A telecentre is a public place where people can access computers, the Internet, and other digital technologies that enable them to gather information, create, learn, and communicate with others while they develop essential digital skills.

Check out the Wikipedia article for a full list of alternative names and an overview of the range of models. (Some of which, I understand, have failed — especially those following the let’s-put-a-squillion-computers-everywhere-then-walk-away approach.)

Telecentre enthusiasts consider libraries with computers to be a type of telecentre. Library folks don’t like that so much. Understandably. Personally, I have way more warm fuzzies toward the word “library” — waaaaay more. Libraries get me all excited. But that’s another post, uh, and likely better suited to a different blog ;)

Right. So libraries and telecentres, telecentres and libraries. It’s a debate. Some folks resolve it by using the term “public-access venues“. Did you just cringe? Good. Welcome to my world.

A public space where you can learn how to make technology work for you. That’s the main takeaway. So maybe we should call them hacker spaces. Hackers understand and manipulate technology — software and hardware — often using it in ways its designers never intended. Hackers take what’s available and tinker with to solve a specific problem. There are plenty of cool examples of this from all over the world. (This is also why open technology is important — designing stuff from the outset to be hackable. Or “extremely configurable” as Mark would say — he’s been  thinking about this in his efforts to build a better Internet. Beth talks about it too — using systems instead of fitting into them.)

But there’s an even more important dimension: public space. Places where people can be in community. Third place, agora, whatever you want to call it. What’s important is the ability to gather with others and the possibility to be accompanied in your work. To be able to ask questions and bounce around ideas. I’ve been thinking for some time that public-access venues and coworking spaces are connected. This is why. They provide access to helpful people — librarians, dinamizador@s, infomediaries, the-guy-sitting-across-the-table-from-you. People willing to help you accomplish your task. And I suspect that people in communities with stronger social ties will succeed faster because they likelihood of being helped, or feeling okay about asking for help, increases. It also has some interesting implications for public-access venues struggling to become more sustainable — what if they pushed the coworking/colocation angle?

There’s more thinking to do here. But here you have the basics.

PS. This is also why mobile devices will complement but never replace telecentres or libraries. We need to come together.

PPS. The photo for this post was taken by Luis Carlos Diaz. The two women in it are taking a citizen journalism class in Venezuela. Luis is part of Global Voices. I like how they appear to be solving a problem together. It depicts l’esprit d’accompagnement that I want to explore here. (Photo used under a Creative Commons license.)

Station C is a space that fosters community, collaboration, innovation. People come here to work and connect. We are a hub for creators and innovators: entrepreneurs, geeks, artists, social activists.

Station C is part of an international coworking movement, which brings together the best elements of the office, cafe, and salon. This movement is built on a set of common values:

• Community — We are a community that thrives on connections and mutual support. Everyone participates, contributes, and benefits. Station C members take the initiative to care for our collective space, welcome visitors, orient new members, start conversations, and host events. We also reach out and contribute to our local community.
• Collaboration — We work together, intentionally as part of project teams or in an ad-hoc way when  someone needs a hand. We help each other out by sharing ideas, learning, solutions, resources.
• Openness — It is beneficial to share and build on each others’ ideas and knowledge. We encourage this in a concrete way by working at shared tables in an open space. We’re a modern agora, providing a public space for informal community gatherings and encouraging folks to drop in and work with us for the day.
• Diversity — We want people with different ideas, perspectives, and ways of working. People from different backgrounds. People at different stages in their life and career. Diversity means occasional misunderstandings, annoyance, and arguments — all of which are a small price to pay for sparking creativity and avoiding groupthink.
• Sustainability — Financially, Station C was designed to sustain itself and the community, not to make a profit. Each of us is responsible for finding our own work. Environmentally, like everyone, we are still learning and finding ways to lower our impact and promote sustainable products and behaviors. We need to do more and welcome help with this.

Please post comments here. See comment, below.

For the record, here’s what I’ve come up with. I have a hard time reading it because, well, I find it hard to say nice things about myself. But by posting it here I’m sure y’all will let me know if it’s bull ;)

SUMMARY
Communications consultant with a focus on technology and social change. Excellent strategic planning, creative direction, content production, client service, and management skills. Experience with all sectors: corporate, academic, public, nonprofit. Enthusiastic, innovative, visionary.

SKILLS

• Communication — Develop strategies to increase awareness, share knowledge, and change behavior.
• Creativity — Creative thinker and problem solver with an entrepreneurial mindset. Able to help clients get results with very little resources (taking advantage of free tools and applications).
• Technology — Bridge geeks and clients. Obsessed with social media, networks, and new ways to use technology to inform, connect, collaborate, organize, and do business. Experience producing and maintaining websites, wikis, team workspaces, and online communities.
• People — Strong interpersonal, intercultural, and facilitation skills. Experience with distributed teams and clients. Able to keep projects on track. Natural coach with positive approach and ability to lead, motivate, and inspire.

SERVICES
Advisory services, strategic planning, content development, project management, and training. Focus on helping clients achieve business and social objectives by creating an authentic presence, using open approaches, building relationships with customers and stakeholders, and improving internal and external information flows. Connected to a network of talented freelancers (social media and web development experts, designers, copywriters, translators, editors) and can pull together flexible and responsive teams.

That’s it for now. Still needs work, but it’s a beginning.

À la Station C, en plein coeur du Mile End, les utilisateurs, qu’on appelle des membres, insistent effectivement sur l’attrait du contact avec les gens. Dans le grand loft, il n’y a d’ailleurs pas de bureaux fermés, seulement de grandes tables de travail communes. Deux salles de conférence peuvent servir aux appels de nature privée ou de longue durée.

Christine Préfontaine, membre assidue de la Station C, n’est même pas travailleuse autonome!

Elle est conseillère principale en communications pour un organisme gouvernemental, qui lui permet de travailler à distance.

«J’ai un bureau chez moi à cinq minutes de marche, mais je préfère travailler ici», affirme la jeune femme de 39 ans, qui a décidé de payer l’abonnement de sa poche. «Ça me donne accès à une communauté.»

Comme chacun est plutôt occupé à sa petite affaire pendant la journée, elle a mis en place un concept d’”Open Salad”. Tous les mardis, les membres sont invités à apporter quelques ingrédients pour créer un buffet de salades improvisé. Il y a un frigo et un lave-vaisselle sur place.

Glad she got it that I pay for my spot out of my own pocket! Read the full article on the La Presse website: Autonome, mais pas seul.