Orange Digital Center : des espaces pour l’inclusion numérique en Europe

Orange Digital Center : des espaces pour l’inclusion numérique en Europe

by | 27 Sep 2022 | Communs & plaidoyer, Editorial

Orange Digital Center : un programme international pour l’inclusion numérique

À l’occasion de l’adhésion d’Orange au Social Good Accelerator (SOGA), découvrons ensemble l’initiative Orange Digital Center, un programme ambitieux en faveur de l’inclusion numérique dans les territoires.
Nous avons échangé avec les équipes d’Orange pour mieux comprendre la philosophie, les ambitions et les premiers résultats de ce projet.

Orange Digital Center

Le premier Digital Center d’Orange, France
Photo credit: Orange

Un réseau international pour développer les compétences numériques

Les Orange Digital Center sont des espaces ouverts et gratuits dédiés à l’apprentissage et au développement des compétences numériques.
De la formation au code à la fabrication numérique, en passant par la création d’entreprise, ces lieux favorisent l’apprentissage par la pratique.

Leur mission : permettre à chacun — étudiant, demandeur d’emploi, jeune décrocheur, entrepreneur — d’acquérir les compétences nécessaires pour évoluer dans un monde numérique.

Les programmes de formation y sont conçus pour répondre à des besoins concrets :

  • ateliers de codage,
  • fablabs pour la fabrication numérique,
  • accompagnement à l’entrepreneuriat,
  • formation à la sécurité et à la responsabilité numérique.

Une initiative déployée dans le monde entier

À septembre 2022, 15 Orange Digital Center étaient déjà ouverts en Afrique et au Moyen-Orient (Tunisie, Sénégal, Cameroun, Éthiopie, Jordanie…).
En Europe, le centre de Bruxelles a accueilli ses premiers apprenants au printemps 2022, suivi par celui de Saint-Ouen (France) en juin.

D’autres centres verront bientôt le jour en Pologne, Luxembourg, Roumanie, Slovaquie, Espagne et Moldavie.
À terme, le Groupe Orange prévoit d’implanter un Orange Digital Center dans chacun des pays où il opère.

Cette initiative illustre la responsabilité sociétale du premier opérateur numérique français, avec une conviction forte :

le numérique ne doit pas créer des fractures, mais des opportunités accessibles à tous.

Le programme agit donc sur quatre dimensions clés :

  1. l’accès aux infrastructures et aux équipements,
  2. l’usage et l’accompagnement des publics,
  3. la montée en compétences,
  4. et la promotion de la diversité dans les métiers du numérique.

Une construction locale et collaborative

Chaque Orange Digital Center adapte sa programmation au contexte local, aux ressources disponibles et aux besoins des bénéficiaires.
Les formations et ateliers sont co-construits avec un écosystème de partenaires :

  • fablabs de proximité,
  • Simplon au Sénégal,
  • BeCode en Belgique,
  • ou encore le programme AWS Restart en Tunisie.

Cette approche collaborative permet de renforcer l’impact social du dispositif, en favorisant l’emploi, l’insertion professionnelle et la mixité dans les métiers du numérique.

“Les parcours de formation associent le code, la fabrication et l’entrepreneuriat pour dynamiser les trajectoires des apprenants.”

Les défis à relever et les solutions envisagées

Déployer des centres dans 25 pays est un défi logistique et humain majeur.
Orange en a déjà ouvert 17 et prévoit d’atteindre son objectif à court terme.

Les principaux enjeux aujourd’hui :

  • maintenir la dynamique une fois le réseau complet,

  • favoriser la capitalisation et les échanges entre les différents centres,

  • et évaluer l’impact social sur les bénéficiaires.

Pour y répondre, Orange multiplie les initiatives :

  • un appel à projets pour créer des formations de formateurs dans les fablabs ;

  • une mesure d’impact social sur certains programmes pilotes ;

  • et un partenariat avec le Social Good Accelerator pour croiser expertises et plaidoyer autour de la transition numérique inclusive en Europe.

Zoom sur le centre de Saint-Ouen : inclusion et formation

Le Orange Digital Center de Saint-Ouen, inauguré en juin 2022, a lancé son premier programme de préqualification “Envol Numérique” destiné aux jeunes décrocheurs scolaires.
Ce parcours de 5 semaines de formation et 3 semaines de stage vise à leur redonner le goût du numérique et à favoriser leur insertion professionnelle.

