The Tenerife Island Council and the University of La Laguna have launched the Digital Transformation Observatory. This initiative, part of the Tenerife Isla Solidaria program, will bring together best practice resources for use by volunteer organizations on the island.
During the signing of the agreement, which took place at the end of January, the following officials were present: the Minister of Social Action, Águeda Fumero; the Minister of Innovation, Research and Development, Juan José Martínez; and the Rector of the University of La Laguna (ULL), Francisco García. The observatory will be developed through the Island Society for the Promotion of People with Disabilities (Sinpromi), the Institute of Technology and Renewable Energies (ITER), and the General Foundation of the University of La Laguna. Also present at the event were the CEOs of Sinpromi and ITER, Adal García and Begoña Ortiz, respectively.
Águeda Fumero explained that “Sinpromi carries out the volunteer service on the island of Tenerife as part of the Tenerife Isla Solidaria program, with the aim of promoting, strengthening, and raising awareness about volunteering on the island and the network of associations. The program has six strategic pillars, one of which is Digital Transformation. This project, entitled 'Digital Transformation: An Opportunity for Social Development, Sustainability, Resilience, and Networking for Volunteer Organizations on the Island of Tenerife,' aims to promote the digital transformation of these organizations and volunteer work.‘.
“Among the actions of the Digital Transformation project, the creation of the Digital Transformation Observatory stands out. This resource will be available to all volunteer organizations. Sinpromi will contribute €25,000 to its development, and ITER and the University of La Laguna will collaborate on its implementation,” Fumero stated.
The rector of the University of La Laguna, Francisco García, indicated that the academic institution and its General Foundation will provide the research team that will develop the activities and will provide the computer equipment and the necessary software for the processing and analysis of the information obtained.
For his part, Juan José Martínez noted that “ITER has been heavily involved in collaborative projects with Sinpromi on the use of Information and Communication Technologies to improve the quality of life in society, with the aim of generating a multiplier effect on Sinpromi's support and assistance work with different groups of people with special needs or at risk of social exclusion. In this regard, we developed a pilot project to create technological tools to support Third Sector organizations, called the 'Online Volunteering Program,' which has continued over time to plan and design the Digital Transformation of Volunteering program for the island of Tenerife. This agreement establishes synergies between Sinpromi, ITER, and the University of La Laguna to bring technology closer to volunteer organizations so they can adapt to the changing times.‘.
Press release and photograph provided.
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