Reaching out to communities: Creatively engaging the excluded
Ben Grubb, Jo Tacchi · RMIT Research Repository (RMIT University Library) · 2008
For many ICT for development initiatives, one of the biggest challenges faced once digital technologies are made available is how to make them meaningful and useful for all, including the most socially excluded. Reasons for lack of engagement might include geographical distance from ICT infrastructure; lack of social mobility; and barriers to participation based on caste, class, ethnicity, or gender. For those whose survival depends upon daily wage labour, spending time in ICT centres is unlikely to be a priority. Some people simply think that ICTs are 'not for them'. Early on during the Finding a Voice project, two key questions arose: How can an initiative reach out to communities who are the least likely or able to engage with ICT for development? How can an ICT initiative work at involving the least engaged and most frequently marginalised people in content creation activities?