Organizer: Fundación Cibervoluntarios (Foundation Cibervolunteers).

Collaborative institution: Ramon Molinas Foundation.

Implementation schedule: 01/01/2013 – 31/12/2013.

Integra en red, 40 activities to promote the utilization of the TICs among the collectives with functional diversity and dependence

The Ramon Molinas Foundation and the Fundación Cibervoluntatios are cooperating along all 2013 so as to promote the usage of the new technologies among those people with functional diversity and dependence. The program consists in carrying out a set of training actions with the aim of using technological tools such as the Internet or mobile phones as a mean to improve the quality of life of these collectives. Through 40 different activities, Integra en red will enable to palliate the sociodigital exclusion.

At the program, in force during all 2013, there are courses and workshops about social networks, security on the Internet, management tools, or about how to perform videoconferences. The project intends to reach 250 people from 8 different regions, and is meant to people with functional diversity, dependant people over 55 years old, relatives of dependants, and personnel of associations linked to the world of dependence.

Integra en red adapts and brings to these collectives all the technology according to their social, labor, educative, communicative or citizen participation needs, with the aim of enlarging their capacities and opportunities within their environment.

The Fundación Cibervoluntarios, an entity that promotes social integration through the TICs

The Fundación Cibervoluntarios is an entity formed by social entrepreneurs who promote the use and knowledge of the new information and communication technologies as a mean to palliate the sociodigital exclusion. The entity works to increase the rights, the opportunities, and the capacities that each person has within their environment thanks to the usage of technology tools and applications.

With more than 12 years of history, the Fundación Cibervoluntarios received recognition for the ‘creation of new ways of social participation and innovation in supporting the collectives at risk of social exclusion’ from the Princes of Asturias, and the economic and social recognition from google.org, the first one the company granted in Spain.

The Fundación Cibervoluntarios has more than 1,500 volunteers in all Spain. They are proactive people, enthusiastic with communication and information technologies, and who selflessly disclose the possibilities of these networks in a useful, efficient, and simple way through courses, workshops, or events.

The social integration through the usage of the new technologies

The number of people living in Spain who suffer from some disability totals 3,478,395, according to the Ministerio de Sanidad, Servicios Sociales e Igualdad (Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality). From these, 2.3 million are women and 1.55 men. Part of the social integration and improvement of the living conditions of these collectives currently happens due to the exploitation of the possibilities that the communication and information technologies provide.

A research on ‘the possibilities of the TICs in the struggle for the social integration in Spain’, unveiled that these technologies are a big mediation factor to avoid social exclusion. Besides, the investigation claimed that through different interventional tools, the TICs help to integrate in the relational, labor, personal and leisure fields. However, these technologies must adapt according to the needs of each collective to demonstrate its effectiveness.

Integra en red, a success

Integra en red, the project from the Fundación Cibervoluntarios and the Ramon Molinas Foundation has managed to form 321 people in the usage of new technologies.

The project, in which 67 volunteers have participated, has achieved the number of 43 fulfilled activities. ‘Basic use of the Internet’, ‘Management tools’, ‘E-mails’, ‘Social networks’, ‘Digital photography and social networking images’, ‘Making of videos and social networks’, ‘Making of blogs’, ‘Videoconferences’, ‘Leisure on the network’, ‘Simple mobile’, ‘Smartphone’, or ‘Security on the Internet’, were some of the courses and workshops given.

With respect to the beneficiary entities of the program, they were 20. Among others, these were favoured: the Federation of Associations of Mental Health (FEAFES), from Galicia and Valladolid, the Association for the Mentally Ill (APEM), from La Coruña, the Asociación de Axuda ao Enfermo Psíquico from Vigo, the Patient and Family Association of Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome from Salamanca, the Associació Mallorquina per la Salut Mental, the Down Syndrome Association Granada (Granadown), or the Fundació Catalana per a la Paràlisi Cerebral de Barcelona.

Links of interest:

Fundación Cibervoluntarios website.