My PA

What’s your idea?

An online system that sends out reminders by SMS (whatever online communication suits the young person) helping them to keep track of order restrictions, meetings, appointments, commitments.

It would be managed in conjunction with case workers and could offer tailored ‘nudges’ (for example reminders of appointments the night before) — and also more detailed advice (perhaps public transport info).

What is the problem your idea could address?

In our work with NEETs time management is a reoccurring problem, the young people have any number of important appointments but no regular routine — this would offer a collaborative way of helping them to organise themselves.

What’s really new about your idea?

It recognises the difficulty in adjusting to taking responsibility for scheduling themselves — and allows case workers help in that process. It’s also a way of offering help at the points it’s most needed.

What kind of impact will your idea make?

Missing appointments can have a big effect on how young people integrate with society, the lack of routine of work or study often leads them to miscalculate how long journeys take or how much rest they need. Often they will not manage money well enough to complete transport options — this is another way the app could help.

Why might people want to commission or pay for your idea?

Missed appointments also cost organisations working with young people time and resources. It’s possible that promoting public transport or health (walking options) could raise funds from the appropriate bodies.

What do you think the biggest challenge will be to making this work in practice?

Commitment from the case workers to use a new system alongside their existing methods, and getting the tone right so young people feel ownership of the system.

What inspired you to come up with your idea in the first place?

When working young offenders (we do a number of training courses using social media) it’s obvious that time management is a big factor. Those from Youth Offending Teams spend an awful lot of time an effort in making sure the young people are in the right place at the same time.

From 1-5, what stage of development would you say your idea was in?

This idea is at stage 1.

What can we do for you?

This project needs staff time and partners, and also a web development. If the app was to be produced then buy-in from the Youth Offending Teams would be crucia l — so access to people who could help that would be

If you’re not able to take the idea onward after the weekend, would you be happy for someone else to take ownership of your idea and move it forward?

Yes.

We’ve entered an idea for the Jail Brake competition. It’s a competition to find and support great ideas that could break the cycle of youth offending using simple web and mobile tools.

Here it is:

Usual Suspects

What’s your idea?

In a similar vein to ‘The Big Issue’ Young people are offered the chance to earn money by selling garments they design, online. They do a basic training course on industry and design then get to design clothes (thinking t-shirts, baseball caps only at present), basic marketing – they get to set the price and have their own online shop – profits are split between them and the company (if it was to become a social enterprise).  Should the participant re-offend, they can no longer participate in the project.

What is the problem your idea could address?

This idea would address unemployment & self esteem.

What’s really new about your idea?

It gives young people a real opportunity to understand the potential of entrepreneurship and do something for themselves. Gets them thinking outside of the usual industry options that are offered.

What kind of impact will your idea make?

There are many young people who are willing to take opportunity to move forward and so if the project can attract the ‘do-ers’, in the first instance. These young people can then become role models / peer mentors to others. Numbers wise, it would be low to begin with but there’s no reason why this project couldn’t become nationwide.

Why might people want to commission or pay for your idea?

Once the process is visualised, I believe it offers an exciting opportunity to really make a difference. There is potential to approach both public and private sector for support.

What do you think the biggest challenge will be to making this work in practice?

Overcoming a reluctant, low on confidence, client group. This is why engaging the ‘do-er’s at an early stage is crucial.

What inspired you to come up with your idea in the first place?

A project we deliver to young offenders using social media. Part of the project was to raise awareness of the possibilities of starting their own businesses. I thought this could maybe  be moved a step closer to reality.

From 1-5, what stage of development would you say your idea was in?

This idea is at stage 1.

What can we do for you?

This project needs staff time and partners. There are plenty of ‘off the shelf’ products to choose from in terms of any online shop options. Time would be important to find willing testers from probably youth offending teams, highlighting the ‘do-er’s. Also, securing a bespoke training package will require time.

If you’re not able to take the idea onward after the weekend, would you be happy for someone else to take ownership of your idea and move it forward?

Yes, but I am quite keen for our organisation to be involved in some way.

http://jailbrake.org/

Job Top Trumps Template PDF

Stuart has written up his thoughts on the session on ‘digital mentors’:

“just a few attributes there and it gets me thinking where are the people with these attributes right now? They’re out there doing the work already! Independently in many cases (and often for free). I see the ’surgeons’ from the social media surgeries who don’t have the weight of targets and crap access / tools and red tape to bog them down. This freedom allows them to do their stuff and it works. “

At the unconference I led a session on “defining digital inclusion” — born out of a long held worry that different people and organisations don’t quite mean the same thing when they talk about digital inclusion.

I talked about how I felt that the definition needed to be platform agnostic, and have room being able to find out how to do something rather than explicitly having a particular skillset. We discussed how it was definitely separate from digital engagment, and how it was often closely connected to social inclusion.

We also looked at how it was placed with the issue of access (both in terms of accessibility and physical access) — we thought that maybe the three are looked at in the wrong order.

Traditionally the problem seems to be trying to be solved in the order:

Access -> Inclusion (skills) -> Engagement (motivation)

but motivation and engagement (which is closely tied with social engagement) is such a strong driver to the skills and to the access that it needs more attention. Engagement isn’t transactional, in the same way that inclusion isn’t tool-based skills — so money (savings!) isn’t a motivation to engage. The group felt that more work towards social engagement was the real driver, that digital isn’t as separate as some approaches seem to be.

Certainly We Share Stuff’s idea is that people learn the tools (and to make decisions about which to use and how) because there is a motivational reason for it. Often we hope that the digital engagement is a driver to wider social engagement too.

I was surprised that we were all pretty much agreed on what we meant by “digital inclusion” — that it was (and this is my wording, worked out now):

the confidence to use technology when appropriate, and to know where to get help if needed

How well does that sit with organisational definitions? Or yours?

Led by Alison V Smith.

Audio from a session on working to digitally include young people — led by Carl Plant, and first, Saul Letourneau:

Antonio Roberts on his unconference:

“Although there are government plans afoot to get more people online in some way (access to TV, PC or mobile phone Internet access) does that mean someone is digitally included? Is it measured by the amount of comments people leave on blogs or if they even have a blog or Internet presence? What does digital mean anyway? Most of the things in my kitchen are in some way digital, so does that mean I’m somehow more digitally included than my neighbour? Also, what about those who just simply have no desire to go onto the Internet?”

We’ll try to collect everything that emerged from the conference on Saturday — thanks again to everyone that came, or contributed from afar.

Here are all the Tweets that were collected around the #diunconf hasttag.

And here is the process of working out the sessions and timetable, speeded up and set to the Benny Hill theme.