digital inclusion program sustainability: documenting lessons, sharing successes, transitioning work...

#16NTCdi | @DKLinn | @SmartChicago

Denise Linn, Program Analyst for the Smart Chicago Collaborative #16NTC | March 25, 2016

Digital Inclusion Program Sustainability: Documenting Lessons, Sharing

Successes, and Transitioning Work

Background on this session:Here are the session notes: http://po.st/di-16NTC

Here is the session hashtag: #16NTCdi

This session will be fairly city-focused

This session is partly tailored to NTEN’s National Digital Inclusion Fellows (DIFs). Their projects include setting up basic computer skills courses, increasing home internet usage, and volunteer recruitment and training.

#16NTCdi | @DKLinn | @SmartChicago

First, let’s celebrate the Fellows!

#16NTCdi | @DKLinn | @SmartChicago

About MeI work for the Smart Chicago Collaborative and I manage the Connect Chicago initiative.

I’m an AmeriCorps VISTA alumna — I conducted a year of service in broadband adoption & digital inclusion in North Carolina.

Many hats in the digital inclusion space: national volunteer, bureaucrat, researcher, fellow, program analyst.

#16NTCdi | @DKLinn | @SmartChicago

The Smart Chicago Collaborative is a civic organization devoted to improving lives in Chicago through technology.

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About Smart Chicago CollaborativeWe were founded in 2011 by the City of Chicago, The Chicago Community Trust & the MacArthur Foundation.

We care about access to the Internet, digital skills, and data.

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Digital Inclusion Best Practices & Sustainability

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Digital Inclusion isn’t just….the “homework gap”

….the % of at-home broadband adoption

….securing faster networks for your city

….teaching kids to program

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Digital Inclusion

Closing the gap that exists between those that have the access to today’s standard Internet & technology offerings (and know how to use them) and those that don’t

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Digital Inclusion Programming Features

Access programs (reduced or free monthly subscriptions, hotspot lending, public Wi-Fi)

Digital skills training (to both trainers and trainees)

Public computing labs & community technology spaces

Device lending and reuse programs

IBest when offered

simultaneously within one

program OR offered across coordinated,

partnered programs

#16NTCdi | @DKLinn | @SmartChicago

Three levels of sustainability to address:

1. Digital Inclusion Project Sustainability: Are we addressing a true need? Do we have the stable support to continue?

2. Organizational Sustainability: Is this work aligned with our mission & priorities? Do we have the time & staff to continue investing in this?

3. Ecosystem Sustainability: Is there a community of sharing/collaboration? Is there political support? Across organizations, are we addressing our city’s access & skills gaps?

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Digital Inclusion LessonsTap into national communities & resources (ex: Community Connectivity Initiative out of the NTIA or Next Century Cities)

Recognize that broadband adoption isn’t the only metric for success. Also measure engagement with technology, use & skills.

Partner with everyone in your city doing this work — including the people/organizations that don’t realize they are!

Check your assumptions. Ask residents about their needs, preferences, and expectations on digital inclusion resources.

#16NTCdi | @DKLinn | @SmartChicago

The Challenges for Preserving & Transitioning

Fellowship Work

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Challenge #1: Inventorying & Organizing a Year of Work

Each fellow cited multiple types of content they have used to document their year and multiple tools they’ve used to share work.

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Challenge #1: Inventorying & Organizing a Year of Work

Take time now to centralize your work & create “meta documents.”

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Challenge #2: Passing off relationships

“...having the partners transition the trust to another person might be a challenge.”

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Challenge #2: Passing off relationships

If possible, pass off relationships in person. Do your best to capture & share tacit knowledge about key partners.

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Challenge #3: The Unknown Hand-off

Most Fellows are transitioning their personal project to either “the institution in general” or “I don’t know”

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Challenge #3: The Unknown Hand-off

When in doubt, customize your transition material for someone with zero familiarity with your field. Define everything. Make no assumptions!

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Challenge #4: Avoiding Institutional Overload

“People are already very busy...layering new responsibilities on them would be relatively hard, but definitely worth it.”

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Challenge #4: Avoiding Institutional Overload

If possible, break your project into smaller, contained pieces for people to own.

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Challenge #5: “The work isn’t done.”

“I am still implementing ideas & I have yet to determine if they will be successful enough for the leadership to notice and be willing to sustain.”

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Challenge #5: “The work isn’t done.”

The definition of success is not always accomplishing exactly what you initially set out to accomplish.

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Frameworks + Tips for Preserving & Transitioning

Fellowship Work

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The best thing you can do to smooth out transitions and

sustain your work?

On day #1, build documentation & openness into your routine.

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What we do at Smart Chicago:We have a constantly updated internal operations manual

Slack + Dropbox + Google docs Integration for internal communications and document management

We share via our blog, Slideshare, on Twitter, on Flickr…

Smart Chicago publishes books!

“Publish or perish.”

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A Framework for Transition Planning

Records of your work Narrative of your work

organize +prioritize

customize

EmailsProgram dataMeeting notesPicturesReportsPresentationsBudgetsFlyersCurriculumPlanning documents

SuccessesFailuresMissed opportunitiesBest practicesKey cases

Legacy of your work

#16NTCdi | @DKLinn | @SmartChicago

RecommendationsNext stepsInspiration/motivation

A Framework for Transition Planning

Records of your work Narrative of your work

organize +prioritize

customize

EmailsProgram dataMeeting notesPicturesReportsPresentationsBudgetsFlyersCurriculumPlanning documents

SuccessesFailuresMissed opportunitiesBest practicesKey cases

RecommendationsNext stepsInspiration/motivation

Legacy of your work

Don’t stop here! #16NTCdi | @DKLinn | @SmartChicago

Tip: Create a Comprehensive Artifact A comprehensive artifact (ex: book or report) of your fellowship would have:❏ Personal motivation & narrative ❏ Goals & work plans for the Fellowship❏ Notable successes & challenges❏ Your favorite tools, tricks, & how-to’s ❏ 3 big picture lessons in digital inclusion in your city❏ Recommendations for changing, sustaining, scaling or replicating the

work started during your Fellowship❏ Index of or links to public documents or records of your work

We do this at Smart Chicago for some of our projects: cutgroupbook.org

#16NTCdi | @DKLinn | @SmartChicago

Tip: Create a Short, Shareable Artifact You can create a short, shareable artifact of your fellowship to compliment your comprehensive artifact. Examples:❏ An infographic of program data (think Infogr.am)❏ A one page case ❏ A reflective blog post on your fellowship❏ A personal website (think WordPress, Sqaurespace)❏ A timeline of your fellowship (think Storify)

An imperfect personal example: https://storify.com/dklinn/my-year-of-service

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Tip: Ask for feedback Don’t be afraid to ask partners for feedback.

The checklist:❏ Ask about your work style, collaboration style❏ Ask about how your Fellowship goals matched with their

organizational/personal mission❏ Ask to keep in touch!

You can do this in person, use forms, or use both. FYI, I like Wufoo!

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Big-picture goals beyond your host organization:Think of yourself. Get what YOU need out of you fellowship transition!Keep & showcase your best work and take-aways for your next steps.

Strengthen your city’s digital inclusion ecosystem. Share your records & recommendations with partners.

Strengthen the DIF community. Share your work on NTEN’s DIF platform.

Help make the whole field better. The digital inclusion/digital equity space is growing and getting more collaborative.

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Questions

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