Community Councils STA Hosted Solution
This week I thought that I would offer my insight into some of the work being carried out behind the scenes here at the Scottish Tech Army and highlight the contribution our community of volunteers continues to make.
So who am I? Well I’m Joe, a Geography graduate who has found himself working with the STA for almost a year now (wow does the time not fly?).
For me in my role here at the STA this process has presented itself with its challenges but also opportunities to learn and put theory into practice. A great example of this is the work that we have been doing with the Improvement Service to develop an easy to manage web site service to support Community Councils. Having come from a background not remotely related to technology, I feel I have been well placed to put myself in the shoes of volunteers from Community Councils across Scotland. Having the pleasure to speak to people from all over the country and discuss their own problems and passions behind the project has been a very rewarding experience and we can all declare ‘I’m not technical’.
I enjoy the connection between those who dedicate their time volunteering for the STA and those who work within their local communities. Different approaches are used, yes, but the intention to help those and make a tangible difference is the same.
Driven to learn more and make an impact, teams of volunteers build or configure useful solutions to solve complex problems, the work carried out by our community of tech enthusiasts pro bono is something that should not be understated. While every project delivers value to the organisations that we support, there is something to be said for creating a solution once and then scaling this up to be used again and again. What is that famous saying, “work smarter not harder”?
This has encapsulated the STA’s approach to our Community Council Website Solution, with the aspiration to roll out and develop our idea across a wide variety of communities across Scotland.
During the height of the pandemic many local authorities were suddenly forced to lean on the technology systems they had. This accelerated the use of systems like Teams and in many areas exposed the lack of access to information online for the community with many Community Council meetings in person with no online presence.
Our subsequent analysis also highlighted that a number of websites associated with Scotland’s Councils had become outdated, not fit for purpose, or relying on third party media such as Facebook (we all know the desire to move away from third party applications).
It was against this backdrop then, that we tasked ourselves with the challenge of finding a solution that would work at the heart of the community.
One such consideration was that those representing the Councils were themselves volunteers and often without formal IT training. Seeking to be at the forefront of new open technology and practices, our team is always on the lookout for the next software tool appropriate for the job. Step forward our Head of Applications Michael Von Euw.
The template recommended by Michael uses a similar style to those widely implemented in the market. Listening to members from Community Councils highlighted the need for the ability to update content such as meeting minutes, links to local services and latest news. We hope that by making it easy to manage the web site we can improve the confidence and skills of Community Councillors as they populate their own site, update pages without relying on a single individual who may even be outside the local community.
A nice feature is that Community Councils based in the same local authority can choose to design their websites with a familiar theme highlighting their region without a loss of a personal touch. For all Community Councils, whatever their size, it is important to have a place where people can go for information relevant to them.
We are still learning and improving what we do and continue to work towards being able to offer a super simple solution.
Our ongoing challenge will be to deliver more live sites that we hope will be a valuable asset to the community groups that use them. We are also looking to expand our reach to areas across Scotland, including areas like the Highlands and Islands - as with other rural places not to be forgotten.
During this process I have learned that communication is key when it comes to delivering a project solution effectively. Whether it be consulting with our team of dedicated volunteers, working with Michael to iron out any technical difficulties or listening to Community Council members themselves. The one consistent theme is that ideas are shared and developed by working alongside each other and I hope to take this lesson forward with me in all the future work I continue to do.
Joe Cross
