If ‘Yes’, please state the charity registration number:

Yes No

If ‘Yes’, please state the VAT registration number:

Can the organisation reclaim all the VAT?

Yes No

• How has the partner organisation been involved in the development of the project?
• What are the responsibilities of the partner organisation in delivering the proposed

project?

If ‘Yes’, please state the charity registration number:

If ‘Yes’, please state the VAT registration number:

Can the organisation reclaim all the VAT? Yes No

If the organisation cannot reclaim all the VAT on expenditure, please complete question 8 in

5.11 How much of the DfEE capital funding do you intend to allocate to this partner?

Please photocopy questions 6.1 to 6.3 and complete it for each venue in the partnership that will provide learning activities.

The project intends to expand the network and the services already developing to enhance available training and support structures and provide further access to a flexible ICT training centre. This would be targeted to include;

• those people with little or no IT skills
• short/long term unemployed
• elderly residents
• those with disabilities
• those with poor basic literacy and numeracy skills
• parents and families
• Residents disenfranchised from normal/ mainstream services
• Local residents involved in community activities and projects

In 1998 people in the estate formed Redbricks Online with two goals: "to provide fast unlimited internet use and an intranet that links neighbourhood regeneration to ICT.

The project intends to expand the network and the services already in existence to provide further access to ICT & IT training to 50% or 150+ residents of Bentley house. Whilst introducing the connective capacity to all 100% 250 households or 300+ residents, with a drop in facility for group work and assisted learning. This would be targeted to include;

• those people with little or no IT skills
• short/long term unemployed
• elderly residents
• those with disabilities
• those with poor basic literacy and numeracy skills
• parents and families
• Residents disenfranchised from normal/ mainstream services
• Local residents involved in community activities and projects

• Refer, for example, to Lifelong Learning Partnership or local authority plans. Please give the full name of any plans or strategies you refer to;
• Indicate if your organisation/partnership has been or is involved in developing any of these strategies.

Starting from the local strategy of networking, Bentley house has by representation been involved in the EU funding program - Moss side & Hulme "Urban" 95-99 which made clear inclusion of locally developed strategies for social inclusion in European Activities and the building of networks.

Manchester Local authority has for many years championed the Telematics strategy for the city, which also promotes the inclusion of communities in the growing digital world. The development of the Manchester multimedia centre and community IT strategies such as MCIN, as well as M/c Housing departments "Tenants Online" and the Tenants Federation of Manchester "TRAIN" program. All of these strategies and developing programs are and have been initiatives that residents of Bentley house "Redbricks online" actively take a part in.

Nationally the promotion of Redbricks has led to meetings and developing relationships with Communities online, Partnerships Online, National Permaculture network, UK Urban forum, Community Action Network, Urban Forum, the Social exclusion unit, The New Economics Foundation, DETR, DFEE, as well as international groups and communities.

So far this work has been led under the initiative and support of residents from residents, highlighting the think local act local approach to skills and labour. Developing strong community ties and reliances, and the development of common aims including environmental, social, community and economically sustainable scaled programs, from the heart of the neighbourhood for all residents.

• your current ICT and lifelong learning provision, if applicable;
• other existing ICT and lifelong learning provision in your communities including provision that serves your proposed client groups;
• how the project will link with Further Education, Ufi and other learning provision;
• how the project will establish new or enhance existing provision.

7.5 Please outline your proposed programme of ICT and learning activities.

You may prefer to present this information in a table. Include:

• dates, times, locations and number of sessions and users;
• all proposed activities, e.g. regularly scheduled classes, training, taster sessions, on-line tutorials and conferences.

7.7 How will you co-ordinate and manage your project?

• how the new project will affect your present management and staff structure;
• the structures and procedures for financial management and reporting;
• how the project will be co-ordinated and managed;
• the responsibilities of the different partner organisations in delivering the project, if applicable.

Posts created:

1 Full time post – support manager for ICT centre

2 Part time / flexi – assistants, mentor support, trainers

The paid positions are dependant on recent relevant experience with working with communities, awareness of inner-city issues, and ability to be flexible in approach to residents needs. Liason work with other departments and bodies. Managerial experience and ability to work independantly on the tasks as required.

Qualifications are not the primary focus, but it is envisaged that any person applying would likely live locally and have recent or updateable skills, experience or qualifications.

Management and recruitment will be managed by the projects development group made up of representatives of the TA, Redbricks Online and the network support staff.

