02 Digital Inclusion Wales: 2008 Conference Report
Keynote Address: Leighton Andrews AM
Continued
Brokers to work with Wales most before, set up and managed ICT based activity aimed at
deprived communities to determine three, month-long community engaging new learners, as part
local need and the best way to radio stations. Starting from of the beneficiary’s vocational
address those needs. This may scratch, the groups were experiences. The beneficiaries
range from establishing digital trained to use digital will undertake volunteer or paid
storytelling courses to the broadcasting equipment, work in support of ICT
community running their own digital as well as the internet and initiatives.
radio station. I’m sure you will hear Microsoft Office for research
of many examples from other purposes. The stations have The imagination shown by people
speakers and through your a much wider value to the involved in Communities @One has
workshops. communities they serve. been astonishing. I know that even
those that have been working in
To date, over 200 projects
• Pigeon-racers in South Wales
this area for some time have had
have been supported under
were still working from paper
Communities @One from a
records. Now, they are using
their eyes opened to the potential
£6 million grant fund covering
word processing, digital
of the schemes that are underway.
a range of organisations and
photography and e-mail to
For example, elderly people,
activities. These include:
keep each other updated, and
children, disaffected young people,
to network ‘virtually’ with
ethnic minority groups, blind
• Age Concern, launched a similar societies around the UK.
people and teenage mothers all
project called ‘Go for IT’ in
have become involved in creative
the Neath-Port Talbot area,
• Groups throughout Wales have ways.
providing digital cameras to
been engaged in developing
groups to take pictures during
digital stories about their There are projects involving
countryside walks. ‘Go for IT’
communities using website design, podcasts, digital
enabled people to learn about
photographic and online photography and film-making,
digital technology, while
archive resources. community online shopping
increasing confidence and • The CwmNi partnership in the
schemes, informal learning, word-
encouraging more regular Rhondda has benefited from
processing and e-mail classes,
exercise amongst participants. the CASCADE project. Here,
newsletter design, driving tuition,
• Volunteers in three South Wales
participating Communities First
music composition, cricket
Valley areas, many of whom
Partnerships and individuals
coaching, astronomy, blogging,
had never engaged with ICT
living in these areas are
and many other schemes. There
supported by a programme of
have been schemes developed in