Les participants y découvrent :

  • les bases du développement web et de la fabrication numérique ;

  • les compétences comportementales : communication, confiance en soi, travail en équipe ;

  • et les enjeux environnementaux et sociétaux du numérique.

Le centre propose aussi :

  • des ateliers grand public pour apprendre à utiliser un smartphone ou paramétrer un contrôle parental ;

  • un fablab accessible pour s’initier à la conception 3D ou à l’électronique.

Des ressources accessibles à toutes et tous

L’Orange Digital Center met à disposition une variété de ressources gratuites :

Découvrir la responsabilité numérique

  • ateliers en ligne sur la protection des données personnelles,
  • modules d’éducation numérique pour les parents,
  • programmes de sensibilisation avec la Fédération française de football sur l’usage responsable du numérique.

Apprendre à utiliser les outils numériques

  • SuperCoders : ateliers ludiques pour les enfants hospitalisés,
  • Blabla Code : formation pour demandeurs d’emploi souhaitant renforcer leurs compétences digitales,
  • Fablabs : lieux ouverts équipés d’imprimantes 3D et de machines connectées pour expérimenter et innover.

Entreprendre dans le numérique

  • guides et tutoriels pour créer son activité,
  • ressources pour les femmes entrepreneures,
  • outils pour protéger ses données et communiquer en ligne.


    Un levier majeur d’inclusion numérique

    Avec ses Orange Digital Center, le Groupe Orange déploie une approche concrète du numérique d’intérêt général :
    donner à chacun les moyens de comprendre, créer et entreprendre grâce au numérique.

    “Faire du numérique une opportunité pour tous, sans distinction d’âge, de milieu ou de territoire.”

    Pour en savoir plus : Je consulte le site internet d’Orange

    FAQ — Orange Digital Center et inclusion numérique

    Qu’est-ce qu’un Orange Digital Center ?

    C’est un espace de formation gratuit et ouvert à tous, dédié à l’apprentissage des compétences numériques, à l’entrepreneuriat et à la fabrication digitale.

    Où se trouvent les Orange Digital Center ?

    Les centres sont implantés dans plus de 17 pays en Afrique, au Moyen-Orient et en Europe (France, Belgique, Tunisie, Cameroun, Sénégal, etc.), avec un objectif de 25 centres ouverts à terme.

    Qui peut y accéder ?

    Toute personne souhaitant développer ses compétences numériques : jeunes, demandeurs d’emploi, entrepreneurs, femmes en reconversion ou simples curieux.

    Quels types de formations sont proposés ?

    Des formations autour du code, de la fabrication numérique, de la responsabilité numérique et de l’entrepreneuriat social.

    Quel est le lien avec le Social Good Accelerator ?

    Le SOGA et Orange collaborent pour renforcer l’impact social du numérique en Europe et partager des bonnes pratiques de médiation numérique dans le cadre de leurs initiatives communes.

    Analysis of the report on the Digital Commons

    Analysis of the report on the Digital Commons

    by | 13 Jul 2022 | Communs & plaidoyer, Editorial, Revue de presse

    Analysis of the report on the Digital Commons

    On the occasion of the Digital Assembly co-organised in Toulouse on 21 and 22 June by the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union and the European Commission, the report on the Digital Commons was published. This report was initiated by France during the conference ‘Building Europe’s Digital Sovereignty’ organised on 7 and 8 February. 

    This report is the result of collective work by a group of 19 European union (EU) Member States, the European Commission.

    The aim was to collectively develop a project to promote and accelerate the development of the digital commons.

    The digital commons, pillars of European digital sovereignty

    According to the definition of Elinor Ostrom, winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2009, a commons is defined as a resource designed and governed by a community, with established rules of access and sharing. A digital commons is therefore a digital resource such as a platform, a website or an application whose particularity is that it belongs to everyone and can be modified by everyone. In other words, the governance of this resource is managed in a democratic and bottom-up manner. 

    The basic premise is that a well-maintained digital commons offers ‘a unique opportunity to support European digital sovereignty’.

