Which digital for which society ?

Contact at municipal administration : 

• Mr Antoine Ingold, 8th deputy mayor in charge of citizen participation and digital development 
• Mrs. Sophie Quief, in charge of university education and student life for the City of Fontainebleau

🤝 This meeting was an opportunity for some of the Socio-political Studies on Globalization and Socio-environmental Transformation Masters 2nd year students (Coline, Kenza, Maryse, Clélie, Réda, Clément, Dylan, Lucie, Maddy and Victor) to present to the UPEC Vice President in charge of digital technologies nineteen proposals from the 2022 Student Citizens Assembly intitled "What digital for what society?". Above all, the students wondered how the municipal authorities could help implement these proposals. To this end, they began by formulating their expectations to Mr. Antoine Ingold and Mrs. Sophie Quief, dividing the proposals into three themes echoing the interests and ambitions of the city of Fontainebleau: digital & inclusion, digital & environment and digital & citizenship. This was followed by a time for discussion, during which Mr. Ingold and Mrs. Quief expressed the municipality's opinion on the various proposals presented, and added contextual elements where necessary.

💡 Student Proposals

Proposals presented under the theme “Flagship Proposals”: 

1. Creation of a Digital and Solidarity Mediation Centre 
2. Organization of a Hand-e-day event

The first proposal stems from an observation: digital technology is of vital importance in student life. However, we note with regret that almost 1.5% of students (30,000/2 million) don't have a computer (according to the Association des vice-présidents numériques de l'enseignement supérieur). In addition, 10 to 25% of students do not have the stable connection they need to study (according to the student union UNEF). There is a real lack of facilities to help these students in precarious situations. The creation of this center implies the creation of a student association within it, the development of surveys to measure the digital needs of students, and the collection and distribution of digital tools. The mayor's office can help set up this center by signing a partnership agreement and providing support for communication.

The second proposal concerns an awareness-raising day on disability in relation to digital technology, notably through conferences, meetings and workshops. We are asking for the Town Hall's help in setting up this Hand-e-day with the Centre Communal d'Action Sociale, particularly as the CCAS has already organized days on this theme, such as " Disability and sport " and " Disability and heritage".

Proposals presented under the "digital & environment" theme:

1. Initiate a local debate on 5G
2. Ensuring the well-considered digitization of public services

As a reminder, 5G has been deployed in France since 2020. Although the mayor cannot oppose the installation of 5G on his territory (CE, Ass., October 26, 2011, commune de Saint Denis, n°326492 & CE, January 30, 2012, Société Orange France, n° 344992), he can erect safety perimeters and refuse the installation of relay antennas around certain communal buildings for aesthetic reasons or by demonstrating risks of disturbance to health (Code de l'urbanisme and Code général des collectivités territoriales). We invite the town hall to help us identify a participatory democracy format, create conditions for "informed" debate, and support logistics and communication.

Ensuring a well-considered digitization of public services involves incorporating low-tech (closing government pages at night, using low-energy, decarbonized software) and re-establishing physical cells for certain administrative procedures. The municipal authorities could help carry out an audit of the use of the city's digital services, with the assistance of the technical department, and draw up a digital environmental footprint report.

Proposals presented under the "digital citizenship" theme:

1. Training in digital citizenship and tackling disinformation
2. Organization of a Municipal Youth Council
3. Create a "Youth" tab on the City of Fontainebleau application

First and foremost, digital citizenship is an issue for the present and the future. The Council of Europe defines digital citizenship as the ability of people to "use digital tools to create, consume, communicate and engage positively and responsibly with others". As a reminder, the proportion of time spent in front of our screens is increasing, as is our digital consumption. Digital technology has become an essential tool for organizing our societies, but it remains poorly mastered, particularly by young people. We therefore need to think about digital citizenship within the bellifontaine territory, in order to combat disinformation as effectively as possible! Given the rapid flow of information in today's society, combating disinformation is a major challenge. We'd like to ensure that appropriate training is in place to combat the proliferation of fake news and cyber-bullying. We also advocate the idea and benefits of information labeling.

Secondly, the organization of a Municipal Youth Council in Fontainebleau would consist in setting up an exchange between elected municipal officials and the MYC within the framework of a sharing of experience and practices, through discussions on the functioning of a classic MYC, a sharing of practices on the difficulties linked to the organization of such a project and an analysis of the dysfunctions of the former Youth Council for under-18s. We would like Fontainebleau municipal authorities to support this project in order to help young people from the area to create a network and meet other young people from the same territory, starting with a survey of young Bellifontains to find out their interest in this project.

Finally, the creation of a "Youth" tab on the town's application could enable users of the application to submit projects, proposals or complaints to the Municipal Youth Council (presented above) in the form of a forum, and provide "one-click" access to a dematerialized version of the welcome booklet and other essential documents.

