
rewrite the histories and current discourses of
technology.
100533.2643@compuserve.com (Peter
Stott)
Tel: 0141 339 7564
I'm now a consultant specialising in local and community economic
development. Previously I was the Head of Strathclyde Regional
Council's Partnership Office which sought to support and develop
initiatives in disadvantaged areas which address issues of economic
and social exclusion. During the last 20 years my focus in economic
development work has shifted from physical redevelopment projects to
more holistic, community and people based approaches. In my new
career I am continuing to work in this area, particularly on the use
of European funding for economic and social cohesion projects. One of
the things that the local economic companies and projects in the West
of Scotland have realised is that they are not exploiting the
possibilities of electronic networking. I am currently working on the
development of a process which will establish this network.
100533.2643@compuserve.com
chris@ecosaur.demon.co.uk (Chris
Studman)
Tel: 01203 711185
Long background in environmental movement, formerly worked for
Friends of the Earth in London. Now working with a number of
environmental groups helping them get established on the Internet.
Also involved in setting up Coventry Community Network
kaywagland@gn.apc.org (Kay
Wagland)
Tel: 01903 884926
I trained as a programmer and a systems designer working on
mainframes, but 5 years ago moved over to community research. I
worked on self-sustainability of a community environmental networks
facilitated by a(personal) computer system (what is she rabbiting on
about?!!). Theoutcome of this was published in a practical paper
called ' Working Togetherin Sustainable Networks' for Hampshire
County Council, CountrysideCommission and English Nature. Since then
I have worked on a freelancebasis, providing community IT support and
working on some EUTeleworking/Telematics reports (yawn).
I am about to move on again to become the Local Agenda 21 officer for
TowerHamlets. I am interested in information management, and people
and information leading the technology (as opposed to the current
trend)! as well as the potential role of IT in moving towards
sustainable living.
100111.3515@compuserve.com (Chris
Whitmore) 01273 606767
I've been building databases for use by community organisations since
1988 and am currently a director of Information for Action Ltd
selling database software and consultancy to a market which is split
roughly 75% Voluntary Sector to 25% Statutory Sector. I'm a Clipper
programmer and, for my sins, I've now started using Visual Objects to
embrace the wacky world of Windows. At various times in the past I've
been involved in the running of Brighton's development education
centre (Worldwise), our local cycle campaign group (Bricycles) and,
to a lesser extent, got caught up in a whole range of campaigns and
lost causes.
<dwilcox@pavilion.co.uk>
Tel: 01273 677377
I spent 12 years as a journalist, mainly with the Evening Standard in
the 1970s. Since then I have worked as a consultant, trainer and
writer specialising in community participation and partnership
building. I have been the voluntary chair of the North Kensington
Amenity Trust (developing 20 acres of land under a motorway), and I'm
now chair of the North Laine Community Association (or Bohemian
Brighton as the official guide has it).
I'm interested in community electronic networks because they seem to
challenge elites. The readers become writers, public bodies are
challenged to put information into the public domain, partnerships
become more widely based IF..... people have access to the
technology, the information and discourse is well structured, and
virtual communities are based on real ones.
J Williamson
<xtg035@cent1.lancs.ac.uk>
I am currently studying and working at the University College of
St.Martin, Lancaster, in the Community and Youth Studies dept.
I research computer networks and the implications for communities,
workers and trainers, and am actively involved in the development and
establishment of a college wide campus network (linking the
department to the whole internet) which will be in place in the
Autumn.
My specific interest (research) areas include:
* Development and use of the internet by community agencies and
groups, resulting intercommunication, use of the WWWeb for this
process.
* Internet accessibility and equal opportunities in accessing
networked(internet) communications and informational
resources.