    First, under the right conditions, digital commons contribute to the preservation of control by external powers. Indeed, a digital commons is by definition neither in the hands of a single large company nor in those of a single state. This shared ownership aims to prevent the risk of abuse.

    Secondly, the commons contribute to the collective valorisation of a digital resource and to the reuse of the digital data and infrastructure concerning it. The digital commons therefore promote innovation, social value and sustainability. Collective intelligence is indeed increased tenfold by the free access to information and the possibility to enrich the resource.

    Finally, the digital commons are a pillar of cybersecurity, provided that they are well maintained. In other words, according to Eric S. Raymond’s adage, ‘if you have enough eyes, all bugs are shallow’ (The Cathedral and the Bazaar, 1999).

     

    A strong need for visibility and acculturation of the digital commons

    ‘However, without a cultural shift in understanding the added value of the commons, their sustainability is threatened by a lack of use and contribution.’ As this report points out, the digital commons are excellent tools for moving towards European digital sovereignty, provided they are widely used. It is true that without widespread use and contribution, the resource can quickly become inefficient and obsolete. Hence the report’s proposals aimed firstly at giving visibility to the digital commons, and secondly, at gaining the trust of the different actors, in particular those of the digital commons community.

    Four proposals to promote and accelerate the development of the digital commons

    Proposal 1: Create a European one-stop-shop to guide communities towards adequate funding and public support

    The idea is to create a platform to centralise at a European level the process of finding public funding for digital communities by providing guidance, expertise and resources.

     

    Proposal 2: Launch a call for projects for the most strategic commons

    The purpose of a call for projects on the digital commons would make it possible to respond to the financial problems encountered by the majority of commons, given their limited resources.

    An orientation of funds towards thematic digital commons is recommended. The themes identified as priorities by the working group are research, e-government and strategic elements.

     

    Proposal 3: Create a European Foundation for the Digital Commons

    The creation of a European Foundation is the most ambitious proposal. ‘In coordination with the EU’s policy objectives, the structure would aim to foster the development of digital commons ecosystems across Europe, to strengthen existing communities and encourage the re-use of digital resources, while facilitating the spread of the digital commons model by supporting the generation of new digital commons.’

    But, it would only become a true catalyst, supporter and promoter of the digital commons ‘if its governance is open and shared with the communities concerned.’ Governance would therefore be shared between the States, the European Commission and the digital commons communities. In addition, a permanent team would be dedicated to supporting this structure.

     

    Proposal 4: Leading by example, the digital commons by default

    This proposal aims to ensure that national and European administrations assess as a priority the possibility of a solution using open source code and open data as soon as they are faced with the development of digital resources.

    Conclusion: the scope of the report

    Welcomed by many in the digital commons community, these proposals are encouraging for the future and fully in line with the EU’s climate and digital objectives.

    The next step is suggested by the report. This is a broad consultation on this topic in coordination with the launch of the call for projects. However, caution is called for. Indeed, the Czech Presidency of the European Union – which began on 1 July 2022 – must take over to ensure that all the challenges are met. But the Czech Republic is one Member State absent from the list of Member States that supported the report. The adoption of these recommendations could therefore be slowed down.

    Finally, to complete these elements, the actors of the sector, including Wikimedia France, Framasoft, and Mobicoop, have taken up the issue. They have, in turn, drawn up a set of proposals with the same objective in mind.

    The digital commons still have a bright future. In this regard, our next study will focus on the new models of citizen and contributory economy in Europe. This study will analyse the practices, partnerships and effects of two digital commons by social economy actors: Open Street Map and Open Food Fact.

    About the author

    Justine Coopman
    justine(at)socialgoodaccelerator.eu
    Public Affairs and Communication
    Lille, France
    Transition pathways: solutions for proximity economy and social tech

    Transition pathways: solutions for proximity economy and social tech

    by | 2 Jun 2022 | Editorial

    Transition pathways: solutions for proximity economy and social tech

    By splitting into four groups in this session, the audience of these first workshops discussed about the transition pathways with social economy stakeholders and heads of different commission departments.
    As the transition pathways is made to enable to step up contributions in the green and digital transitions, it focuses on policy making influencing local and regional levels, where actors are anchored and need support the most.

