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Appendix A and B
Print this pageAPPENDIX A: International research and initiatives
Governments have identified nonprofit organisations as a valuable mechanism for enhancing overall levels of community ICT access and skills through their networks and their position as established social focal points within communities. Below is a summary of some of the relevant research and initiatives in selected countries.
World Summit for the Information Society (WSIS)
The WSIS Declaration of Principles and Action Plan identified the important role for civil society in development of a global information society.
Europe
European Commission
europa.eu.int/comm/civil_society/index.htm
The European Commission has recognised the importance of voluntary nonprofit organisations in the evolution of the information society.
United Kingdom
Citizens Online
Citizens Online is a registered charity established to explore the social and cultural impact of the Internet on society. Citizens Online believes that access to the Internet and all of its riches is essential for every citizen in the 21st century and is committed to universal access and tackling the issues of the digital divide.
National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) ICT project
NCVO is the umbrella body for the voluntary sector in England. It has identified the Internet and ICT as being essential to its sector for carrying out trading, marketing and managing contacts and fundraising activities.
IT4Communities
http://www.it4communities.org.uk/it4c/index.jsp
IT 4 Communities is an initiative to encourage companies, employees and individuals with professional IT skills to volunteer these skills for the benefit of local charities and community groups. IT 4 Communities is a joint initiative between Intellect (the UK's premier ICT industry body), the British Computer Society, the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists, Business in the Community and Citizens Online.
Sustain IT: delivering eWell-being
SustainIT is an initiative of the UK Centre for Economic and Environmental Development, a nonprofit research centre. It conducts research on and provides best practice examples of synergies between ICT and sustainable development. It is supported by British Telecom's Campaign for Digital Inclusion.
WorkwithUS.org (Scotland's Voluntary Sector)
Workwithus.org is Scotland's portal for the voluntary sector. It is supported by government and corporates such as Microsoft and BT Scotland.
Canada
The Voluntary Sector Initiative (VSI)
VSI is an undertaking between the Government of Canada and the voluntary sector to enhance their relationship and strengthen the sector's capacity. The five year initiative has involved working together to address issues such as funding practice, policy dialogue, technology, volunteering and research.
The study The Capacity to Serve: A Qualitative Study of the Challenges Facing Canada's Nonprofit and Voluntary Organisations is at www.vsi-isbc.ca/eng/knowledge/pdf/capacity_to_serve.pdf
Volunteer@ction.Online (V@O) program
www.gov.on.ca/MCZCR/english/citdiv/voluntar/vao-brochure.htm
In order to respond to the growing need for technology funding for Ontario's voluntary sector, the provincial government through its Ministry of Citizenship launched the Volunteer@ction.Online (V@O) program in 1998. From 1998 to 2002, V@O invested $11.5 million to fund over 110 innovative Internet-based projects that enhanced the voluntary sector's work. V@O projects resulted in training for over 3000 volunteers and staff and online recruitment of 85 000 volunteers. The program helped create over 3500 resources, including community directories, and benefited over 10 000 voluntary organisations.
Making IT Work for Volunteers (MITW)
MITW is a collaborative, cross-sector initiative that encourages and supports the effective use of ICT by charities and nonprofits. It creates opportunities for the high tech and voluntary sectors to assist one another in bridging and ultimately closing the digital divide.
New Zealand
Connecting Communities Strategy
http://www.dol.govt.nz/PDFs/cegBooklet2000.pdf
The NZ Government's Connecting Communities: A Strategy for Government Support of Community Access to ICT (2002) recognised the relationship between government and community and voluntary organisations as an essential element for building an inclusive information society.
United States of Amlerica
Connections for Tomorrow (C4T)
C4T is a government-funded project that supports nonprofit organisations in capacity building and best practices development. It provides grants and technical assistance to startup community technology programs, expanding and improving services to better equip them in the provision of assistance to at-risk youth or homeless.
Technology Opportunities Program (TOP)
TOP is a competitive, merit-based grant program that brings the benefits of digital network technologies to communities throughout the US. It awards matching grants to public and nonprofit organisations that demonstrate practical applications of telecommunications and information technologies.
US community and private sector initiatives
CompuMentor
CompuMentor is a nonprofit organisation specialising in technology assistance for community-based organisations and schools. It offers technology planning, implementation and support services. CompuMentor is also the home of TechSoup.org, the technology website for the nonprofit sector.
IT Resource Center
The IT Resource Center enables nonprofit organisations to achieve their goals through effective use of technology. Its services include planning and implementing technology that supports nonprofit activities, technology consulting and training and advocacy on the importance of technology to nonprofits.
