Mr Steve Thompson
Research Facilitator
Steve Thompson is Community Media Manager at the Teesside University and is recognised in the UK as a leading figure in the world of community engagement through ICT. Recently Described by Future Democracy as “one of Europe’s most original thinkers on community engagement using new technologies”. Steve began his working life as a Steelworker at Consett Steel Works and then moved to the music industry. He has written songs for many international recording artistes such as Sheena Easton, Celine Dion, Elaine Page, Sara Brightman, and Elkie Brooks. Steve has enjoyed hit status with both album tracks and singles and his hit singles include the top 20 ballad, Hurry Home (Wavelength), Acid House dance track, Chiki Chiki Ah Ah (Baby Ford), I Don’t Want To Be The One (The Searchers), and Paris By Air (The Tygers Of Pan Tang). His production work was largely in the NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) era, producing bands like, The Tygers of Pan Tang, Venom, and Raven. His recent musical exploits include two musicals in collaboration with playwright and poet Tom Kelly: Steel Town and Songs of Love Work and War. He is now collaborating with Tom and photographer Peter Dixon on a multi media touring exhibition called Voices.
In recent years, Steve has managed a community radio station, taught BTEC Music Composition and BTEC Music Technology and now develops and teaches Community and Social Media for Teesside University. Steve is involved in research communities such as the University of Teesside’s WISER group (Web Integrated Social Environmental Research) and with several other Universities in the PRADSA group (Practical Design for Social Action) and SUS-IT which is a consortium of several Universities investigating the “New Dynamics of Aging”. He is a founder member of the international Community Informatics Research Network (CIRN). He has managed the ICT projects Tees Valley Communities Online and E-Create. Both of these projects have been recognised for innovation and invention in the field of community ICT.
Steve works with diverse groups to achieve digital inclusion through community media. These groups, combining a variety of ages and ethnicities, come collectively under the title of Tees Valley Community Media – www.tvcm.co.uk . He recently delivered a UFI-funded ICT project, Social Inclusion Demonstrators (SID). The Teesside SID project was one of 20 Social Impact Demonstrators throughout England set up to explore the links between social and digital exclusion, and how ICT and the skills to use it can benefit individuals, families, communities and society itself.
Currently he is delivering a Big Lottery funded research project “The Digital Village Network” which seeks to which seeks to investigate a concept developed by Steve, The Digital Village. “A Digital Village is a space where a community expresses their identity though ICT and Digital Media. This may be from an artistic, heritage, or economic perspective or a mixture of all three.This can be done through poetry, digital stories, community newspapers online, image collections (old and new), audio (Internet radio, oral history), animations, video, and text. To engage in the activities the participants need to learn new skills and so the Digital Village also becomes a learning community”
Steve also develops and designs ICT solutions for community groups wishing to engage in community media and is an advocate for the social development and sustainability that open source software affords. Steve has collaborated with and advised many national organisations including NIACE, BECTA and Futurelab and has given keynote addresses at the The Community Media Association, Futurelab, Becta, and Future Democracy Annual Conferences as well as a keynote address at the North Brabban Provicial Government e-inclusion conference.
Additional roles
• External validator for the University of Brighton’s PHD in Creative Media and visiting lecturer for the University.
• External industry professional for Cleveland College of Art and Design’s Moving Image Diploma
• School Governor for Whitecliffe Primary
• Director of Tees Music Alliance (NE England)
• Director of the Community Media Association (National UK)
• Trustee of East Cleveland Community Development Group.
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