Echo des Falaises : a French Smart Village local Online Collaborative Platform

Royans - Vercors, france
The idea of the Plateform has emerged from a collective session that gathered about 15 oranizations and inhabitants, that worked on the local need for digital tools that would ease and speed-up local experience sharing, mutual help and solidarity. Its vocation is to be fed and to live thanks to the contributions of all the inhabitants and actors of Royans-Vercors. It has neither institutional, nor commercial vocation, nor to be profitable to only one structure or actor, more than any other. Created within the framework of the Smart Village project, accompanied by the ADRETS association, the objective of the Platform is to promote the initiatives of Royans-Vercors (individual and collective) and to facilitate the networking of the actors locally. Based on a Wiki,the Platform is a collaborative internet tool including: a directory of local initiatives linked to an interactive map allowing their geolocation, shared agenda, a video library, as well as a space dedicated to the sharing of tools/resources by and for local actors. The initiatives are classified by themes to facilitate reading and research. The "Tools" section currently includes the agenda for booking a e-car in La Chapelle-en-Vercors, which is also the result of the support provided by the Smart Village project. More recently, local organizations used the Plateform to create a specific Agenda for Zoom platform use both by professionals and inhabitants.
The Smart Village action group of Royans-Vercors has been actively using and promoting the EchodesFalaises.org new collaborative plateform. A dedicated tutorial and a Youtube session has been followed by inhabitants, during the annual Digital training Festival "Faites du numérique".
Applicable in rural, non city areas
Local area
Youth, Elderly, Students, Active working people
Janv-2020 to june 2021

Implementation

Key conditions for success

- Help the group define a set of digital functions and tools that really meet the local needs. - Instead of thinking the whole website during month and do nothing : support the group to acquire basic skills and then invite them to create by themselves the website. - The name EchodesFalaises is the result of a collective Brainstorming session, and final URL name has been open to the local inhabitants vote (more the 100 participants) : it is a good way to make the people discover the project dans the platform - Support the local group for local sessions with inhabitants testing in a pedagogic and funny process, during local events for instance.

Key steps for activity implementation

- October 2019: the idea of the Plateform is selected by the Local Stakeholder group - January 20 : a local group of 4 people (representants of local NGOs, inhabitants and local intermunicipality representative) follow a traning session on the Wiki skills, a « hackathon » is animated to set-up functions and design of the website - June 20 : a working session is held to write down the Charter of use and values, a brainstorming is held to suggest names for the Plateform - July 20 : public vote for the name of the Plateform - August 20 : the Plateform is officially online and opened to the Public contributions. The Plateform is alreadey used for the e-car vehicle « Zoé » booking.

Dificulties encountered

- The importance of reassuring local people that they have the capability to improve their digital skills to be piloting and moderating such a Platform needs an active experience transfert and collaborative animation process. - The gap between the need expressed by local inhabitants and professionnals, and the effective use of the Plateform : people need to see concrete services and added-value of the Plateform functions. - Supporting a group in a Website long-term conception, administration and design need skill transfert

Resources needed

- 2000 € for a 4 days-training of a local group of person for the YesWiki basing skills (webmastering and administration) - 1000 € for a webdesign and CSS graphic theme integration - a group of 2 people that will moderate on the long-term the Wiki contents - a Strategic

Would you like to know more?

Visit the website of the project for more details or contact the author

ADRETS

Claire Beledt