    Jeanne Bretécher intervenes @Transition pathways workshop
    Jeanne Bretécher, the President and Co-Founder of the Social Good Accelerator, moderated one of the four workshops organised by the European Commission on 30 May 2022.
    Source: Thomas Brisbart

    The challenges for the ecosystem
    Social Economy Europe, Diesis, Euclid Network and the Social Good Accelerator were animating separately four workshops focusing on social tech entrepreneurship, data management, platform shared economy and social tech. The Social Good Accelerator focused on the latter.

    By being part of this group, the association and the associated organisations aimed to bring the key points of the transition pathways documents with the attendees. Indeed, a first draft of the document put in synthesis around 70 contributions, including the one that the Social Good Accelerator wrote with its community. The report explores the areas where social economy should take action, notably to accelerate the digital transition. The idea through these workshops was to bring simple words on complex topics, reduced to a certain amount.

    First, the group discussed altogether on what does access to technology implies to us. The problems related to the digital tools is that some people think they are out of reach, mostly due to psychological barriers, resources challenge, but especially the skills related to it. The digital divide and the feeling of digital isolation are both real in this context.

    Besides, with the pandemic, there was a brutal transition towards the use of tools in which many didn’t have the skills and the equipment related. Solving this issue is a matter of means public authorities allow to solve it, through levers such as economic resources and training.

    Moving to solutions
    A few examples of good practices were raised by the attendees, who brought different interesting contributions. For instance, some identified a necessity to support the creation and sharing of each industrial sector, enabled by the proper and adequate regulations. For instance, in Israel, accessibility is not only limited to the physical one, but has a broader definition in the law. It includes the digital prism within it.

    On the other side of the scope, startup models are focused on hyper growth and are scale-up oriented. With such a different mindset, the impact also is. Besides, it is challenging to identify the good technology for a social organisation’s needs. Some tools have this scope in mind, such as Rogervoice.

    Visual Transition pathways workshop

    « When working, all kind of different people are involved, and it’s quite an interesting but difficult bridge to go over », maintained a panelist. By those words, the exclusion of the elderly in the digital sphere was raised. Nonetheless, their exclusion is not only based on skills, but also on their own confidence and on the product designing. Like any new technology, the digital brings exclusion if it is not made properly. In other words, digital mean substituting, and multimodality is the key.

    The workshop concluded that enabling a decentralised Internet would be the key for an efficient digital social innovation ecosystem. Besides, employability makes sure that new talents come to civic tech sector. Older people have a mistrust in the digital tools. A rapid prototypic or an iterative design is needed to continue on this way, paved with several challenges : access to tech, bringing skills or upskill people, and the challenges related to resources themselves.

    ‘It was a successful experience’, Social Economy Europe’s view on the European Social Economy Summit.

    ‘It was a successful experience’, Social Economy Europe’s view on the European Social Economy Summit.

    by | 17 May 2022 | Communs & plaidoyer, Editorial, Interviews / Témoignages

    ‘It was a successful experience’, Social Economy Europe’s view of the european social economy summit

    The European summit on the social economy brought together nearly 2000 participants on 5 and 6 May 2022 in Strasbourg. Organised in the framework of the French Presidency of the European Union with the support of the Eurometropole of Strasbourg, the objective was to discuss the place of the social economy in the European Union and its future through conferences, workshops and meetings.

    The Social Good Accelerator, member of the steering committee of the event, was present and contributed to the promotion and dissemination of its ideas, namely raising awareness on the necessary digital transition of the social economy through two workshops and a conference.

    Our member, Social Economy Europe, also a member of the steering committee of the event, also participated in this summit through numerous workshops and conferences.

    This interview with Victor Meseguer, Director at Social Economy Europe, aims to enrich the feedback on this major European summit for the social economy.

    From the Social Economy Europe side, how did you prepare for this event?

    The preparation of the event started in June 2021. The first meeting took place with Pierre Roth and Sandra Guilmin in Brussels at the time when they were exploring the different funding options for the European social economy summit (hereafter “Conference”). At that time, it was already known that the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union was going to take place, so it was expected that there would be a strong presence of the French Presidency, but also a strong presence of the European Commission, which was present through human resources and political representatives. In July 2021, the Social Economy Europe (SEE) team travelled to Strasbourg with the presidents and co-presidents of the European Parliament’s social economy intergroup to have a meeting with the Mayor of Strasbourg. The exchanges focused on the expectations related to the Conference.