Staff and volunteers will be initially expected to have some core knowledge in the area of provision of service to the project, working with local residents and awareness of community issues. All staff and volunteers will be encouraged to pursue an accredited training program to suit their future needs in relation to their tasks. All team members, volunteers and support persons will have a program of modules to pursue that give them an overview of the project, assist in team building and support professional delivery of Tasks and services.

Voluntary support is a key to the projects aim, for the delivery of localised "Community Resourced Information Service Projects" (CRISP).

Current levels of voluntary input are:

Management of records and client liason 2 4hr per week

System upkeep and development 2 10hr per week

Infrastructure and maintenance 2 4hr per week

Business management 1 4hr per week

Initially only an increase of 50% is required for the work needed in these tasks, while any further interested parties will be accepted, but not dependant an efficient running.

10 voluntary positions on a part time (less than 10 hr week) + graduate support, placement apportunities.

The Projects business development will be undertaken by three volunteers within the TA, currently working on IT and Housing related issues.

An increase to 6 volunteers to administer the Community business is required, with all positions taking on commitment to do 5 hrs per week up to a maximum of 10hrs when required.

The Bentley House estate boasts some highly creative and professionally qualified residents, it has been these residents who for the past two years, have managed and maintained the network and it’s service development. The projects infrastructure and maintenance as a working network system will be run, and managed by these volunteers, while it is also an aspect of the project that new members/ volunteers be recruited to learn the hands on approach to network service and delivery. Take on will require training for qualifications in this field, or the volunteer may already be in study for this area of work, to later go forward to qualify as engineers and network managers, having had an introduction into the workings of an active system.

• your key client group(s) and how they fulfil the criteria for disadvantage;
• the learning needs of the client groups e.g. basic computer skills, ICT taster sessions;
• how you will support target client groups in their learning, e.g. through the use of mentors, trainers, review meetings.

The key client group is Tenants and Residents of Bentley House, where 248 properties house some 350 people. This resident group is a mixture of elderly Hulme residents 60+, second and third generation residents, newer 5 – 15 year residents and recent 1 – 5 year residents. Outline research has identified, Irish, Scotish, Welsh, Jamaican, Chinese, Caribean, French, Spanish, Greek, Turkish, Chezk alongside North and south Mancunians, people from both sides of the watford gap. Single people, couples and families. With personal disadvantages ranging from Clinical disability, mental problems, health problems, dislexia, literacy, sight and motor function incapacity.

One thing that remains constant is a need to have a common area for mutual development and support, found in group activities and knowledge sharing. The overall apprauch to delivery is in assisting local resident networks to do their magic, where one person is seen as a good friend more knowledge will flow. Voluntary assistance is an integral aspect to this project, where bonds between people are not prescribed but formed in mutual respect. The use of mentoring and online support for areas of skill and knowledge, both boosts the trainee and trainer, each will learn from the experience.

The learning support provided by the (funded workers) will essencially be to maintain contact with each of the residents who have moved into a learning program, and to encourage others through to their potential. Tracking and monitoring examples of how individuals and groups are benefiting from the resources. To act as guides through the maze of differing opportunities, and keep a foot on the ground.

The overall approach is to have all involved parties able to realise the change and to support them in this change, many activities happen in local communities but sometimes get forgotten and lessons become less important when other life priorities take over. The essence of this bid is to take everyone forward, at differing speeds and in differing ways, but definitely forwards.

• a schedule of marketing activities with key dates and milestones;
• why you think these activities will be successful in reaching target groups;
• who will undertake the work;
• how you will continue to attract new users over the life of the project;
• how you will monitor and review the effectiveness of your marketing strategy.

The project has over it’s initial life time, been promoted and supported by a large percentage of the estate’s residents, while access and equipment has been the only stumbling block to assisting new residents and older tenants into the advantages that they could gain from the growing network.

So far no financial costs have been incurred in promotion or marketing, word of mouth and personal satisfaction and interest has been the only method used. This new project phase will concentrate on delivery and support for residents who have not taken up the initial idea.

Working with the TA, Garden group, active network users and volunteers will cover the entire estate, emphasis will be made by residents on the management team and Tenants association to work with excluded residents.

The estate take up of service and delivery of training will be reviewed, on a monthly basis with each of the 8 ( see 7.5) core area representatives updating the overall stearing committee on activities to date, time spent and objectives and actions achieved or taken during the previous month, and introducing their future monthly strategy.

As an IT developing process all information will be recorded and deliverable to members and clients through interactive methods. Online spread sheets, schedules of works, overall performance and feedback from residents being a major feature.

The Redbricks Online strategy has been developed by residents for residents, as our technical brief has outlined the equipment needed for an all participatory and inclusive policy (all homes connected). This aspect of provision has taken into account the greatly varying needs of residents with specific disabilities.

