IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - December 2017 - 78

Social Appropriation
of Knowledge
The community was involved with implementation and installation of the project. They moved, unpacked, touched,
and observed installation of equipment
associated with the solar solution. They
developed new technical and administrative capacities as part of the groups
formed around the project, such as the
cooperative, the association, and the committee. Figure 5 shows the support of the
community in the arrival of some devices.
FIGURE 5. Community members support the arrival process equipment.
During the coupling stage, the benefits of the project for the community
were shown. The coupling phase took
less time than expected because the
social appropriation of the community
to the project was fast and effective. The
workshops, lectures, and practices
developed made it possible for the community to easily grasp new concepts and
understand the benefits of maintaining
and improving the installed solution.
The social appropriation and knowledge transfer activities were carried out
according to the Plan of Appropriation
and Sustainability. The Plan allowed for
training of 15 people for specific activities, and more than 50 people in technical knowledge, environmental, social,
and some financial services, for promoting awareness and ownership spaces.
Given the willingness of the community,
FIGURE 6. Training session for social appropriation.
its high capacity for learning, and collective consciousness, they managed to
2) Carry out environmental management plans for solar
have a very good level of affinity between external workphotovoltaic systems, and organic and inorganic waste
ing groups. It has been possible to develop support activiproduced from the community.
ties easily and smoothly, without delay and without
3) Propose and implement environmental management
negatively affect the project. Once the groups were conmechanisms for community inorganic waste, based
solidated and the community understood the project, the
on actions with children and young people.
implementation phase of the solution was dynamic, and
4) Promote proper management of organic waste in
linked to most of the community, mainly in activities
homes.
such as transportation, unpacking, and organization in
5) Present quarterly reports to the General Assembly on
connection sites. Although only 6 people were trained
the status of the environmental and energy sustainper work group, the whole community was aware of the
ability program.
activities being carried out, and each committee regular6) Attend to the community against claims and/or
ly reported its progress and objectives achieved. Figure 6
environmental suggestions.
shows a training session in the community. The proFor the cooperative, the committee and the associaposed technical solution was expanded to provide better
tion created regulatory documents, including legal and
service at school. Nowadays, teachers and students can
organizational aspects, in order to have clear rules. These
use equipment such as tape recorders, video, televisions,
provide official status to management, and give rules for
and computers to improve learning. In addition, some
the operation and administration for these entities.
program talks or meetings are held at night, making to

IEEE TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY MAGAZINE

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DECEMBER 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - December 2017