從 world changing 的 blog 中看到 ile san fil 的組織介紹, 這是一個在 Montreal 的社區組織, 於區內建立免費無線上網的連線, 實行於城市的中心建造足球場 !
以下是 ile san fil 的社區建設綱領, 很值得學習:
arguement 1) We have changed the landscape of wireless internet
access in Montreal. We offer a service to partners that want to offer
free wireless internet access as well as a service to the users.
The criticism of this is that we are offering free access to people
who are already empowered with technology. Also, we are responsable for
successfully accelerating the encroachment of technology into public
spaces which could be considered a *bad thing*.
arguement 2) We are a group of concerned and motivated citizens
taking control of ICT (Information and Communication Technology)
infrastructure in our city. That's empowering as an example to others
that this important part of our life isn't only the domain of companies
and corporations or even governments. To me, that's a more significant
impact than the actual fact that we have 55 hotspots and 9000 users
Counter - it's also very ethereal and depends on us continuing to
surpass our community's expectations of what individuals or non-profits
"should" be able to accomplish in the area of ICT. Also, in terms of
really making a difference in the control of ICT in Montreal, it would
be much more impressive if we were having success with a Mesh project.
argument 3) We are hacking the built city.
This statement is based on the idea that as wireless devices and
services proliferate and ubiquitous computing becomes a reality, the
physical environment (especially the built city) is rapidly becoming
enhanced space or mixed-reality. The supposedly seperate existences of
off-line and on-line are intersecting and overlapping - most rapidly in
cities.
That's obvious and basic knowledge to most of you.
Where this get's exciting is that by citizens, artists and non-profit groups developing and adapting these technologies (portable devices, wireless connectivity, mobile- and location-based applications) and their model (who is supposed to use them and for what purpose) we are able to impact and change this enhanced space and through that have an actual impact on how the built city is experienced.
To be sure, we have constraints on how much we can hack the city - it's
not as if we can easily directly confront the power of the the police
or building developpers. But we can work to allow spaces to better
retain memories, to promote both stronger and a larger number of looser
associations between individual, to increase valuing of art and
artists, or to help people get laid (more) on the basis of shared
interests as well as looks.
Another way of describing this:
I'm most excited about is the idea that ISF is building soccer fields.
This is my new favorite way of explaining a major thing that I think is
important about ISF. At the conference, one of the organizers told us
this great story of a non-profit that wanted to help a local community
of new immigrants from South or Central America that was having lots of
problems. Their kids were having difficulties at school, there was lots
of spousal abuse, violence in the neighborhood, etc. Instead of
starting a program to attack this or that issue (after-school programs,
men support groups, increased police presence) the foundation spent
$100,000 to build a soccer field in the area. And the problems were
significantly reduced over the following two years.
Why?
Because people from the community got together to play soccer and
after and before the games started talking to each other about their
problems. They realized that their problems were shared problems,
systematic problems, and they became able to access each other as
resources. The soccer field provided them the ability to increase the
strong and lose ties in their community and they were able to
self-organize to procure the resources they needed to improve life in
their community.
I felt weird calling myself an activist at this conference while
sitting beside people who were working on human-rights in the
Philippines or on improving democratic voter-turnout in the southern
states of the US. When presenting ISF during speedgeek I was worried
about people's perception of ISF (and of me) as legitimately
"activist". During sessions on brainstorming they were all thinking of
ways to use SMS messages for this voter-turn out campaign or to get
news past that repressive government. I was preoccupied with wondering
where the social software was for mobile phones (yes, besides
Dodgeball) and why *every* project used a one-to-many push or a
many-to-one pull conception (as opposed to groups within groups,
individuals as network-bridgers, etc). I loved hearing the example of
the soccerfield and having the idea legitimized of providing
platforms that were not explicitly geared towards this or that agenda
but that strengthened community by such things as increasing the
abilities of individuals and groups and lowering the barriers they face
towards community-oriented activities and organizing as well as
minimizing the completely unlevel playing field that we are on with
for-profit (and resultingly resource-rich) entities in terms of
controlling our communities. (that was an ugly sentence - sorry).
So, that's (my take on)\ what we're doing, and that's what I'm going
to try and convey at the panel presentation on Saturday. With basically
no money and only the intellectual and time resources of it's
volunteers, ISF is trying to convert our 55 hotspots into great big
soccer stadiums all around Montreal -hopefully complete with
locker-rooms, art galleries, chalkboards, swingsets, libraries, booths
to tell your city councillor what you think she should be doing,
recording studios, and massage booths. It's a grand vision, and I don't
know if we'll succeed, but I guess that's why we're all a part of this
- because it's audacious and exciting and it's supposed to be beyond us
.