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What is a telecentre?
Definition
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A telecentre is a facility that offers community members the ability to use ICTs in a publicly shared manner. Telecenters often provide the only connectivity available to many community members, and their services may be offered with or without a fee.
- A telecentre is a public place where people can access computers, the internet and other digital technologies that enable them to gather information,
create, learn, and communicate with others while they develop essential
digital skills. While each telecentre is different, their common focus
is on the use of digital technologies to support community, economic,
educational, and social development—reducing isolation, bridging the
digital divide, promoting health issues, creating economic
opportunities, and reaching out to youth for example.
Telecentres exist in almost every country, although they sometimes
go by a different name: public internet access center (PIAP), village
knowledge center, infocenter, community technology center (CTC),
community multimedia center (CMC), community information center (CIC) multipurpose community telecentre
(MCT), Common/Citizen Service Centre (CSC), school-based telecentre,
etc.
Types of telecentres
Beyond the differences in names, public ICT access centers are diverse, varying in the clientele they serve, the services they provide, as well as their business or organizational model. Around the world, some telecentres include NGO-sponsored, local government, commercial, school-based, and university-related In the United States and other countries, public access to the Internet in libraries may also be considered within the “telecentre concept”, especially when the range of services offered is not limited to pure access but also includes training end-users. Each type has advantages and disadvantages when considering attempts to link communities with ICTs and to bridge the digital divide.
* NGO-sponsored telecentres are hosted by an NGO, which manages the center and integrates it, to one degree or another, into the organization's core business;
* Local government telecentres seek to further local development; they often aim to disseminate information, decentralize services, and encourage civic participation, in addition to providing public ICT access.
* Commercial telecentres, launched by entrepreneurs for profit, range from the purely commercial cybercafé to the social enterprise, where profit and social good objectives are combined.
* School-based telecentres can be structured to involve community members during off-school hours, but costs need to be shared by the school system and the community.
* University-related telecentres can offer social outreach to disadvantaged and community groups, provide training, develop locally relevant content, and establish and facilitate virtual networks.
* Internet access in public libraries.
The PACRICS project, by providing Internet access help communities running their own Telecentres. Some of them are totally sponsored by SPC (Pilote site), some are partially sponsored (Public good sites) and some are not sponsored but benefit of the same bandwidth (Commercial sites).
How to establish a telecentre
As Telecentres comes in many different formats, there is not one but many ways to established a telecentre.
Unesco focused on Multi-purpose Community Telecentre (MCT) and has developped a series of booklets called " TEN STEPS for Establishing a Sustainable Multipurpose Community Telecentre" in the hope that communities will be encouraged to discuss establishment of MCT for the benefits of their member.
Those 11 booklets can be downloaded together  TEN STEPS all 1.61 Mb or individually.
This step deals with the initial process of identifying and mobilising key persons in the community to form a Steering Committee as well as the actions to be taken prior to calling an Open Community Meeting.
- Step 2 - Holding an Open Community Meeting 215.04 Kb
This step focuses on the organization of first Open Community Meeting (OCM) on MCT.
Topics to be covered are here identified. The Steering Committee is supposed to ascertain community interest in and support for an MCT, to estimate the number of prospective users, and to prepare by the end of the meeting a list of foundation programmes and services as endorsed by the community members.
This step underlines the importance of appointing key people to the Steering Committee and the right MCT manager while defending the benefits of incorporation and registration of MCT. Managerial and legal aspects are here considered.
Job description, job advertisement, and recruitment are discussed in this step.Duties of the Steering Committee vis-à-vis the manager are clarified.
This step touches upon the points to be taken into consideration when designing services and programmes or planning on acquisition of additional equipment.
Step Six raises pertinent questions regarding building and equipment requirements suchas location, availability of shared space, internal spaces, furniture, equipment as well as other considerations.
Explaining planning as a process, step seven begins with SWOT analysis, the relationship between vision/goals and activities, the strategies and actions and with situation analysis.
Efficient MCTs have sound financial procedures and practices which include proper budgeting and financial systems, reporting and annual audit. This step deals with various aspects of financial management from preparing a grant proposal and a budget to handling petty cash.
Having an operating manual facilitates day-to-day operation from unlocking doors to welcoming visitors and maintaining record for reporting purpose. Ultimately, this step suggests ways to enable a substitute or volunteer to operate the MCT unaided as well as to ensure that MCT can efficiently provide satisfactory services to customers.
- Step 10 - Customer Service and Promotional issues 173.03 Kb
This step deals with keeping customers satisfied in order to increase MCT membership and consequently candidates for the Management Committee. Where promotion is concerned, Step Ten advises when to begin promoting MCT, what promotional activities are possible and what is needed for carrying them out.
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