William Perrin has announced his Talk About Local project which will promote the model of neighbourhood online networks, training local activists to exploit the technology to communicate and network.
Talk About Local will train several thousand people in 150 disadvantaged places in England to set up locality/community/neighbourhood based websites. The project will use UK online centres as its delivery backbone. Talk About Local will catalyse an online resource and community for people publishing neighbourhood or community websites, so that people can help each other.
Talk About Local will give these citizens the basic skills to communicate online more effectively and at less cost than using traditional means. By networking citizens together, they will be able support each other in their local activism, as well as on technical publishing issues. This will lead to stronger more effective community action.
The project couldn't be led from a better source nor have a greater chance of success. All power to his elbow.
The pic is of a young journalist I met at an inspiring project called Harlem Live, which was training young people to be online reporters back in 2000. Looks like they've travelled a fair way.
