Introducing the big picture!
November 26, 2008 by Voicebox
We thought there was a gap on this blog: we needed somewhere for people to post some of their thoughts which were a bit more general and less work package specific. Musings on the digital mentor project as a whole, or maybe hints and tips for the Voice box bid to consider as we move forward through this process.
So here it is! Remember, Voice box is a blog to which anyone can contribute. Just get in touch with us using admin@voice-box.org.uk and we wil arrange for you to be able to post your thoughts to this site.
TimeBank Thought
I have been writing down some thoughts about Sustainability & Scalability including thinking about implications for a sustainable nation-wide programme.
I have been thinking about an approach that pays for individuals, rather than organisations. This could incorporate a Digital Mentors TimeBank, as outlined below.
Comments please.
Within the context of Digital Mentors it seems that one of the critical success factors is the knowledge, skills, energy and enthusiasm of an individual. It may therefore be sensible to consider funding individuals not organisations to deliver outcomes and impact at a grassroots level. This could provide a mechanism for increasing the effectiveness of government funding to have an impact at the local level and increase the probability that sustainability is a realistic goal, rather than an organisational paper-based plan or statements about future plans that disappear when the grant runs out.
It might be an interesting opportunity to investigate the possibility of setting up a Digital Mentors TimeBank that pays individuals for the time spent and perhaps outcomes achieved on a specific project, rather than paying organisations to administer the use of the money. This does of course reduce management overheads which will be a significant factor with so many different organisations likely to be involved in this programme.
Bruce
Really like this idea. One of the questions I’ve been grappling with is ‘Are we starting bonfires, or fanning the flames of existing ones?’. I think it needs to be a bit of both - sharing and spreading existing expertise as well as giving existing community development workers new skills - creating a new generation of Digital Mentors.
So my question to you is, do you see the Timebank Mentors as the current pioneers, or could they also be people who are enthusiastic and want to use community and social media for the first time?
Perhaps we could start to develop some criteria for Digital Mentors using this space.
Anne
Anne
Experience shows us that scalability calculations cannot depend on extrapolations from existing, pioneering projects due to their atypical costs and commitment profiles. It will be necessary (in my opinion) to develop cost models that include setting up Digital Mentor projects in areas where there is no existing project.
It is not clear from the EoI what the DCLG expectation is in terms of balance between existing and new projects. It would be useful to get some kind of steer from them on this imo.
I believe that this project should not be exclusively dependent on the existing Digital Mentor pioneers (whoever they may be - as we haven’t yet defined what the term means nor in fact the scope of a Digital Mentor project).
In any case we should be investigating the processes, activities, skills, support services and costs that will be required to induct a new/novice Digital Mentor through the support of ICT-enabled services and materials, coupled with buddying with an experienced mentor and access to the mentor peer support network.
Re: criteria for Mentor selection - I would like to see one of the selection criterion being related to some form of user-generated recommendation or mediation. Use of tools such as delicious, technorati & digg could provide some interesting inputs to the decision-making process. I am not saying it should be exclusively a ‘hit-based’ decision nor popularity contest even, but it is an avenue worth exploring as part of this project.
PS
I suspect that there are many interpretaions of the Digital Mentor phrase and perhaps a priority action is to define what we mean by it - essential if the bid is to be delivered effectively should we win it. It is also key to get the DCLG to define the scope of a Digital Mentor project - or there may be confusion ahead.
My picture for the types of mentors is:
perspective mentor, ie person relatively new to technology…..newly trained as mentors…..current informal or volunteer mentors……those with Digi mentoring as part of their current role….full time mentors
I picture the training needs of prospective mentors as being different for each type and the kinds of and scale of impacts differing. The cost base is also different as is the network of support to an extent at least.
This links in to how we undertake the mapping infact.
Criteria is tricky because we are in the usual community sector dichotomy, whereby we consider the needs of the “customer”, what they are telling us…but current and certainly potential future funding may be linked to certain outcomes that the Government has in mind.
i like the idea of digg etc..
I see the whole piece as action research. its not especially about judging any particular process or outcomes, cost basis or focus. Its about viewing and completing the whole spectrum so that we know what can be achieved and how and what limitations exist. I think the discussion about accessibility covered some of this ground
I’m about to post some comments in a few areas but I think it is really worth saying at this point that Citizens Online have not got some deal with UK online centres about what work we will end up doing (despite my best efforts !
So this really is an open process…
I think a face to face meeting is needed of potential leads in the bid, or those with over-arching picture ideas they want to contribute. I don’t think it makes sense to include potential demonstrators projects myself, because we will get too big and unweildy and also burden people with costly travel and time out.
I think it is important to suggest how digi mentors criteria might be approached and leave it to the blog for people to trash out (on the demonstrators section)