Digital Inclusion Wales: 2008 Conference Report 17
Question and Answer:
Session One
Two ‘Question and Answer’ First partnerships about adding “it’s a social necessity and
sessions were held at the volunteering in communities. a huge economic opportunity”.
conference, one in the morning The Deputy Minister added that it’s Nick said how, come the next
where delegates were able to about engaging people ‘where they phase, he would like to showcase
put their views to the Deputy are at’, going to them with things Wales and its activities at an EC
Minister and Alun Burge and that they are more likely to be ministerial meeting in Vienna.
then in the afternoon, where interested in. He also said that it
a four-strong panel took helps to make the technology Elise Stewart of Canllaw Online
feedback from the audience. relevant and that individual projects then asked the question:
may want to consider conducting “How will the next phase of
Here’s a review of the morning basic market research into their Communities @One synergise
session: communities or target audience with, and complement, the work
A representative of a Communities and by establishing community of Credu, the Digital Youth Wales
@One funded project from Cardiff networks. project?”
said he was having difficulty
engaging with people in his Nick Batey of the European Alun Burge responded by saying
community and to get them Commission’s DG Information ‘we’re in the process of going
interested in the initiative he was Society & Media then offered his through an application process
running. view on Communities @One, with WEFO within which there are
saying that the project was ‘one various stages… firstly, to identify
Alun Burge responded by providing of the most advanced in Europe… all interested parties ‘who can take
an example of a project in Aberfan one of the best’. forward digital inclusion work in
that’s recruited in excess of 100 Wales’. He added ‘we’ve held
volunteers. He also said that Nick went on to say that the discussions with all interested
Communities @One can work with thinking in terms of the next stage parties, some on a geographical
individual groups to help them of Communities @One was in “the and local authority basis. There are
engage with people locally and vanguard of thinking” and needed still some issues to be clarified on
suggested that discussions can to continue and develop, tying the potential partnerships, and that
also be held with Communities economic angle to the social angle, clarification is needed with the