I completed my first round of research in Paarl-East today. I interviewed 10 members of the e-Centre over three days. I also interviewed the Paar-East e-Centre manager.

The structure of the day at Paarl-East was made up of :

9am Open
9am – 2pm: Adults only
2pm – 5pm: School children only

On the first day of my research I observed what was going on at the e-Centre, I tried to understand what the everyday practices of members of the e-Centre were like. Ultimately my goal here was to understand the worldhood that was apparent and to observe the nature of the current context, in order to re-imagine an emerging future.

On the second day, I started doing some interviews with members of the e-centre. I spoke to members aged between 18 – 30, I didn’t interview any children, mainly because it was difficult to get signed consent forms from their parents. I interviewed 5 participants; 4 members and 1 e-Centre manager. The participants I interviewed are shown below.

I interviewed 3 males and 2 females. From these members, 1 was unemployed, 1 was studying, 2 were consulting and 1 was a working the e-centre manager.

The overall patterns observed were;

1. All members saw the need to gain good digital skills.
2. e-Centre members were very grateful for the centre and said they wanted to help their community learn new skills here.
3. All members had email accounts and reported that it was the first thing they checked when they arrived at the e-Centre.
4. Members were not sure where to learn new digital skills, 3 out 5 members did not know about the basic computer course available to them.
5. 3 members reported that they didn’t have enough time to attend classes, because they were working during training times.
6. The student had reported that she uses the e-Centre get her university assignments done and print out her documentation.
7. Most participants used the equipment available easily and didn’t have any issues with asking for help when needed, all participants had high to medium digital skills.
8. 2 members reported that they needed assistance with their CVs. They said they would like tips on how to get a good job and create a good CV that represented themselves properly.
9. All participants stayed within walking distance of the e-centre.
10. All participants were regulars at the e-Centre, they came to the e-centre 3 times a week or more.

On the third day, I interviewed another 5 members at the e-Centre. I interviewed 4 males and one female. 1 member was in Matric, 2 members were unemployed and looking for jobs, and 2 members were employed and wanting to start their own businesses.

There were similar patterns that were revealed in this group of members. Here is a very high-level look at what patterns were observed:

1. 3 of the members had very high digital skills.
2. e-Centre members were very grateful for the centre and said they wanted to help their community learn new skills here.
3. 1 member did not have an email account and reported that he was looking for information about how to get an email account.
4. Members were not sure where to learn new digital skills, all members did not know about the basic computer course available to them.
5. 4 members reported that they didn’t have enough time to attend classes, because they were working during training times.
6. The matric student had reported that he uses the e-Centre to research information about his exams and assignments.
7. Most participants used the equipment available easily and didn’t have any issues with asking for help when needed. 1 member reported that they found it difficult to use the mouse and had difficulty typing.
8. 3 members reported that they needed assistance with their CVs. They said they would like tips on how to get a good job and create a good CV that represented themselves properly.
9. All participants stayed within walking distance of the e-centre.
10. All participants were regulars at the e-Centre, they came to the e-centre 3 times a week or more.