Nonprofit Technology Enterprise Network (N-TEN)
N-TEN helps nonprofits make more effective use of technology to advance their missions. It supports the people who provide technology to the sector by helping to identify peers and develop professional support networks that can share information and resources and work together on projects. N-TEN operates as a member-based association of nonprofit staff, technology support organisations, circuit riders and independent consultants.
Npower
NPower is a network of independent, locally based nonprofits dedicated to putting technology know-how in the hands of nonprofits. Its mission is to ensure all nonprofits can use technology to expand the reach and impact of their work.
ONE/Northwest ('Online Networking for the Environment')
ONE/Northwest is a nonprofit organisation based in Seattle, providing technology assistance to conservation activists and organisations in Alaska, British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington. It offers environmental groups a range of services and resources aimed at improving clients' capacity to achieve their missions.
TechFoundation
TechFoundation is a nonprofit organisation that delivers technology, expertise and capital to help nonprofit organisations serve humanity. It envisions a world where nonprofit organisations can access the same resources to serve humanity that businesses use to create wealth.
Techsoup
Powered by CompuMentor, one of the US's oldest and largest nonprofit technology assistance agencies, TechSoup.org offers nonprofits a one-stop resource for technology needs. It provides free information, resources and support. TechSoup also works with its technology partners to provide nonprofits with access to donated and discounted technology products through its DiscounTech service.
APPENDIX B:
Australian Government initiatives
Family Community Network Initiative (FCNI) and Local Answers
www.facs.gov.au/internet/facsinternet.nsf/aboutfacs/programs/community-fcni.htm
www.facs.gov.au/internet/facsinternet.nsf/aboutfacs/programs/sfsc-local_answers.htm
FCNI is an example of the practical opportunities the Australian Government provides to support families and strengthen communities. The Stronger Families and Communities Strategy gives families, their children and communities the opportunity to build a better future. The Local Answers initiative builds on the Strategy's successful first four years with funding for small-scale projects developed by communities in response to local issues. Local Answers gives communities the power to develop their own solutions to local problems and helps them help themselves.
Community Portal
The Community Portal is a linking site for all Australians to access websites that support or facilitate involvement in general and specific community issues, concerns and activities. It covers an ever-growing
range of subjects as the site allows members of the public to suggest new sites for consideration and
possible linking.
Culture and recreation portal
www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au
The culture and recreation portal provides access to over 3000 websites and 1.3 million pages of relevant information for cultural institutions, including guides on creating a website and using e-business. The e-business guide is designed to help Australian cultural organisations develop and improve their use of the Internet as a business tool. The Internet Development Guides aim to help Australian culture and recreation sector workers and organisations discover why they should use the Internet, how they might use it, and how to develop an Internet presence.
Australian Government grants
The Australian Government's Grantslink portal aims to streamline the process of applying for Australian Government grants.
Volunteer Small Equipment Grants
Under the Volunteer Small Equipment Grants program organisations can apply for grants of up to $5000 to buy small equipment that supports the work of volunteers by making it easier, safer and/or more enjoyable. The second funding round for 2004 has given $7 million to 3400 organisations to help Australia's volunteers carry on with their vital work. Since 2001, total funding of over $26 million has helped over 11 500 community organisations.
Disability rights policy and projects
http://www.hreoc.gov.au/disability%5Frights/
The Australian Government disability rights policy and projects are administered by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission.
Programs to help regional and remote Australia connect to ICT
www.dcita.gov.au and follow the link to Grants and Funding
The Australian Government has worked closely with all state and territory governments to develop the components of the National Broadband Strategy.
The Networking the Nation program has assisted the economic and social development of rural Australia by funding projects that enhanced telecommunications infrastructure and services and increased access to these services. The IT training and technical support program assists people and organisations in very remote Australia to access basic IT training and support.
The Coordinated Communications Infrastructure Fund is a $23.7 million program to support infrastructure projects that have aggregated demand both across key sectors such as health and education and across particular geographic areas.
The $8.3 million demand aggregation brokerage program aims to consolidate demand at regional and sectoral levels to attract broadband investment.
The Higher Bandwidth Incentive Scheme (HiBIS) is a $107.8 million initiative providing registered
Internet service providers with incentive payments to supply higher bandwidth services in regional, rural
and remote areas at prices comparable to those available in metropolitan areas.
The Telecommunications Action Plan for Remote Indigenous Communities (TAPRIC) was released in May 2002. TAPRIC connects remote Indigenous communities through support for improved and sustained take-up and use of telephone, Internet and broadband services and increased awareness of telecommunications opportunities and rights (see 
www.dcita.gov.au/tel/indigenous_telecommunications).
- Document ID: 24109 |
- Last modified: 17 September 2008, 1:43pm