Reconstructed Living Lab (RLabs)

1.Objective

The Reconstructed Living Lab (RLabs) aims through the creation, dissemination and application of knowledge to increase the empowerment, upliftment and development of individuals and communities, including parts of it that are, in or headed for tension. They aim to do this through the use of innovative solutions. TheReconstructed Living Lab (RLabs) is an example of a bottom up approach to locally appropriate social innovation.

2.RLabs Overview and Activities

Reconstructed Living Lab (RLabs), a registered Non-profit organisation, offers the local community an opportunity to enhance their skills through the use of various technology programmes specially developed to support the needs of the citizens. The RLabs “main hub” is in Athlone, Cape Town but operates with partners in Atlantis, Khayelitsha, MitchellsPlain and Stellenbosch.

The Reconstructed

The Reconstructed has been designed for ex-drug addicts, ex-gangsters and unemployedwho received ongoing technology training and mentoring.

Reconstructed Class 2007 Lab activities at CPUT

Graduation day 2008 Graduation Day 2009

One of the highlights for the Reconstructed Team was receiving the 2009 South African blog awards runners up.

Mom 2.0

Mom2.0 café sessions were hosted for women from the community who were housewives, unemployed, been through divorce and abuse and have stories of hope to share with other women using Social and new Media.

Mom2.O Café sessionMom2.O Young women Session

Another initiative that emerged from the Mom 2.0 project is a Social Media programme for young girls who come from broken and dysfunctional homes, orphanages andabusive backgrounds.

Mom2.0 Graduation held at the HotelSchool in GrangerBay

Social Media for Teens

Target group is aged 13 – 18 years old and the teens are introduced to the use of Social Media as part of a Life Coaching programme that covers various topics from identity, mentorship, education, healthcare, wellbeing and family.

Teens group 2009 Social Media for teen’s session

Seniors Mobile Sessions (SMS)

The Seniors Mobile Sessions are hosted by RLabs every Monday to teach senior citizens how they maximise the use of their mobile phones. The idea is to address the concern of Digital Divide between youth and the elderly in the community but also to open mobile channels of communication for the aged.

A SMS session

Social Media Surgery

Social Media Surgery Social Media Surgeon addressing crowds

The Social Media Surgery (first in Africa) is where the RLabs team (Social Media Surgeons) setup in a public space and allow any member of the public to receive Social Media related help and support by the team. This initiative is managed by men and women who previously disempowered their community through drugs and violence, and are now giving back and empowering citizens through the skills they’ve acquire via RLabs.

Social Media Factory

Social Media Factory is an initiative to create opportunities for unemployed community members to be skilled in Social Media and Mobile Technology and to use those skills to generate an income to sustain their daily lives. We provide Social Media and Research services to businesses, organisations, institutions and government departments using our large Community skill-base under the supervision of our Social Media experts and experienced users. The Social Media Factory therefore matches Skilled Community members with specific Social media strategies/activities or research opportunities. The Social Media Factory has provided Social Media services to a number of businesses, organisations and was recently the Social Media partner for the Innovation Fair hosted by the World Bank.

RLabsCommunityInnovationAcademy and Innovation Incubator

RLabs recently also launch its Community Innovation Academy (CIA) where workshops, training, resources and mentorship are made available for citizens to engage with innovative ideas and technologies that will have a social impact and create employment. The ideas that are birthed in the CIAare then nurtured in theInnovation Incubator where it is developed to be scalable and sustainable and then taken to market.

Through innovation communities can address fundamental issues such as health, education, etc. to enhance economic growth and improve the quality of life. RLabs is a testament to a bottom-up approach to social innovation. Through the above initiatives more than 140,000 community members were supported using mobile phones as a counselling mediumand RLabs gave birth to its first global product JamiiX (“Social Exchange”) that is now being commercialised by a Community Tech Startup Company where local community though an official entity have shareholding in the company. Other technology start-ups include She’s The Geek (Won Best South African Blog for Science and Technology in 2010) andUusi – Empowerment via Mobile Phone (Research Paper presented at International Conference during 2010).

3.Achieved Outcomes and Outputs

Outcomes

  • Established sustainable Social Media and technology training for community members managed by its own members.
  • Developed RLabs Social Franchise model to replicate in other areas.
  • Created employment opportunities for community members.
  • Develop non-profits in the use of Social and New Media.
  • Established partnerships with local and international universities, companies and non-profits.
  • Developed partnerships with US Embassy, Finish Foreign Ministry, Department of Social Development (Western Cape) and Department of Science and Technology (SA).

Outputs

  • The Reconstructed, Mom 2.0, Mom 3.0, Social Media Teens and Senior Mobile Sessions are community driven social media and training programmes (Four graduations the last 4 years).
  • RLabs have trained over 500 Community members since 2008 and currently employs 12 full-time workers all from the local community. Most of the members had no formal education or computer skills prior to joining RLabs.
  • Social Media Factory providing employment opportunities to approximately 8 full-time and 30 part-time community members.
  • Established 5 Community start-up companies with its first Global product being launched June 2010.
  • Published research papers and a book chapter on Innovation.
  • Developed and assisted 23 non-profits in Social and New Media activities and strategies in three provinces.

4.RLabs Expansion

RLabs have rolled out its first Social Franchise (Model, support, branding, network etc.) in Porto, Portugal with a local franchise (RLabs Khayalitsha) starting end October 2010. Future plans for RLabs are to roll it out as a Social Franchise with partners already set to establish RLabs Eastern Cape (end 2010), RLabs Southeast Asia (end 2010), RLabs Kenya (early 2011), RLabs Jozi(early 2011), RLabs Netherlands (early 2011), RLabs Brazil (end 2011) and RLabs Namibia (late 2011).

Vision:

To impact, empower and reconstruct local and global communities through innovation

Mission:

  • To create an interaction space for collaborative design, creation, dissemination and application of knowledge
  • To develop and empower champions in communities through innovation
  • To give hope and make a difference
  • To be leaders in innovation continuously adding value

“Reconstructing Communities Through Innovation”

Contact Details:

Name:Reconstructed Living Lab - RLabs (Section 21: 2009/024318/08)

Address:RLabs, 66 Tarentaal Road, Bridgetown, Athlone, 7764

Tel: +27 21 6991453

Fax: 0862113079

Email:

Web:

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