    This Conference was expected to be the major european conference of the social economy in 2022. We can also say that there was a sort of handover of legitimacy at the end of the social economy summit in Mannheim in 2021.

    From then on, the way of working was similar to that of the SOGA, notably through meetings to co-construct the event. The added value of SEE was also similar to that of SOGA. Our aim was to create bridges between actors, to ensure that the Conference had a European dimension, that it responded well to the interests of Social Economy actors. Our added value as a network is our ability to mobilise people, networks and organisations across Europe.

    Also, on the SEE side, we organised our general assembly in Strasbourg, the day before the Conference, which allowed us to mobilise most of our members. 

    From the SEE side, how did the workshops go? In particular the one on transition pathways, what did you learn from it?

    It was an interesting workshop. We mobilised between 30 and 50 people. There were key players in the social economy in the room: both major European networks, for example Cooperative Europe, Philea, ESS France Outre-mer and others. We also managed to mobilise two players who are strongly committed to the social economy in the territories: the region of Brussels and the region of Navarra in northern Spain. 

    ‘It was a successful experience, a first opportunity to educate on a subject that is difficult to understand, not that it is difficult as such, but it is mainly the terminology, the slang that can cause problems. When we talk about transition pathways for the social economy, we are talking about a big strategic plan where everyone must be involved and express their expectations and needs. On this last point, there is a problem of connection with reality. So this workshop was a step to start explaining the exercise we are doing and its importance. 

    Also, we gathered some interesting information. First of all, the problem with the transition pathways is that you have a lot of access to generalist experts, people who are very knowledgeable about the whole subject of social economy. But it is difficult to find people with expertise on the green transition and the digital transition. There is a second problem. We don’t capture the whole reality of the social economy. We need to capture the whole reality of the social economy, which is much broader. The Social Good Accelerator has a key role to play on this point to get its network involved. 

    You had a stand shared with ESS France and the CRESS Grand Est. What were the interactions with the public? What types of exchanges did you have?

    We had quite a few people from very different backgrounds who came by, including a representative of a Greek association and a journalist from Euractiv, for example. Many of them asked for information on social economy and information on how to join us.  

    Juan Antonio Pedreño maintains Social Economy Europe’s vision for the future of the sector in the continent, in Strasbourg.

    Photo credit: Social Economy Europe

    The social economy, the future of Europe: that was the name of this forum. What can we retain from this summit for the future of SSE?

    We can retain these key words: alliance, change of scale, major macroeconomic objectives. Our objective is indeed to move from 6.3% of employment in SSE in Europe (i.e. 13.6M jobs) to 10% (i.e. more than 22M jobs) in 2030 by the time of the action plan.

    ‘The Social Economy Action Plan is our window of opportunity to grow.’

    It is not about growing for the sake of growing, it is not about growing for the sake of more money, but it is about growing to create more quality jobs in Europe, to create more integration for disadvantaged groups and/or those at risk of social exclusion, to create more social, environmental and technological innovation and to be the major player in Europe in digital, green and fair transitions. To grow, we need to meet and get to know each other. We need to build more alliances on a European scale, starting from the local level. In this respect, we have a big window of opportunity on our table with the European Social Economy plan.

    Are you satisfied with this summit?

    We are very satisfied because there were 2000 people registered. There was a risk that it would be very Francophone, but I don’t think that was the case. I saw people from all over Europe: from Lithuania, Ukraine, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Ireland.

    You can also see that everything is in place to jump. This is the image of the trampoline. To jump, we need a lot of cooperation and alliances. The principle of the social economy is cooperation, but we can do much better in this area.

    What are the next steps for Social Economy Europe?

    The next steps are to keep growing. We have recently welcomed two new members, one from Ukraine and one from Poland. We are the voice of the 2.8M social economy organisations in Europe. We aim to represent not only European but also pan-European networks.

    We have 2 other key objectives that will happen soon. Before the summer, we want to write a policy paper on the implementation of the action plan with concrete proposals. Since 2014, we have made two proposals for an action plan. For example, we asked for the single platform on the social economy, which the European Commission accepted. But now we have to go further and say what exactly we want through this platform. The new policy paper will address this issue. In parallel, we are undertaking a strategic reflection process to consolidate the organisation.

