Get IT Together /
Annual Report for Caerphilly
Date October 2013 /
Project Co-ordinator: Isobel Hunt
10/1/2013 /
Table of Contents
Introduction
The Get IT Together Programme
Get IT Together in Caerphilly
Objectives
Round up of the last year
Case Studies
Project Challenges
Looking forward
Appendix:
Introduction
The Get IT Together Programme
The Get IT Together programme promotes digital inclusion amongst disadvantaged communities. The approach involves a 3-year community development process, managed by a full time coordinator, who works with the local community to:
- Understand the rationale for using ICT and the barriers
- Capacity build and supports local partners
- Plug gaps in provision
- Manage volunteers to support the programme
- Deploy a range of national offerings that support digital inclusion
- Ensure new internet users progress on a learner journey and feel a positive impact from going online.
- Embed the programme in and align with local strategies
Get IT Together has been established through a national partnership involving BT and Citizens Online, along with key local partners. 24 further national partners support the programme with their complimentary offerings, such as free software, internet safety trainings or specific routes to engagement with those who are offline.
Get IT Together in Caerphilly
The Get IT Together project in Caerphilly is a partnership between Citizens Online, BT, Caerphilly Borough Council and Communities 2.0, working together as the Get Caerphilly Online campaign. The work is led locally by Project Coordinator Isobel Hunt and supported by a local board comprising key partners, and the local Digital Steering Group.
Objectives
The Get IT Together project in Caerphilly (2011/12) has had a specific focus on:
- The over 50’s
- Disabled People
- People who are hardest to reach
This focus was reached upon consultation with Communities 2.0 and Caerphilly CCBC as to where current gaps in provision had been identified and also to reflect that many of the current and previous digital inclusion projects have worked with some of the easiest to reach groups. The task at hand is to make the Internet relevant to those who have chosen to be excluded so far, by extolling the benefits of the Internet to the quality of their lives and not trying to sell “computer classes”.
One of the strengths of the close partner work with Communities 2.0 is the ability to offer regular drop-in sessions at 6 libraries across the area. These sessions allow new learners to access help from volunteers each Friday whenever they need it. Often learners will attend and use the library computers knowing that help is available upon request. As we recruit volunteers who can become team leaders, we can spread into more libraries and venues across Caerphilly.
The Caerphilly project has worked at strategic and grassroots levels, with a range of additional close partners, the latest of which is WEA South Wales. I have now placed three of our volunteers to support their LearnDirectcourses, ensuring learners can access the courses through the use of computers. In return, they will report back the number of learners who have been supported in this way.
Round up of the last year
There has been considerable consolidation of the project this year. BT Community Connections Award was granted to the PlasMawr Community Centre, enabling an IT suite to be set up at the community centre. This year, regular classes have been carried out making good use of the IT suite and Internet connection. A closer link with the Council’s Development Officer for Older people has improved contact with services including sheltered housing, day centres and residential care. Work with the council’s sheltered housing schemes has taken off and is currently forming the backbone of the courses we are running. So far the project hasworked with eight sheltered housing complexes and more are booked in for the later in the year.
Residential Care Homes have been new venues this year for the Caerphilly project. In one case, a course has resulted in the manager applying to get internet access for residents. In another, where they already had a computer with Internet access, a resident was taught basic IT skills to enable them to use it. One of the challenges for older learners is remembering what they have been taught between sessions. Having a computer in the home enables learners to practice between sessions and is really helpful for older learners. Staff at the Care Homes have been impressed with the stimulation provided to residents through using the internet for reminiscence or to pursue interests and it is hoped that this will enable sustained use of the Internet.
Isobel has also run courses in YstradMynach and Bargoed Libraries and has a new coursestarting in Nelson Library for November. The WEA, Adult Community Education and other part of the Get Caerphilly Online campaign also use libraries as venues and Get IT Together are pleased to be part of a network of support for learners.
