From: searle@tdg.res.uoguelph.ca ("Gregory L. Searle") Date: Sat, 02 Jul FreeSpace, Guelph, Ontario,can be reached at (519)767-0145 or via email at info@tdg.uoguelph.ca. The FreeSpace Switchboard July 1994 Volume 1 Issue 1 ..................................................................... The FreeSpace Switchboard is a monthly newsletter intended to keep our colleagues around the world up to date on developments concerning the Telecommunity Development Group and the FreeSpace community networking model. The name "Switchboard" refers to a time when communications technology was truly community-centred. This issue and all further issues can be reached at http://tdg.uoguelph.ca/tdg/archive/switchboard .............................................................................. What is the Telecommunity Development Group? The Telecommunity Development Group is a worker's co-operative. We are primarily concerned with providing rural and urban communities with tools to enhance communication, organization, and economic development at the community level. Around the world, people are using computers and modems to communicate, both internationally and locally. These tools are providing people with powerful new ways to promote community development, business success, and individual well-being. Local communication of this kind is often referred to as community networking. Community networking is important in providing citizens with the ability to organize and collaborate with other communities in order to meet specific needs. However, these tools have only recently become affordable and practical for the average person. The Telecommunity Development Group has worked hard to create a strategy for community networking that is sustainable, community-owned, and free. This strategy is called FreeSpace. Moving Ahead There are a number of challenges ahead for TDG. Our potential will be limited only by the enthusiasm and collaborative efforts of a variety of talented individuals who freely share their experiences, and energy to develop upon the TDG ideology. Access for remote or rural areas pose a unique set of barriers separating our urban and rural communities. By working together, we will be better able to develop and test models offering equitable access to information via the internet. The Department of Rural Extension Studies, at the University of Guelph has been supportive in the evolution of the Telecommunity Development Group by promoting collaboration among undergraduates, graduate students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the community. Graduate studies in Rural Extension concentrate on the areas of non-formal education processes in rural settings and communication technology as it applies to rural and remote areas. The program aims at preparing self-organization, and quality of life issues. The ongoing development and rural community emphasis will help each one of us to better understand the social, political, and environmental implications of sustainable access to telecommunications. Equitable access to information must include all parts of society. In order for communication technologies to be feasible in rural areas, one must first identify the needs of the society, and determine the barriers for access, and/or acceptance of such technical innovations. Providing access to current information may offer an opportunity to bridge the rural and urban gap, as well as provide a variety of programs or services ranging from commerce to education. By working together the Telecommunity Development Group, Rural Extension Studies, Government Agencies, and Non-Government Organizations, can generate valuable information, and services for the appropriate development and applications for community networking. Growing Again Now that we are a fully incorporated worker co-operative and are working with communities to implement the FreeSpace model, we've had an overwhelming need for new workers and associates. Joining co-founders Gord Lipp, Paul Graham and Greg Searle are: Dr. Don Richardson: Community/ government liaison and development Dave Johnston: Associate researcher and community liaison Gavin Nesbitt: Community liaison and program development Rebekah Jamieson: Program administration Joel Weekes: Program administration John Stevenson: Organization and business development Freespace is a model that is designed to be flexible and dynamic. There is an important need for a sharing of ideas between community members, organizations, and the Telecommunity Development Group. The success of the Freespace model depends upon self-direction and autonomy at the community level. In order to better facilitate dialogue and an ongoing exchange of ideas, each community is being encouraged to found its own Freespace Steering Committee (formerly referred to as a Public Advisory Group) comprised of interested individuals and community representatives. The purpose of this self-directed interim body is to publicly co-ordinate the development and establishment of a full-scale local Freespace in which all community members have a stake. The Telecommunity Development Group will take an active role in supporting the steering committees with resources, consulting, training, and partnership-building. The steering committees need to be administrated and controlled by the community if this initiative is to be truly participatory. Eventually, Freespace Steering Committees will be able to make a transition to an organizational structure that will promote full community ownership. A consumer co-operative is a good organizational structure for these purposes, ensuring that every community member using their local Freespace have an equal say or vote in decisions which will effect them in any way. Since ownership of the community Freespace co-operative will be shared, no single person or organization will have any more power than another. The local FreeSpace co-operative will be able to co-ordinate the construction of community space and resources on the shared central computer system and organize volunteers and educators to develop a broad community understanding of the application and purpose of the continually evolving Freespace. As a consumer co-operative, your local community Freespace will also have full control over its own finances and be able to direct funding into the ongoing development of community resources. Possible applications of an internal cash flow include investing in public access terminals for greater use by the community. This model is not set in stone; it represents the best solutions we have been able to develop to date. In constant collaboration with community members, this initiative will be able to grow and evolve into a resource that will meet the needs of individuals and their communities. Recent Events Over the past few weeks, the Telecommunity Development Group has been busy introducing various organizations and communities to the FreeSpace model. The response has been both enormous and constructive. The following is a brief summary of presentations: June 7, First meeting with Ontario Agricultural College. Secured support from the OAC in the Wellington County pilot project. June 8, Information session for Guelph and regional organizations. In attendance were representatives from local libraries, the Guelph Information Centre, and the Wellington Board of Education. June 8, Meeting in Collingwood with the Collingwood Internet Access Committee. June 9 Meeting with representatives from the North Wellington Advisory Group, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food, and Rural Extension Studies. June 15 First presentation for Non-Governmental Organizations in the Guelph area in attendance were representatives from the Guelph Community Health Centre, Christian Farmers, Guelph Distress Centre, University of Guelph Centre for Students with Disabilities & International Education Services. The large amount of feedback we are receiving has helped us establish valuable new contacts and facilitate further development of the Freespace model. We are placing a particular emphasis on developing sound working relationships with communities in Wellington county and communicating the FreeSpace model to interested parties. We are in the midst of a pilot project in North Wellington and are also encouraging interest in a Freespace Steering Committee in the Guelph area. This pilot project is a critical step in implementing FreeSpace and further developing the model to meet the needs of communities. We are also attempting to find funding and start-up capital and are collaborating with other provincial organizations in developing a feasibility study for a provincial rural network with the support of the provincial government's Ontario Network Infrastructure Program. Upcoming Events Our next information meeting will be on Tuesday, July 5 at 7pm with the Wellington Community at Wellington Place Aboyne Hall, Fergus. Another informational meeting will be on Wednesday, July 6 at the Guelph Community Health Centre at 7pm. This meeting is aimed specifically at non-governmental organizations and community groups in the Guelph area, but all are welcome to attend! We are always open to feedback, opinions, and letters to the editor which we will include in the FreeSpace Switchboard, and can be reached at (519)767-0145 or via email at info@tdg.uoguelph.ca. The FreeSpace Switchboard Contributors are: Rebekah Jamieson Joel Weekes Greg Searle Dave Johnston