'Sandwiching' either end of this year's meaty ruralnet|uk Conference, on the theme of sustainable livelihoods for rural Britain, is an opportunity to share experience and learn about rural broadband. So vital is this new conduit for rural services and information that the ruralnet team have designed the conference with extra sessions on broadband both before the main event, and afterwards, at no additional charge to delegates.
ruralnet|UK CEO, Simon Berry, says,
"High quality, high speed communications simply must be available to rural businesses and service providers. Whilst the lobbyists have their role, our aims are practical, not polemic: to demystify, inform, and help communities to share workable solutions to get the infrastructure they need."
Whilst the main event takes place from 11.45am on Wednesday 15th October, the optional Technical Supplement - Delivering Rural Broadband Now - kicks off at 9.45am with a fast-track registration for delegates who wish to attend beginning at 9.15. The supplement includes speakers Shaun Fensom, Daniel Heery and Andrew Usherwood all offering practical insights: what the market can deliver now and in the near future, what can be done where the market won't deliver and next generation broadband. A question and answer session will enable delegates to ask about their own situation, or offer examples.
After the Conference, which runs until 1.00 pm on Thursday 16th October 2003, there will be an opportunity for people involved in rural broadband projects to come together to discuss issues arising during the conference, and to network, to compare and map the various projects that are happening in different parts of the country.
Stephen Timms MP, the Minister for e-Commerce and Competitiveness, is keynote speaker for the main event, and will be exploring the opportunities for providing rural broadband through social enterprise, outlining the DTI's work programmes in these areas. A specialist loans and grants panel will answer delegates' questions on finance - whether for broadband projects or community programmes in general. In addition, the ICCT* Clinic and Cybercafe will be open throughout the event. Delegates with wireless network cards will be able to connect to the Internet in and around the Cybercafe using their own laptops.
ruralnet|2003 will be about much more than technical issues; broadband is clearly recognised as a means to an end. As usual, the event will bring in experts from inside and outside the UK rural development sector to expand our thinking. One example is Dr Ian Goldman (South Africa), a leading international specialist in the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach. Dr Goldman has worked in the UK, across Africa and Europe, and will outline the five capital assets that underpin this thinking: social capital, physical capital, financial capital, human and natural capital. He will explore the principles which underlie the implementation of the approach, and give examples of applying these concepts at community, local and national government levels, drawing from several countries. Gavin Cargill, an expert in human capital, will show how to build wealth through people.
These focussed plenary sessions will be complemented by participative workshops and seminars. These will explore the building of social capital online, provide an insight into the use of collaboration technology to support capacity building projects, improve delegates' understanding of how effective teams work and look at the role of Foodlinks projects in community regeneration.
All delegates will have access to the award winning ruralnet|online collaboration system so that the benefits of networking and exchange can continue long after the face to face event.
In addition, ruralnet|online subscribers will able to access all the conference documentation - including the presentation materials from individual speakers and the output from the mapping exercises, through a special folder on their ruralnet|UK desktops.
*Information, Communication and Collaboration Technology
Notes to editors
1. ruralnet|2003: Sustainable Livelihoods - what it means for rural Britain - is ruralnet|uk's annual Conference. This year it will be held on 15-16 October 2003, at Wyboston Lakes, St Neots, Bedfordshire
2. Existing ruralnet|online subscribers, and members of other Networks Online networks, will qualify for a discount on the conference fee. Non-subscribers will get a free, fully featured, 6-month ruralnet|online subscription.
3. Outputs from the delegate mapping exercises will be placed on the ruralnet|online extranet to ensure that the networking can continue after the face to face element of the event.
4. The ICCT (Information, Communication and Collaboration Technology) Clinic and Cybercafe will be open throughout the event. Delegates with wireless network cards will be able to connect to the Internet in and around the Cybercafe using their own laptops.
5. ruralnet|UK is a rural regeneration charity: see www.ruralnetuk.org/index.htm. It established one of the earliest community computing centres in the country in the early 1990's and one of the first online communities, ruralnet|online. See www.ruralnet.org.uk/home.shtml
6. ruralnet|online is now at the heart of over 20 online collaboration networks, collectively known as Networks Online. Other networks who are members of Networks Online can be seen at www.networksonline.org.uk
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