Project information

StatusFinalist
URLGo to website
CategoryEducation
Private and public courses
CountryRussian Federation
Operational areasUrban, Rural
Target groupsChildren, Youth, Women, Men, Seniors
Fixed connectionDSL, Cable
Wireless connectionWiFi, Satellite, GSM
Access pointsBusiness, Home, School, Library, Telecenter
InteractDesktop Computer, Cellphone, Laptop, PDA
Software License TypesOpen Source, Proprietary

Project location

Random images Challenge 2008

Information Dissemination and Equal Access (IDEA) Project

  • Brief description
  • IDEA brings Internet technology and free Microsoft training courses to underserved communities and populations throughout Russia in the form of community-based IDEA Computer Centers, each of which is a partnership involving a local organization and stakeholders as well as Project Harmony's expertise and oversight.
  • Vision, Objectives and Goals
  • The goal of the IDEA project is to bring computer access and Internet technologies to underserved populations, such as the unemployed, senior citizens, people with disabilities, youth, and rural residents.  IDEA centers meet this goal by holding free computer and Internet training courses. The courses not only provide hands-on training, but also show how the skills can be applied to everyday life. As a direct result of IDEA training, participants are able to change their lives for the better and to contribute significantly to local community development. IDEA has three goals: to increase participant employment and marketability in IDEA communities, increase citizen participation in civic improvement projects, and increase the capacity of citizens to address local problems. In order to accomplish these goals, Internet Community Centers established by IDEA are located throughout Russia. The technology in these Centers is top-of-the-line, with full Internet access, an array of workstations, scanners, printers, and a coordinator on hand to assist visitors. Every month each Center provides at least 24 hours of Computer Skills trainings on the Microsoft Unlimited Potential Curriculum and 10 hours of free training in capacity-building themes, in order to stimulate community participation and give participants marketable skills. In addition to this, each center provides 10 hours of free internet access when IDEA graduates and others can improve their computer skills, search for the necessary information and get consultations from the IDEA coordinator or other specialist.  Upon successful completion of the course, all the participants receive certificates, the authenticity of which can be verified on the project website.  For many employers, the Microsoft Unlimited Potential logo on the certificate is a strong proof of the adequate computer skills of the job applicants and, as our alumni report, gives them advantage over other job searchers. Isolation and a lack of marketable business skills are the hallmarks of many disadvantaged communities throughout Russia. Technology centers with comprehensive training such as those provided through the IDEA program contribute to the transformation of a community by making its citizens more economically viable, its communities more capable of finding solutions to local problems, and its citizens more informed and energized to participate in their new democratic institutions. The impact of these centers reaches far beyond the initial training—the children of trainees are impacted, surrounding villages are impacted, and ultimately entire regions are more connected to the resources of the outside world. In 2006, Project Harmony instituted the IDEA program with 45 centers across Russia: 30 centers operate with a financial support from Microsoft and 15 centers joined the project as volunteers. Working with local host institutions and local partners, Project Harmony successfully worked to engage training participants from underserved populations such as the unemployed or underemployed, people living in rural areas without easy access to computers, economically disadvantaged youth, people with limited abilities and senior citizens.   In the first year, 11,080 people were trained in the program, and 65,504 others benefited from the Centers' activities. (Please see the attached Executive Summary of the Project and the latest statistics at http://www.idea-russia.ru/summary/eng/) To build on the success of this program, in 2007 IDEA operates 35 centers, expanding into high-demand, low-technology areas such as the North-Western, Southern and Far East regions of Russia. In each of these areas, IDEA programming will positively impact communities where technology is completely unaffordable and unavailable. In the second year, training will be provided for 15,000 people throughout Russia, and by the end of year three 60,000 will have been trained.
  • How does ICT contribute to the organisational objectives
  • Project Harmony has delivered programs incorporating technology in creative, engaging ways in various countries throughout Eurasia, the Caucasus, and the Middle East. Whatever the program, Project Harmony takes a grassroots approach and lets the needs of the local community and citizens dictate what program goals are most necessary for their future success. Over the past 20 years, Project Harmony's programs have grown to embrace the role technology can play in advancing cross-cultural understanding, professional skill-building, educational leadership and community development. In the former Soviet Union, Project Harmony has implemented networks of over 900 computer centers, and in Russia alone these networks have conducted over 6,200 free courses and seminars to community members, NGOs and local administrations.  In 2006, Project Harmony took Internet capacity in Russia to the next level with the Microsoft-funded Information Dissemination and Equal Access (IDEA) Program. In the first year of IDEA, 30 IDEA Centers opened in 30 Russian cities, providing technology training and Internet access to socially disadvantaged population groups: people with disabilities, senior citizens, young people from low-income families, and employees of rural libraries and schools. As a result of this training, the skill-sets of these at-risk populations were enhanced and thus more likely to get them jobs paying a living wage. The isolation of these IDEA center participants was diminished as their use of the Internet provided connections with people, information, and ideas that contributed to their capacity to build their own communities based on the experience and success of others. Follow-on assessment reveals that this access increases their own level of civic participation locally and contributes to the development of new opportunities for civic and community development initiative.
  • Transferability
  • IDEA has been successful as private partnerships between small groups, and it has also been successful with government support. The only capacity required from a replicating organization is the ability to find local partners who are committed to sustaining center operations.
  • Project summary
  • Thanks to IDEA, the target group's technical abilities, skills, and knowledge about computer technologies have been substantially enhanced. To date, 7,562 people have taken part in 839 UP courses, and 15,278 participated in other trainings and events at IDEA Centers. Among IDEA graduates, 97.5% report to have learned new skills, over 98% report improved job performance, and 88.5% claim new skills helped them find better employment. Responses show that participants are overwhelmingly grateful for the opportunity to improve their computer skills. Though teaching IT skills is the core project activity, we do not put ICT itself on top of the list, but regard it as a tool to help individuals have access to information, expand communication opportunities, improve job performance, facilitate certain operations, or express creativity. To expand IDEA services for disadvantaged populations in the more remote Russian regions, a mini-grant program was developed within the project. With the support of mini-grants, the Archangelsk IDEA center partnered with 9 rural libraries to organize UP trainings for rural youth in remote districts of Archangelsk oblast; Ryazan IDEA Center volunteers conducted a training-of-trainers and a combined course on ICT and career counseling for Ryazan boarding schools students; Izhevsk Center is conducting training-of-trainers program for new IDEA Centers of the Udmurt Republic. Special attention within the program is paid to the development of an online community for IDEA alumni and people with disabilities “Eliminating Borders and Boundaries” (http://forum.idea-russia.ru). The forums offer various topics for discussion – from favorite books and movies to employment opportunities and professional legal consulting. The IDEA project and its results are becoming known in the regions, and the demand for more centers is growing. Regional authorities and local municipalities, understanding the paramount importance of ICT skills for citizens, share the project mission and goals and are willing to support new centers, which will join the project as volunteers, i.e. with the full financial support from the site. By the end of 2007 we estimate to have up to 100 centers across Russia, which will bring ICT skills and new opportunities for thousands of Russian citizens.