Under the Digital Appropriation Plan, the Digital Inclusion Coordination within the BRIC has allocated a budget of €200,000 to provide the 20 accredited Digital Public Spaces (DPS) in the Brussels Region with the IT equipment of their choice.
Tablets, iPads, webcams, but also backpacks, printers, Chromebooks, Braille keyboards, USB sticks and more appear on the non-exhaustive list of the computer hardware requirements of the region's twenty DPSs. All of these equipment requests were channelled through the Digital Inclusion Unit within the BRIC, which used the BRIC's e-catalogue (the platform for grouped online purchases of IT products and services) to respond to them. A budget of €10,000 has been set aside for each accredited DPS.
Remember that the Brussels Region's "Digital Public Space" label allows it to be recognised as a qualitative DPS working on the digital inclusion of the general public. This label is a guarantee of quality and recognition for DPSs that meet certain criteria: number of opening hours, number of training hours, presence of a qualified trainer, appropriate equipment.
At the time of writing this article, the Brussels-Capital Region has 20 accredited DPSs: the ARC DPS, the Riches Claires library DPS, the Bravvo DPS, the Mobile Digital Public Space, the Laeken library DPS, Wijkpartenariaat De Schakel, the 1030 DPS, the Bibliothèque communale francophone d'Ixelles, the Atelier du web-DPS of Saint Gilles, Scheut DPS, Open Atelier 110 in Anderlecht and Molenbeek, Study Kids Support non-profit organisation, Koekeltech (Koekelberg DPS), Ganshoren DPS, L'Entrela, the FQS (Forest-Quartier-Santé) DPS, Uccle DPS, Wolu Cyber Cité and finally Sapiens DPS.
You can find their contact details on digitalhelp.brussels
The accredited DPSs will soon receive the equipment they have chosen to enhance the introductory and computer training that they offer to Brussels inhabitants.
In the future, this benefit will also be granted to all new DPSs that have been accredited with the label. This is not only a way to increase the label's attractiveness but also to promote DPSs as front line contributors to combating the digital divide.
In addition to this IT equipment, the accredited DPSs will also shortly receive office equipment (notepads and pens), as well as sanitary equipment (masks and hand sanitiser) so that they can continue to welcome the public in complete safety.
Want to know more about the label or more broadly all the actions taken by the Digital Inclusion Coordination within the BRIC? Please contact Tania Maamary at inclusion@cirb.brussels.