Isobel has continued to work with schools in the local area. There has been an initiative to start Intergenerational clubs within schools in the borough and John Poyner, Connecting Communities Manager, has been liaising with Isobel when new schools express interest. Isobel has been supporting the scheme by attending launches and assisting with sessions to get pupils working with the older people who attend. There are now eight clubs running in schools and Isobel has a regular course at Lewis School as well. There are plans to organise sessions on tablet computers at The Twynschool,later this year.
One of the strengths of the Caerphilly project is the volunteer management experience that Isobel brings to the Get Caerphilly Online programme. Since joining the project in January, Isobel has created a comprehensive volunteer documentation pack covering recruitment, management, and training. This best practice work has been shared across the Get IT Together Programme.
Volunteer recruitment has been very successful with a total of 32 volunteers recruited to Get Caerphilly Online since January 2013. Some of these have helped with courses, but most of them have been involved in the Get Caerphilly Online Digital Friday drop-ins at Libraries. We usually have had between 12 and 20 volunteers actually active at any one time. Volunteering with the project is helping local people find employment. In the last couple of months five people have found work, one of them being employed on a short contract with the Universal Credit Pilot, part of Get Caerphilly Online. One of the challenges for the project is to retain good volunteers, and Isobel has recruited some retired volunteers to bring in more experience and stability to the team. As part of the volunteer management, Get Caerphilly Online organised a thank you event for digital champions in August. This is a good example of the strong volunteer management that Isobel has championed.
Get IT Together has a strong presence across Wales and two of the projects recently linked up to take part in a Wii challenge organised by Communities 2.0. Isobel supported the Caerphilly games, and linked up with Daniel, the Gwynedd Co-ordinator to show people how getting online can be fun and engaging. The event was well publicised and there were many tweets using the hashtag#WiiCup2013.
Case Studies
The YstradMynach Resource Centre is a day centre where people with disabilities are supported with a range of activities. Recently, Get IT Together ran a First Click course in eight one-hour sessions, teaching clients to use a computer and get online. Staff were surprised at the interest shown and five people completed the course, with two more attending for a couple of sessions.
Haydn, who uses a wheelchair, really liked being able to look round his neighbourhood on Googlemapsstreetview, whilst Paula finally got an email address and could email her brother.
Centre staff who helped in the sessions, also improved their IT skills. Centre Manager, Rod Berry, was delighted with the reaction of the clients and commented on how engaged they were.
Amy Fox McNallyvolunteered as a tutor for a course in YstradMynach Library. This role helped her when she applied for a job as a library assistant as the staff could vouch for her good people skills.
Project Challenges
Reaching some of the hard to reach groups is one of the main project challenges. Learners in these groups are difficult to identify and engage with, and struggle to commit to particular courses. One of the ways the project intends to tackle this is through the use of text reminders sent to learners the day before their course. A trial is taking place at the moment and it is hoped that this will be rolled out in Caerphilly shortly.
Marketing the project and making people aware of the sessions has been important for the project this year. The project has joined up with the local computer recycling scheme to include leaflets about Get IT Together with every computer that is distributed. PVC banners have been used at the PlasMawr Community Centre to advertise courses and show the local community that the IT suite is available.
The project has worked well to recruit and manage volunteers, and this will be an ongoing challenge for the project over the next year.
Looking forward
The sustainability of the project will depend on having volunteers in place who can continue the work we are doing currently. There will need to be a support mechanism for them, but this could be light touch, with volunteers split into geographic groups under a volunteer organiser. These organisers will need training in how to recruit and induct volunteers and how to manage them. However, many community groups operate in this way, so it should be entirely possible to arrange this.
The work with the Intergenerational clubs in schools should be able to continue in this way, with schools involving volunteers to come in to either facilitate sessions where the pupils teach the older people, or by having “branch off” classes taking place in the school.
At community centres where we have run courses in their IT suites, we will try to leave a legacy of computer clubs or drop ins, provided that someone at the centre will take on a co-ordinating role.
With the Digital Friday sessions, overseen by Communities 2.0, it has always been intended that these will eventually be run by volunteers in as many libraries in the borough as we can. This will require library staff to liaise with volunteer organisers to ensure that sessions run regularly and efficiently.
Appendix:
Here is a course timetable for Caerphilly
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