    About the author

    Justine Coopman
    justine(at)socialgoodaccelerator.eu
    Public Affairs and Communication
    Lille, France
    La MedNum, “a singular structure” for digital inclusion

    La MedNum, “a singular structure” for digital inclusion

    by | 25 Mar 2022 | Communs & plaidoyer, Editorial, Interviews / Témoignages

    La MedNum, “a singular structure” for digital inclusion

    On March 15, 2022, Guilhem Pradalié, Managing Director of the MedNum, member of the Social Good Accelerator, granted us an interview during which he comes back on what the MedNum is, what are its projects, challenges and his role within the SOGA.

    Guilhem Pradalié
    (General Director of La MedNum)

    Can you tell us about your professional background?

    I have a background in economics and a master’s degree from Sciences Po Paris. I worked for ten years in the mutual insurance sector, at the Mutuelle générale de l’Éducation nationale (MGEN). I worked on various digital and innovation programmes, then in the group’s strategy department.

    I was then advisor to the President, in charge of economic and financial issues, strategy and digital commitments until September 2021. I joined La MedNum as Managing Director in October 2021. Attached to the issues of digital inclusion and mediation, I mobilise the teams of the cooperative to facilitate and amplify the virtuous action of MedNum’s members on all territories.

    What is MedNum?

    MedNum is a singular structure. Indeed, it is a cooperative (NDLR Société coopérative d’intérêt collectif, i.e. a SCIC) which gathers very diverse members, all actors of digital inclusion. It fulfills missions of representation and structuring of a sector while carrying out “project” and “consulting” activities around the industrialisation of digital inclusion solutions. We work with our members to create national projects. The objective is to help the sector to develop while carrying the voice of its actors.

    Who composes MedNum?

    The team is composed of about 15 people. We have recently reorganised our activities around 3 departments: a research and advocacy department, a project department which is transversal and a finance and member services department which should be created at the end of the first semester. Finally, the general management is responsible for the communication and cooperative life departments, which are essential for the good animation of our networks and the promotion of our members’ actions.

    But MedNum is composed of very diverse actors: more than 100 members, local authorities, the State, economic actors and other types of actors such as private individuals, actors of digital mediation who carry together, beyond the social issue, the values of the free, the common… In short, digital technology in the service of the general interest.

    Speaking of values, what are those of MedNum?

    First and foremost, we are attached to the common good and the general interest. This is reflected in the very form of our cooperative and in the way it operates. We intervene more broadly on all subjects by developing the idea of a responsible digital technology accessible to all (health, territories, education, reception of refugees, culture…). We are obviously very attached to the culture of the free internet and the commons, like many of our members.

    You implement these values in particular through the projects that you carry out. Which of these projects makes you the most proud?

    It’s hard to choose, because the projects are all important! But I would say, because of the current context of the war in Ukraine, that “refugiés.info” is the one that makes me most proud. The teams are personally committed to it, putting all their skills at its service. There is a big human investment in this project, which is currently the government’s official platform for connecting French people who want to help with accommodation with associations and people who express the need.

    What does the Réfugiés.info project consist of?

    In “normal” times, it is an information portal, contributory and open-source, co-developed with the Interministerial Delegation for the Reception and Integration of Refugees, which provides simple and translated information to refugees and their carers.

    This project helps refugees to find an initiative, a training adapted to their situation, to understand the administrative procedures or to consult the directory to find an association.

    This platform works like Wikipedia: everyone can contribute by writing or translating practical information.

    If you had to summarise the main challenges of MedNum today, what would they be?

    First of all, it would be to succeed in making the voice of our members heard during the various upcoming elections, presidential and legislative. We have big objectives around data projects this year, but also around the launch of a version 2 of the telephone platforms for help and support in everyday digital uses.

     
     

    The presidential elections are coming soon in France. You have published your proposals for the 2022 presidential election. What problem do you address and what solutions do you advocate? 

    In France, more than 14 million people are said to be in a situation of digital fragility, i.e. remote, unequipped and/or in great difficulty with the various uses of digital technology. This is the social justice issue to which we are responding.

