Electronic Networks - Building Community, 2002

Role of ICT in Community Building and Networking

Patricia James, Department of Family and Community Services, Canberra

The approach we have taken to community building is one that works in partnership with communities, business and other governments. Working alone and trying to implement programs from the top down just doesn't work, just as one community organisation or one university working in isolation from the other influences and stakeholders in their environment will restrict the potential outcomes.

Family and Community Networks Initiative was all about improving access to information and services and enhancing the capacity of communities and services to work together to address the needs of families and communities. Through our State and Territory offices we worked with a range of community organisations, the community and other bodies to create a shared understanding of what the program wanted to achieve through this networking approach. The important message was that it wanted to help communities build their capacity. It took a very flexible approach, but wanted to maintain the focus on building relationships and networks.

Working with the community didn't mean advertising the program in the Weekend Australian, seeking submissions within a specified time and answering subsequent inquiries. It meant creating channels for direct communication and meaningful dialogue between FaCS staff and potential participants in the networking and information program, developing up proposals in partnership with the organisations and working with groups to identify stakeholders and possible sources of funding.

The Family and Community Networks Initiative built on existing projects and provided an important start to other community capacity building projects (not all of which were ICT based). Some projects which might be of interest include:

• Community Portal - http://www.community.gov.au provides links to over 1600 websites and on-line resources about community organisation management, community development, web tools and a section on My Community which links to other State, regional or local portals and websites. This portal will continue to be enhanced to reflect the feedback about its design and usefulness.
• COIN Community Link - a community informatics project in the Rockhampton district which has created a supported facility which has 17 computers for community use. It provides training on how to access information and make payments and other transactions using the Internet and raises awareness of Internet products and services. Importantly, it is helping to local community organisation to develop practical computer use skills and raising awareness of potential application of ICT. Rockhampton City Council and Central Queensland University are implementing COIN.
• Tangenteyre Bank Pilot - this project is training 4 indigenous Bank Liaison Officers, developing learning materials and teaching indigenous people in Alice Springs to use electronic banking, eftpos, ATMs and Centapay system which includes some basic money management techniques.
• Kempsey Aboriginal Website - this website is being developed by young indigenous people who play the key part in directing the development of information and culturally focussed content to create a fun, interactive and highly visual website. The website focus is about a "whole of life" approach to health.
• Youth in the City - an Internet Café in Canberra for youth who use the venue for networking and learning.