[Telecentres] Content areas - application to telecentres-clarification

[Don Cameron]

Hi Elizabeth,

Perhaps the value of this introductory and diverse discourse is to highlight
the enormous diversity presented by the term "Telecentre" - Even within the
constraints of a single community (my own community as an example; we have
two physical Telecentre's), both have a roughly equal number of computers,
staff and volunteers and both provide access, training and content... yet
one targets disadvantaged youth, the other business incubation and
development. One is completely Open Source, the other runs only commercial
software. One has a focus on youth and social development, the other
business and entrepreneurial development (community economic development).
Both offer training, one in business processes and development, the other in
social skills and literacy. One offers youth counselling services, the other
business counselling services. One received a substantial amount of
kick-start funding; the other received no Government funding. This is
obviously a very minimalist view of the services and interaction of these
two Telecentre's however hopefully paints a rough picture. 

Mapping even these Telecentre's serving a common community to the WSIS CS
declaration is not an easy task as both extend well beyond the WSIS
declaration in very different directions. It is also pertinent to note how
the primary objectives of both centres are largely missing from the WSIS
declaration even though none could argue the importance of these objectives
to our community's continued development. I'm not sure I can answer your
question for the Telecentre's I am affiliated with without further
brainstorming (even after many years of direct involvement I am still
learning about all the interactions and potential offered by these
Telecentre's, and in truth I am yet to fully grasp the 'modus operandi' of
WSIS and what benefits we should expect from the process).

Rgds, Don