e-Inclusion :: Be Part of It!

e-Inclusion: Be Part of It!

Highlights

First Contributions to the Campaign "e-Inclusion: be part of it!"
The document was presented at the December 2007 Ministerial conference in Lisbon. It reports on the results of the call for contributions on eInclusion, listing all initiatives submitted as contributions to the call.
Download the booklet .

"e-Inclusion: Be Part of It!" is our campaign to enable people to fully participate in the information society, regardless of individual or social disadvantages. The campaign is part of the European e-Inclusion Initiative, which seeks to build on all existing e-Inclusion activities and identify synergies between them and improvements in overall e-Inclusion impact. You can be part of this campaign by submitting your events, projects, initiatives and experiences.

Technology is creating new opportunities for many in Europe's population, connecting them to better paid jobs, instant information, new forms of social interaction, community infrastructures, government services, consumer power and convenience.

It plays an ever increasing role in day to day lives – to communicate, to carry out business, to acquire information and to enjoy ourselves. It touches our lives in ways which we are often unaware of or don’t even think about.

e-Inclusion: ensuring that technology is not part of the barrier to inclusion.

Yet more than one in three Europeans do not fully benefit from these opportunities. The social and economic implications are huge and affect us all. In today's society, access to information is a right as well as a condition for prosperity. It is not acceptable, nor is it economically sustainable, to leave millions of people behind, unable to use Information and Communications Technologies to their advantage.

e-Inclusion:
taking full advantage of opportunities offered by new technologies to overcome social and economic disadvantages and exclusion.

That is why the European Commission has adopted a European initiative on e-Inclusion setting out key actions, including this "e-Inclusion, be part of it!" awareness and dissemination campaign for 2008. Our intention is to build on the many positive activities in Europe and beyond that are relevant to e-Inclusion. Most of these are unknown outside their immediate community. By raising the visibility and sharing experiences, we can inspire others and stimulate more efficient approaches to promote e-Inclusion. In preparation for launching this Campaign we have identified 200 examples of positive e-Inclusion initiatives from across Europe.

What's in this for me?

By participating in "e-Inclusion: Be part of it!" you will be associated with the efforts of the European Commission and others to promote e-inclusion. Concretely, you can expect some or all of the following:

Become part of a larger community and movement.
Increase recognition and visibility for your activities.
Access European Commission material to support your activities and events.
Use the campaign logo.
Appear in articles, presentations or videos.
Compete for a European e-Inclusion Award.
Be invited to speak or attend events organised across Europe.

How can I take part?

The role of the European Commission is merely to facilitate this campaign. The real drivers must be you - the e-inclusion actors and beneficiaries “on the ground”. Your involvement will be the lifeblood of the campaign and the measure of its impact. The level of inclusiveness of the campaign, the amount of bottom-up activity it generates will largely determine its success in moving e-inclusion forward. You must help us reach the critical mass of efforts for the results to be sustained well beyond the campaign itself, for the benefit of al the people. You can be part of the campaign in many ways. We have listed a few below, as an indication. Tell us how you think you can be part of making Europe a more e-Inclusive place to be. Read More

Promote the Campaign! Use the Logo on your website, in your presentations and documents.
Tell everyone what you are doing! Submit your contribution online.
Running an event? Become an associated event of the e-inclusion campaign.
Share your material! Upload and link your documents, publications and other materials.
Be a winner! Compete for a European e-Inclusion award.
Anything else? Tell us how you think you can help.