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A Business Journal for the Information Society |
| No. 03, 2009 |
| European telecentre leaders meet in Istanbul to celebrate successes and renew committment to support digital inclusion across Europe. The information society is essential for education, work, social participation, gender equality, independent living in old age, leisure and creativity. Yet some 30-40 per cent of Europeans remain at risk of being excluded from the information society, mostly because of socio-economic exclusion factors such as low income, low levels of education, disability, cultural or geographic isolation or old age. E-Inclusion, or digital inclusion, has the ability to mobilise information and communication technologies (ICT) to combat such social or economic exclusion. |
Telecentre-Europe is an inclusive and vibrant network that increases the impact and effectiveness of telecentres throughout Europe by fostering knowledge sharing and learning amongst its members. It is estimated that the European region contains more than 100,000 telecentres. These Telecentres would employ well in excess of 250,000 staff and at least a further 100,000 volunteers. Averaged usage figures would indicate that these telecentres will work directly with at least 25 million digitally excluded citizens per year across the European region. In this context, over 100 telecentre executives, leaders and partners convene during 14-15 October 2009 in Istanbul, Turkey to showcase its strong commitment to helping people become fully included in the information society. The Summit of 2009 will continue the success of the Telecentre Leaders Forum, held in Riga in April 2008. “As the Head of Unit in charge of the “e-Inclusion: Be a Part of It!” campaign, I welcome the work and progress of the Telecentre-Europe network during this past year, providing a platform for public e-service centres across Europe”, said Paul Timmers, European Comission Directorate-General for the information Society and Media, Unit ICT for Inclusion. As Europe deals with the realities of the global financial crisis, Telecentre-Europe is ready to demonstrate how targeted local or national e-inclusion programmes help people overcome difficult economic times and benefit from the opportunities of the knowledge economy. During the summit, participants will explore five challenging themes in these times - employability, accessibility, capacity building, citizenship, and sustainability. GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE SUMMIT: More information: |
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