    We recommend actions on 4 important themes for our members: education, employment and purchasing power, health and the environment.

    We especially insist on the need to create a real professional sector of digital mediation, by working for example on the stability of the financing of digital inclusion structures, to offer digital services accessible to all and everywhere and to promote a digital society of general interest, free, open, universal and collective.

    In terms of education, we propose to make digital education a priority in education, from primary to higher education, in order to train the enlightened citizens of tomorrow, and to equip, raise awareness and train professionals in education and social support. But also to affirm the complementarities between mediation and digital education while paying specific attention to particularly remote audiences.

    On the issues of employment and purchasing power, we are working to intensify efforts to train and support young people and jobseekers in digital technology; to make businesses a real place for learning about digital technology; to support small organisations in their digital transformation; and to make digital technology an accelerator of citizens’ purchasing power. We defend, for example, the implementation of a real “social internet tariff” for low-income households.

    Finally, in terms of health, La MedNum proposes to act as close as possible to people in fragile situations to guarantee them access to information and care, to reinforce the acculturation dynamic between digital mediation and the world of health and to create the conditions for user confidence in the use of digital health.

    Finally, what are your links and your expectations of the Social Good Accelerator?

    La MedNum has been a member of the Social Good Accelerator for two years. We are partners in the Social Tech Academy project, which explores the digital skills of the SSE to create an information portal, and members of the European Public Affairs working group.

    For many people, European issues still seem far away, but we are convinced that running projects of this scale is effective, both in terms of sharing good practice with our neighbours, and in stimulating interesting policy developments for the Social Economy sector and digital inclusion in particular.

    Being part of the Social Good Accelerator allows us to have a common environment to express our expectations and to pool the means to achieve them. This is a direct extension of the way we work with our members and is particularly in line with our values.

    About the author

    Justine Coopman
    justine(at)socialgoodaccelerator.eu
    Public Affairs and Communication
    Lille, France
    Open letter: the necessary digital transition of the social economy

    Open letter: the necessary digital transition of the social economy

    by | 10 Mar 2022 | Actualités de SOGA, Communs & plaidoyer, Editorial

    Open letter: Anchoring the social and solidarity economy in its digital future

    In February 2022, the Social Good Accelerator and its 70 members maintained its vision in its open letter. A better world can only be made with the full support of social economy, which also has to be digitalised. This is how the association defines the key role of the digital transition of social economy in solving social problems with full potential.

    G7 leaders
    In 2018, Jeanne Bretécher and Steven Bertal founded the Social Good Accelerator to gather the digital sector and social economy
    Source: Social Good Accelerator

    Our vision: to encourage technological innovation actors to develop and collaborate with social innovation actors in Europe

    Four years ago, the Social Good Accelerator (SOGA EU) association was born in France from a double observation: on the one hand, the digital transition of social economy organisations in Europe is left to one side by public policies and funders, and on the other hand, the digital models of social economy encounter too many obstacles to their development.

    Its 70 members wish to defend together the vision of a digital social economy (Social Tech) and European, centred on “digital commons”, sustainable and available to all, and to have social economy organisations recognised as actors of the technological transition.

    SOGA EU’s work aims to inform social economy actors and decision-makers of the innovative responses proposed to mitigate the digital divide, Uberisation, platform abuses and to promote equity for people who are far from employment, discriminated against in training and retraining.

    The challenges: towards a collaborative and responsible digital model for tomorrow’s economy  

    In the framework of the European Social Economy Action Plan, which SOGA has been working on, and especially the need for new ideas to emerge to build resilience for all, social economy necessarily has a role to play.

    However, as our study – ‘Cooperation between social utility and tech actors in Europe’ – has shown, most social economy organisations – whatever their status – encounter obstacles in their development similar to those of very small enterprises, with additional difficulties linked to their lack of profit, the financing of projects to the detriment of the structures, and the lack of sectoral organisation on these issues.

    To meet the challenges of today and tomorrow, SOGA believes that the digital transition can be an opportunity to finally scale up the European SSE, provided that it creates real alternatives and new economic, social and environmental opportunities. To activate this lever, SOGA is promoting and developing digital mediation, UX design and open data.

