Abstract

Information and communication technologies are being utilized in initiatives to support social and economic development in marginalized communities in developing countries. A key component of community informatics initiatives has been the development of public access points such as telecentres in communities. The role of these telecentres in social interventions has been expanding. In this paper, we explore an emerging role for telecentres – that of community mediation and violence prevention. Our research is based on empirical observations through a field study at telecentres in a developing country, Jamaica, and an analysis of local newspaper articles. We investigate ways in which these community mediation and violence prevention strategies through telecentres may support social inclusion and development of social capital. The evolving role of telecentres in the area of peace-making suggests that the factors explored in this study will be of benefit to researchers and practitioners in telecentre implementations.

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