Sustainability
2007
E-Growth Community Project Sustainability Plan
This
sustainability plan outlines how we intend to provide information
communication technology (ICT) and new business development services
for interested individuals and groups at the Kiwanis Enterprise Centre
after OLES’s E-Growth Community Project has ended.
The
plan requires us to identify the need for Dawson Creek to be able
to respond to growing technology needs. This includes building ICT
capacity, exploring social entrepreneurship options and linking our
plans to the overall health, well-being and social economic growth
of our community.
The
Sustainability Plan includes the following:
1.
Identify additional ways to gain commitment to ICT and business development/social
entrepreneurship issues
•
Host a visioning meeting with KEC Board of Directors & Staff
•
Brainstorming
•
Mapping
•
Future Directions
2.
Identify concerns, potential solutions and decide on specific actions
related to future ICT and business development/social entrepreneurship
issues with community partners.
•
Engage in community consultations, communication, information sharing
and feedback process. Utilize an informal process (telephone survey,
one-on-one discussions) and also a more formal process (community
forum, workshops)
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3.
Explore availability of potential resources – human, financial and
other resources that could help to achieve our goals.
•
Workshops – utilize facilitators who will donate their time
•
Community Events – partner with other organizations and projects
•
Community businesses and corporations – fee for services
•
City of Dawson Creek – submit grant proposal for incubation services
•
Government of BC/Canada – submit project funding proposals for skills
development
4.
Build an effective leadership group based on commitment to ICT and
entrepreneurial issues, trust in each other and building upon partnerships
formed during the E-Growth project.
•
School District 59
•
Northern Lights College
•
Employment Programs for Persons With Disabilities
•
Chiron Learning Centre
5.
Bring people together to raise their awareness of ICT issues, reinforce
our sense of community ownership of ICT and take action together.
•
Initiate and develop a Junior Achievement Club utilizing the JA
Titan web based business simulation tool; or
•
Encourage the incubation of an Information Technology Media
Association
(ITMA) to increase and sustain an ICT and new media cluster in the
Peace Country region; or
•
Explore development of an EBay Cooperative and Drop-off centre in
partnership with Industry Canada ; or
•
Partner with the Volunteer Centre to encourage participants to volunteer
as a part of work experience using web design skills and /or Microsoft
Office skills
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6.
Maintain Peacecountry.com and E-Growth Website with links to tutorials.
Explore funding options for website maintenance and/or provide staff
training to maintain website internally.
•
Design a system of tutorial links that are free and easy to maintain
•
Continue to host and update EnterpriseOnline
– Interactive Business Planner link
•
GCF Global
Learning
•
Senior Learning
•
Bridges for Women
Online
•
BC Rural Women’s
Network
Provide
self-directed learning options by directing learners to ICT and Web
design tools – Tripod ;
Bravenet ; Mozilla
Firefox
7.Disseminate
project information and success stories on the E-Growth
website
•
News articles and press releases celebrating participant successes
•
Successful regional partnerships
•
Links for new e-businesses
•
Photo Gallery/Video Clips
•
General Information about ICT and e-business
8.
Seek additional resources for infrastructure and to support coordination
and communication, including a coordinator position. In-kind resources,
especially volunteer labour as well as other donations, both sustain
activity and build community ownership.
•
Continually upgrade computer equipment
•
Explore and pursue funding options for technological equipment from
sponsoring companies and organizations i.e.(TechSoup, Computers
for Schools, Microsoft, City of Dawson Creek , Kiwanis Club, Encana,
Duke Energy)
•
As funding allows, purchase new equipment such as web cams, digital
cameras, video conferencing equipment, whiteboards, etc
•
CustomGuide
eLearning
- Seek
additional funding for CustomGuide 12 month training license
- Charge
a fee for service for CustomGuide computer training courses to
community members
•
Partner with Industry Canada CAP sites
•
Network with CAP coordinators:
- Email
- Electronic
newsletters
- Telephone
- Community/regional
events
9.
Provide Individualized Support and Training
Submit
project proposals for ICT and entrepreneurship skills training and
coordination support
•
Continue to incubate business ideas at the Enterprise Centre
•
Develop a Social Enterprise that sells CustomGuide courses
•
Offer free interactive online computer and business planning tools
•
Promote interest in higher level web design tools
10.
Research project sustainability, request feedback from the project
evaluator and project funders, and continue to upgrade the sustainability
plan.
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