    Our actions: the urgent need to accelerate the digital transition of social economy for a new European horizon  

    To address the status quo in this area, the Social Good Accelerator managed to :

    • publish a European study on cooperation between social economy and Tech actors.
    • conducting advocacy at national and European level.
    • launch the first mapping of Social Tech in Europe and soon present the first European information and guidance platform with associated professions (with support from the European Erasmus+ fund).

    Presentation study 2020
    The Social Good Accelerator’s team presented its research work to the DG Grow, in Brussels, in January 2020
    Source: Social Good Accelerator

    Since 2018, the media, public policy and funders’ views have shifted towards :

    • an awareness in the social economy sector of its backwardness and difficulties in terms of digital transition – particularly highlighted by the health crisis.
    • a consideration of territorial needs in terms of digital mediation to preserve territorial equality and access to fundamental rights.
    • a need to correlate ecological and digital transition to decarbonise the economy.
    • the observation that some digital citizen responses were effective during the health crisis, as they remain.
    euses OECD conference
    The Social Economy Action Plan and its presentation were a watershed moment for the sector
    Source: European Commission

    Our proposals: give the social economy the tools for a successful digital transition

    Ensuring effective equal opportunities and rights to digital transformation 

    There is a latent lack of training for digital talent, including in the SSE. This is why the public authorities need to provide an impetus to promote support for the digital transformation of organisations that are both economic players and intermediaries for the most vulnerable populations. In this respect, the European action plan for the social economy includes a digital component. The recommendations contained therein give levers of action to the decision-making bodies to act in the direction of these two sectors. Both France and the European Union must set an example and promote ambitious policies to support this change in the general interest.

    Developing digital skills: digital citizenship and new jobs. 

    While almost 85% of the jobs that will be practised in 2030 probably do not yet exist, it seems essential to gradually train the active population for the transformations of the economy, which is becoming increasingly digital and social. 

    Together with three European partners, SOGA has devised a step-by-step training programme through the Social Tech Academy project. The idea here is to develop digital skills by pooling resources on existing training in these areas. The focus on a resource platform aims to enable the digital transformation of the EU, which has the ambition to train 80% of the Union’s population in basic digital skills by 2030.

    Unlocking funding for digital innovation in social economy organisations and the development of new models

    Through European actions and forward thinking, SOGA works to build bridges between local actions and European policies through a common collaboration framework. 

    Nevertheless, they require fiscal, normative and financial support and continuous mobilisation to promote alternative models. 

    In the meantime, SOGA wishes to further explore the potential for cooperation between social economy and digital actors in Europe. There are many possibilities to achieve cross innovation, i.e. social and sustainable digital innovation: setting up a European model of “social tech” clusters, promoting project collaborations between social economy and innovative SMEs, or an ambitious European development programme for open and free technologies and databases. We ask to facilitate access to funding for new models combining digital transition and social economy.

    SOGA team flags Lisbon
    In 2018, the pioneers of the Social Good Accelerator organised the Social Innovation Village in the Web Summit in Lisbon
    Source: Social Good Accelerator

    Cooperation and digital commons: continuation and upcoming events
    In the framework of the European Social Economy Action Plan, which SOGA has been working on, and especially the need for new ideas to emerge to build resilience for all, social economy necessarily has a role to play.

    Under the impulse of France, the Social Good Accelerator community, and more globally the social economy structures from all over Europe have the hope to see the issues of :

                                        • inclusive and equitable digital transformation in the territories
                                        • promotion of alternative cooperative models
                                        • digital skills development

    The importance of the sector in France favours its promotion. The benefits of this sustainable economic and social model must be developed by the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union in line with the Social Economy Action Plan, presented on 16 December 2021 by the European Commission. The time has come to anchor social economy in its 2.0 version for greater resilience and full inclusion of all publics.

    The Social Good Accelerator is counting on this momentum to continue to assert that the open data and the social and digital nature of the economy carry within them a European model in the making. As further evidence of the importance of a healthy public debate and the central role of epistemic communities like ours, see you in 2022 in Strasbourg on the occasion of the Conference on Social Economy, and for the European Social Good Week which will promote the digital social economy ecosystem between Paris, Lisbon and Brussels.

    About the author

    The Social Good Accelerator and its members
    jeanne(at)socialgoodaccelerator.eu