After TechCare, which had recently shown " how digital technology had enabled social workers to maintain internal activity, disseminate information to the public, and accompany them remotely," the Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Pays Picards federations of social centers in turn drew up an assessment of the role of social centers in Hauts de France during the period of confinement. review of the role of social centers in Hauts de France during the period of confinement.
In Hauts de France, " from the first days of the lockdown, social centers, despite the closure to the public, and without masking the vulnerabilities caused by this health crisis, have maintained for 90% of them the link to the inhabitants, especially with the most vulnerable. They were able to use digital technology to develop local solidarity.
Materials for under-equipped families
In the Lille metropolitan area, the "connected social centers" and the Emmaus Connect association have undertaken to identify under-equipped families (650 families), collect equipment and organize donations to families.The social centers liaised with the 170 targeted families and distributed 38 smartphones, 10 phones, 12 tablets, 106 computers and 57 emergency internet connections for the first wave.
For seniors in social and digital isolation, the federations, with the support of the CARSAT, have made a group purchase of 470 facilotab tablets (adapted to seniors), to distribute them on loan or as a gift to seniors identified as being in a fragile situation, and to accompany them at home in their digital use.
At the same time, online training sessions were organized for the employees and volunteers of the social centers concerned to help seniors learn how to use the tablets.
Permanence of a close link with the inhabitants
"The first concern of the centers was to maintain or re-establish the link with their members. The reception function, essential in social centers but impossible under the usual conditions during the confinement, had to be quickly transformed. Initiatives were quick and numerous to maintain physical offices when possible and to make the most of digital tools to ensure a presence and support for residents."The first step was, for many, to activate the membership file in order to make extensive contact with the inhabitants. This revealed the importance of having up-to-date digital files and put some centers in difficulty, as they first had to complete their information.The opening of offices by appointment has made it possible to provide very concrete services to the inhabitants, such as printing certificates of exemption or documents needed by parents for home schooling.
As part of the "Mon Centre Social à la Maison" operation, launched at the beginning of the lockdown, the centers that offered services were listed on the digital platform. The social networks were strongly mobilized by the social centers' teams to maintain links with the inhabitants.
A reinforced "outreach" in the home and in the public spaceIn response to the isolation induced by confinement, the social centers have set up actions to continue to reach out to residents, both at home and in the public space, with the objective of digital inclusion.
Support to the initiatives of the inhabitants, in the actions and the piloting of the social projectDigital technology enabled the social centers during the confinement to support the self-organization of solidarity projects by the inhabitants, but also the continuity of the support to initiatives initiated before the confinement.
"In terms of democratic governance, few social centers had until now taken the step of conducting remote meetings and animating governance bodies with digital tools. The confinement and health restrictions at the time of deconfinement forced the centers to imagine other ways of meeting and exchanging, particularly to ensure the decision-making and operational continuity of the steering." A function of territorial animator for the social and economic actors"Some social centers have played the role of territorial facilitator, "mailleur" to support social, educational and economic actors in the digital transition. First of all, with other social centers, such as "my social center at home". More broadly, with the various actors in the territory, associations, entrepreneurs, social workers.3D printers to support solidarity actions
Faced with the lack of sanitary protection, the social centers have invested in the manufacture of masks (more than half of the network) by crossing old knowledge in sewing with new knowledge in the field of digital technology to share the "patterns" and organize themselves collectively. Then in the manufacture of visors, thanks to 3D printers.Strengthened links between family, school and neighbourhood
The social centers have mobilized digital tools to create spaces for exchange and maintain crucial links for parents.Parent groups have flourished on social networks (..). They "helped them realize that they were 'not alone in the difficulties' of confinement and having to take on multiple roles.
"The proposal of parent-child activities by the social centers, via videos or online messaging, was often acclaimed by families who were able to maintain or strengthen intra-family ties.The digital territory, a new space of proximity with young people
"The main challenge for youth workers and referents at the beginning of the confinement was to keep the link with young people": setting up a digital "marauding" service two or three times a week for two or three hours a day, weekly meetings using the Plato application to organize group board games via digital technology.Thesocial centers have had to reinvent very quickly their methods of supporting the most vulnerable people who are farthest from employment .The social center Projet in Lille (North of France) proposed every week regular meetings in videoconference (...) The social center Community in Arques (Pas-de-Calais) worked to occupy the digital space daily: setting up debates, playful challenges, animation time or sports session in videoconference...
Socio-cultural, educational and leisure activities "onlineLaunched three days after the beginning of the lockdown by the teams of the Centres Sociaux Connectés of the Lille Metropolis, the "Mon center social à la Maison" program has enabled residents to maintain links, enrich themselves and learn new things.
- Educational and leisure resources renewed daily: more than 50 sites or online resources have been proposed.
- Video tutorials to promote digital literacy: in order to promote literacy among residents, a dozen tutorials related to issues identified in the context of the containment were offered such as Skype to maintain social ties with residents, "My Magic Fridge" to discover easy and inexpensive recipes.
- Daily animations on social networks: More than 60 interactive activities published on the platform and social networks.
Teachings
- "The first observation is that the network was not at the same point at the start: lack of computer equipment in the social center teams, no culture of remote work, territories where digital practice had been established, often in connection with the "connected social centers" approach, and others where practice had yet to emerge..."
- "The second observation concerns the reappearance of a problem that seemed to have been more or less resolved: that of families' access to adapted facilities.
- "The "connected social centers" experiments conducted since 2017 in the Nord Pas de Calais and 2019 in the Countries have played an essential resource function to accelerate the acculturation to digital for residents, employees, volunteers of social centers, and educational, social, economic partners of the territory."
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