Client Background
The two-year e-Power project with
Gateshead Council was developed to
bring 50 Gateshead community
organisations and voluntary groups
online.
Using funding from the Invest
To Save Budget (ISB), a joint Treasury
and Cabinet Office initiative aimed at
creating sustainable improvements in
the delivery of public services,
Connect Internet Solutions is supplying
software, training and related
services to local groups on behalf of
the Gateshead Council and Gateshead
Voluntary
Organisations Council (GVOC)
partnership.
The Solution
Connect’s solution includes providing
community organisations with ICT
training and access to Connect's
web-based website creation
package, 'SiteMaker', to encourage
groups to get online.
Groups vary greatly and include ethnic
and minority groups, those
specialising in health and well-being
support, community centres, youth and
older people’s groups and special
interest groups such as conservation
groups and recreational writing groups.
Community groups benefit from
free access to Gateshead eLearning
Place (www.gatesheadlearning.org.uk)-
an elearning portal set up to deliver
ICT and
Internet training online.
A free web-based email
service, GatesheadMail
(www.gatesheadmail.com), has also been
established, offering free
email accounts to anyone in the
Gateshead community. Any Gateshead
resident can set up a free account
and get an email address as
name@gatesheadmail.com
A specially designed e-Power portal
(www.e-power.org.uk) and online forums
focusing on community and voluntary
groups in the Gateshead area has been
set up to encourage networking and
discussion between community groups.
To ensure the future sustainability of
the project, Connect will establish an
e-Power Support Unit, training e-Power
Support Unit staff to provide ongoing
hardware and software support,
guidance and training for community
organisations and voluntary groups.
The Results
- Increased number of electronic
transactions between the community,
the Council and the voluntary sector
- Enhanced access to community and
voluntary services and information
- Raised the capacity of the community
and voluntary sector to use ICT to
their advantage
- Increased the number of organisations
with a web presence and ecommerce
potential
- Encouraged networking and discussion
within the sector across the borough
