Statement of Need: / Technology has provided opportunities for citizen engagement that is more isolated, less face to face, with less opportunity for connection with family and the community.
Strategy: / Provide an incentive through a community challenge, for individuals to disconnect from technology for a short period of time, and reconnect with family, friends and their community.
Rationale: / The penetration of work uses of information technology into the home leads to an access dilemma. “I want instant access to you but I want to minimize your access to me.” This strategy increasingly leads to the use of home as an environment in which interruptions can be carefully managed, even between family members. Note the tone in this comment, “I get stressed when David doesn’t have his (cell) phone on. You know, we have them for a reason, and I’ll be trying to call him and I find out that he has the damn thing turned off.” Often even non-use of devices is carefully managed—by turning off the phone, avoiding using cell phones in the car, or checking for E-mail or voicemail at only certain hours.
Changes in work relations and management styles have also altered the way families talk about themselves. Families increasingly view themselves as management problems to be solved, just as they would be at work, with technology. Pagers, cell phones and answering machines, and now palm pilots, are used in tandem to coordinate complex household schedules. Work, school 4 and recreational activities demand transportation, sequencing and division of labor. One software engineer, turned at-home mom, remarked that she was now prepared to go into project management after a few years of managing two small children and an occasionally telecommuting spouse. She had each day carefully orchestrated. She had her days at the cooperative day care center in which she coordinated the daily treats and food lessons with diverse other mothers using databases of recipes. Armed with databases of parenting articles, she acted as informal expert among her peers. Christena Nippert-Eng noted in her book on Home and Work, that people used their calenders as a way of marking the home/work domains. My interviewees now talk of using their upgraded palm pilots to fully integrate home/work divisions of labor—beaming their spousal schedules to each other. The perceived safety net of technology also allows planning to become ever more “just-in-time.” Message machines and pagers allow plans to be created, shifted and coordinated in the space of a single afternoon. (Technology and Social Change - The Effects on Family and the Community - Dr. J.A. English-Lueck, COSSA Congressional Seminar
June 19, 1998)
An example of a specifically social impact would be the way in which home electronic entertainment devices -- apart from the energy they consume or the content of their programming -- draw people indoors and alone, and thus away from social and civic engagement. U.S. political sociologist Robert Putnam has, for instance, argued that television watching is the single most important factor in explaining the historic decline in civic and political participation in the United States. (E.g., Robert D. Putnam, "The Strange Disappearance of Civic America," The American Prospect, no. 24 (Winter 1996), pp. 34-50.)
By disconnecting from technology, more time is available to enjoy quality experiences with family and friends which has the potential to strengthen relationships and increase engagement in meaningful activities.
Goals: /
- Individuals commit to doing without technology for a period of time and will participate in interactions with their family or friends, or participate in activities within their community.
Inputs: /
- Advertising - Common media campaign
- Mechanism for residents to log time away from technology.
- Information on possible activities.
- Information on the benefits of disconnecting.
- Prizes
- Website survey
- Community (FCSS program) participation
Activities: /
- Work with region on development of common marketing tools to utilize.
- Utilize community competitions such as with local school participation and/or use of prizes selected through random draw.
- Advertise in local newspapers.
- Collection information on number of hours residents unplug.
- Send information into regional collaborative for regional results.
- Present prizes to the draw winners (if applicable).
- Follow up with media. (Media release)
Outputs: /
- Number of communities participating with regional initiative.
- Number of schools participating Family Day Unplugged.
- Number of advertising opportunities utilized.
- Number of hours residents unplug.
- Number of prizes distributed.
Alignment to Social Policy Framework Outcomes: / Active & Engaged: Residents participating will have had opportunity to participate in recreational activities and cultural experiences, and to engage in Albertan society.
FCSS Over-Arching Goal: / S.D.2: Family Day Unplugged helps people develop an awareness of a social need;
S.D.3: Family Day Unplugged helps people develop interpersonal and group skills which enhance constructive relationships among people;
S.D.5: Family Day Unplugged provides supports that help sustain people as active participants in the community.
Community or Local FCSS Program Strategic Directions:
Other Funder Priorities:
Expected Short Term Outcomes: /
- Due to participation in Family Day Unplugged, residents experienceincreased connection to their community.
- Due to participation in Family Day Unplugged, residents experience improved social well-being.
- Due to participation in Family Day Unplugged, residents have increased awareness of social issues.
Indicators of Success: /
- Percentage of ballot submissions that indicated that they feel more connected to family, friends and/or community after participating in Family Day Unplugged.
- Percentage of ballot submissions that indicated that they enjoyed being “unplugged”.
- Percentage of ballot submissions that indicated that Family Day Unplugged helped to increase their understanding of why “unplugging” is important.
Expected Mid Term Outcomes: /
- Increase connection to family, friends and community.
- Increased desire to have face-to-face connections with family, friends and community.
- Increased understanding of need for balance with connection through technology and one-on-one connection with people.
Indicators of Success: / N/A
Expected Long Term Outcomes: / Residents are active participants in Family and Community life.
Indicators of Success: / N/A
Volunteers and Hours:
Stories:
Budget
RevenueFCSS Provincial 80% Funding / $
Municipal 20% (or greater) Funding
Other:
Total Revenue / $
Expenses
Advertising
Printing
Prizes
Supplies
Fee for Service
Other:
Other:
Other:
Total Expenses
1 / Family Day Unplugged – Logic Model