💬 Municipality's representatives' response and discussion with students

Mr Antoine Ingold and Mrs Sophie Quief first congratulated the students on their presentation. They then commented on the presentation, reacting to each proposal put forward.

Creation of a "Médiation Numérique et Solidaire" center? 

Mr. Antoine Ingold and Mrs. Sophie Quief began by questioning how students should approach the project, as it could not be set up by the city council and aimed solely at students from the Political Studies Institute. They then presented a number of ideas for consideration:

• Which stakeholders can help create this MNS center (digital & social networking)?
• A Fab Lab(1) exists in Barbizon, and it is entirely possible to collaborate with this establishment. A Fab Lab is due to open in Fontainebleau in the near future, and could take on the task of training students in the repair and reconditioning of digital tools.
• In addition to the CCAS, health students may be included in a disability awareness program. In October, an IUT association organized an awareness-raising campaign on visual impairment. Fontainebleau's associative network could join the event, as could the (W)HEALTH association (an IEP student association whose aim is to highlight chronic or degenerative diseases that affect millions of people on a daily basis).
• This center could be associated with Avon's Repair Café(2).
• The new IEP campus could host a "student life" facility.
• Organization of an "Awareness Day on digital fracture" open to all.
• The town hall is already working on making its website accessible to people with disabilities (inclusivity).
• Regarding the involvement of the municipal authorities in the collection of computer equipment: is the operation targeted at the needs of students? what logistical organization is required for the collection? mobilization of actors to become relays (associative networks have contacts and communication levers) / securing with closed spaces: secure cupboard on campus/ Does it address a wider public? 
• Maisons des associations (associations houses) could perhaps store secure cabinets: sign a partnership agreement: request storage space // Be careful about logistical leeway.

On the Initiation of a local debate on 5G

Mr. Ingold wondered about the nature of the debate: What would be the opening question? What is expected of the debate?

• Low-tech and digital sobriety are directly linked to "Fontainebleau in transition". To facilitate this transition, we need to integrate the 5G dimension into the debate, and take a more global approach to the various levers that can help us move towards digital sobriety. We need to "raise awareness of digital sobriety", to be linked with another event, like the one mentioned earlier (in particular, we need to find a moment for debate to enable the various participants to express themselves, either through a debate or a forum theater).

Ensuring that the digitization of public services is carefully considered and tailored to the needs of the population. 

• Fontainebleau's municipal administration has already acknowledged the environmental and ecological implications of digital technology.
• Eventually, it will be necessary to carry out an evaluation of Fontainebleau municipality's digital services' environmental footprint.
• Biomass could be used to heat municipal premises, and the town hall could get in touch with Aude Vurcke (Vice-President of Smile For Futur, an association that supports companies in their eco-responsible transition: awareness-raising, audits, advice and communication, Bilan Carbone®, Low-Carbon Transformation Plan, Responsible Digitization).

Promoting digital citizenship and preventing disinformation 

• Include youth services.
• We need to identify the right audience and the right approach.
• Forum Theater playlets could be a valuable medium to raise young people's, parents' and seniors' awareness of the use of digital tools.

Organization of a Municipal Youth Council 

• Proposal to set up a student committee (open to all): The MYC could take the form of a committee.
• Youth coordinator => set up tools (18-25 young people's association) for dialogue with other young people. However, we need to take into account the fact that associations already exist, so we have to include them in a reflection that involves young people.
• Use Decidim to create a hybrid assembly to develop citizenship and anchor the city's policy at local level: pool the municipality's youth-related platforms on a single application (Decidim?). This could be a joint project between the Political Studies Institute (IEP) and the municipality: but the whole thing requires reflection and arbitration with regard to youth policy.
• What representativeness? (See examples from elsewhere).
• Set up a committee structure for young students and non-students alike.

❗️ In conclusion, it was stated that the priorities are as follows:

• Digital awareness week (November?). This event could be called "Digital Week in Fontainebleau".
• We need to make progress on the inventory of the municipality's carbon footprint (who? when?).
• Co-construct the IEP x Fontainebleau city hall web page.
• Fab Lab & construction of an MNS hub (digital & social networking hub).
• Ensure that the various campuses in Fontainebleau use the Eduroam WIFI network (the town offers free WIFI points): Should this offer be extended as part of "Fontainebleau Campus'"?)

(1) A fablab (contraction of fabrication laboratory) is a third-place makerspace framed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and FabFoundation by proposing a minimal inventory allowing the creation of the main projects fab labs, a set of free and open-source software and solutions, the Fab Modules, and a governance charter, the Fab Charter.

(2) A workshop dedicated to repairing objects, organized at local level in the form of a "tiers-lieu" (third place), between people who live or frequent the same place.

Written by Victor Pires Henriques

Translated by Dylan Breviere