The project will be utilising resources from video projection, large screen 21inch monitors, mobile laptops for visits, voice recognition systems for learning difficulties (dyslexia), as well as adapting keyboards, mice and personal computers to individual needs (physical difficulties). The estate has a number of languages that are currently being catered for (software translators), individual learners can modify and have adapted software specific for their requirements.

The estate has an eclectic and diverse group of residents, that will require an open house policy with regards to opening times for drop in sessions. The work of the support worker and assistants will be maintained on a daily / evening basis, open each day for initial taster sessions in the first few months to flexible access later as needs become more defined.

Observation of equal opportunities policies, following the guidelines of National practice, through to International Human rights, the estate and it’s residents fully support the inclusion of issues that affect individuals. We seek to cater for as many residents that would wish to involve themselves in project delivery and development. All residents by home use, by peer group or cultural identity will be asked to inform the project and feed in to the gathering of data and information. This will also encourage others to address problems and interests that previously would go unheard.

Regular bulletins will keep residents informed of decisions and activities that are being undertaken, when and why and by whom. Estate meetings held by the TA and other estate groups will all have the ability to adopt a representative on the Community business group.

Any support or assistance that is required to make the project more user friendly, assist learners in their individual programs will be sought from externally available sources.

• your charging policy, if any, for users;
• how you know they will be able to afford any proposed fees;
• how will you use and promote individual learning accounts.

• All residents will have the "internal network" as a standard feature, giving access across the estate to database, newsletters, discussion forums, online chat, video conferencing and shared resources.
• Residents wishing to enter the wider "outside network" will pay a standard fee of £3.00 per week, this has been accepted as a reasonable cost of service by working and non working residents.
• Residents who may wish to introduce specific connection requirements (start up business etc), will have a charge at cost (dependent on requirement) attached to their service.

• The promotion, and availability of individual learning accounts will be of importance to residents who may choose to have outside connection as part of their course or learning program. Encouraging residents to gain dual value from the associated costs that they would incur, when studying from home using another method of connection.

• employer’s liability insurance and the Working Time Directive;
• health and safety requirements particularly in relation to ventilation, furniture and fittings for ICT;
• plans for insuring and securing equipment.

The Project will be staffed by both employees, contractors and volunteers working on different aspects of the installation to delivery of service.

Paid employees will be subject to the statutory requirements of an employee contract and associated terms and conditions (duty of the employing body).

Voluntary insurance and cover is available through organisations in and around Manchester, assistance in securing these requirements will be sought through BTCV, Manchester housing, Voluntary sector North West amongst others before any contract or agreement between parties is signed to.

The Centre ( the Estate ) is entirely a council owned property and as such it is covered by a statutory requirement to be a fit and safe place to work and live. Any issue that is needed to be overcome in the project, or associated activity will be taken in conjunction with the Projects committee and the buildings managers.

N.B. DfEE will provide an on-line monitoring system which all Centres will be expected to use.

• How will you monitor your progress against the targets stated in Q7.1

• Who will be involved in monitoring and evaluating your project;

• How will monitoring inform the development of your project.

The project and all associated activities will be input and presented on the internal network for all residents, volunteers and workers to see, in the spirit of "open source" technologies and fostering an open book keeping process. Though special care will be taken where any such information is subject to data protection, all outputs and evaluation will take the form of a web site specifically tracking, budget, spend, outputs, acheivements and failures. As the move towards a community business takes shape, all residents will be invited to monitor, evaluate, criticise or congratulate the project throughout.

All information will be data base managed with outputs available in print, visual graphs, time lines for delivery and expected completion dates, new developments and comments.

All residents and project workers will be given an individual account within the network that is accessible from any point or terminal in the world.

As stated above the monitoring system subject to all centres is also to be in place for DFEE evaluation, both by our centre and other centres in the Program.

A continual development for attributing investment and support as it continues, is also to be produced, as is technology and equipment used in the project, regarding it’s specifications and their actual working conditions, checking for ability and performance.

Applications for NOF funding over £50,000 should include a fund-raising strategy as described in Appendix 1.

The project is designed to be sustainable, the input of the grant is only to cover the first stage investment that projects like this require. The financial viability of running the system on a cost of service basis, whilst also looking to group purchase future items and resources will be entirely covered by the continued use and development of this system.

The associated interest of individuals on training placements, volunteers and supporters will continue to keep a steady flow of workers and developers for the next 4-5 years. Trading their skills for the opportunities that working here will provide.