Information technology
ICT stands for information and communication technology. ICT is your hardware and software and all the technology you use to communicate with your stakeholders. This includes your computer or computers and communications medium such as websites and email as well as the way you manage information and data electronically.
Why is ICT important?
Making effective use of information communication technology (ICT) can help your youth club to deliver its services more effectively and ultimately enable you to reach out to, and work with, more young people. It helps you do things better and do better things.
But ICT is an area which continues to make rapid advances and which therefore needs proper investment of time and money to ensure your youth club can get the best from it – at whatever level that may be.
The key is to remember that technology is a tool. With good planning and careful implementation you can choose the right tools for your circumstances, learn how to get the most from them and have the support to keep things running smoothly.
Whether you are an IT worker employed by a youth club to support its use of technology, the ‘accidental techie’ who has ended up looking after your youth club’s IT by default because there is nobody else to do it, or a project manager responsible for the provision of a service which makes use of technology within your youth club, there is information, advice and resources out there to support you.
Where do I start?
A good place to start if you are thinking about how to improve the effectiveness with which your youth club uses ICT - from planning the use of ICT, though to using it and sustaining it – is the National Council for Voluntary Organisations. Their website provides a wide range of resources to enable you to make more effective use of ICT whatever your starting point. It includes information and resources on getting started, budgeting and buying, policies and procedures, training and support. It also includes an ICT signposting guide for small voluntary and community organisationsalongside a range of other publications.
The Knowledgebase, provided by Lasa, is an impartial and comprehensive source of ICT information for the voluntary and community sector. Whether you want to find out how to protect your computer from viruses, how to go about setting up a network, how to make a pod cast or how to budget for ICT in your funding proposals then the Knowledgebaseshould have the answers.
Looking for practical hands-on support?
If you are simply looking for a trusted ICT supplier, try the Supplier Directory, also provided by Lasa. The Suppliers Directoryconnects voluntary and community organisations in England with vetted suppliers of technology products and services.
If your youth club needs hands-on ICT support there are a number of options you could consider.
The circuit rider movement could offer a cost-effective solution. A circuit rider is a mobile worker who provides ICT support and development to a caseload of small VCOs and who works in collaboration with other circuit riders.
Lasa also provides ICT consultancy. For example, they can help with technology funding applications, choosing the right technology suppliers, project management, technology health checks and more. Lasa also offer a range of training courses for voluntary and community organisations.
iT4Communities match ICT professionals who want to volunteer their time to voluntary and community organisations in need of help. So for example, if you want help to put together an ICT strategy or to make your website more accessible you can contact iT4Communitiesto see how a volunteer could help.
Whatever you do with your ICT, keep your eye on the real reason why you’re doing it. Make sure you’re clear about the overall goals of your youth club and that they are guiding the decisions and choices you’re making.
And finally...
When you decide what to do with ICT you must be able to answer the following questions:
- Does this help us achieve our goals? How? If not, why are we doing it?
- Does it save us time or money if we do this? How? If not, why are we doing it?
- Does it help us do new and more valuable things? How? If not, why are we doing it?
