May CIH Update

Even though there are so many worrying things happening around us like swine flu and financial woes we can only be positive and do everything we can to make a better life.

Wanganui Computers in Homes (CIH) is certainly trying hard and we are awaiting news from the Digital Strategy Community Partnership Fund (CPF) about our application to run places for another 150 families in the Wanganui District. We expect to know if we are successful in early June.

Gathering the information and support for our application has been an inspiring and motivating experience. It was a great chance to forge new community relationships and strengthen our engagement with our partners and stakeholders.

We are very grateful for all the messages of support we have received and are sure these will make a huge difference to improving our chances of success.

We give a huge thank-you to the following people and organisations: Chester Borrows, Member of Parliament for Whanganui; Bronwyn Paul, President, Wanganui Chamber of Commerce; Judith Timpany, Whanganui Community Foundation; Tiahuia Abraham QSM, Aotearoa Women’s Welfare League; Frank Sligo, Associate Professor, Head of Department of Communication, Journalism and Marketing, Massey University; Alison Bourn, Family and Community Services, Ministry of Social Development; Sharon Duff, Whanganui Primary Health Organisation, Bob Wilson, Whanganui ACE Network; Heather Cox, Wanganui District Council Youth Services Coordinator; Des Warahi, Community Development Manager, Castlecliff Community Charitable Trust; Gerry Gibbs, Executive Director, YMCA Wanganui; Tracy Lynn, Manager, Age Concern Wanganui; and Jo Rangooni, Chairperson, Bulls and District Community Trust.

The Wanganui District Council continues to be our lead partner and has stepped up their support by incorporating CIH into their Draft 10-year plan 2009-19, also they have included other provisions for digital capacity and capability. It is great to see them taking such strong leadership for ICT and I commend them for their actions.

Whanganui UCOL has reaffirmed their partnership with us and will continue to help us make the most of taking more education opportunities to our families.


Click here and visit YouTube to view a video taken at the Computers in Homes/Microsoft NZ Stepping UP Launch at the Grand Chamber, Parliament in February.

Hear Sue Westwood, our project chairman talk about CIH, council’s roles and her passion for community education.

The National Computers in Homes Coordinators Team at the launch

The Stepping UP launch was a fantastic celebration and a great chance for us to network and fly the flag for Wanganui. Click here to see our photos from the event and other CIH albums

There are plenty of other exiting things happening for us too.


www.eday.org.nz/

We are thrilled to see eDay, our partner project has just won the PriceWaterhouseCoopers NZ Hi-Tech Award for the Most Innovative Industry Initiative. Click here for details . We hope this accolade will be the catalyst for the ‘powers that be’ to give us their funding green light soon to operate in 2009. Wanganui participated in eDay in 2007 and 2008. Last year we collected 39 tons of eWaste here and we are very keen to do it again.

Wanganui has been included as one of seven regions in the NZ Schools SuperLoop Group submission to the New Zealand Government Broadband Investment Initiative. There were 101 submissions received by the Ministry of Economic Development. Click here to read them including ours submitted by the Wellington Loop Trust on behalf of the SuperLoop Group.

Our participation has been facilitated and championed by Vivianne Murphy, Principal, Wanganui Girls College. Thanks very much Vivianne, we are lucky to have your enthusiasm and really pleased you on our project steering group too!

It was great to attend the Older People Forum at the Wanganui District Council last week. Older people have a huge need to be assisted with digital engagement and have the lowest internet usage uptake of all the age groups by far. Is great to see the Wanganui District Council championing them so strongly, and giving local support organisations a forum to keep in touch. I enjoyed participating and putting my thoughts on paper for my CIH update. Click here to download a copy.

2009 off to a fantastic start with Stepping UP & the CIH 100,000 Challenge

Congratulations to the 2020 Communications Trust and the Microsoft Unlimited Potential Foundation for implementing the Stepping Up programme.  Wanganui has been chosen as one of the first 3 Regions in New Zealand to operate Stepping UP.  

The Whanganui Learning Centre will be delivering our first pilot for 200 families in 2009 and enrolments for classes have started already.

Here is the staff of the Whanganui Learning Centre, all ready to go!

The Stepping UP programme will provide a 'staircase' for  our Computers in Homes graduates and other community members through access to more advanced digital training including with Microsoft Office Programmes.

 Computers in Homes 100,000 Challenge launched today

The 2006 Census revealed that more than 100,000 families with school-aged children do not have access to the Internet from their homes. To address this, the 2020 Trust is launching the Computers in Homes 100,000 Challenge today.  This is a challenge to all New Zealanders, including central and local Government, business and the community to ensure that no family with school-aged children remains disconnected.  

End of Year Wrap-Up

It has been a great year for us and neat to finish up having more families with computers at home than allowed for under our Community Partnership Fund agreement.

Our graduation of 6 families at Aberfeldy School last week has brought our project total to 158 families.

Our plans for next year are to obtain more Community Partnership funding to expand the project for another 150 families. We plan to include families with pre-school children without computers at home, and also the elderly who are key caregivers. We will be continuing to collaborate widely and link up with other local education providers, community organisations and agencies to do our best to see ICT uptake in Wanganui is maximised.

Thanks to everyone involved with the Wanganui Computers in Homes - our project has been a privilege to coordinate and our success has only been possible because of all the enthusiasm, wisdom and commitment we have received from the steering group, trainers’ technicians and service providers.

Please take time to share awareness of our project:

Visit our 23 on-line photo albums with photos from throughout the project
Download our latest PowerPoint presentation about our project, with great images.
Download a Word version of our project evaluation prepared for the Community Partnership Fund

CIH Family Rejuvenations Surveys Show Project is Working

Here is our latest project report to the Wanganui Distict Council's Community Development Committee:

One hundred and thirty five families have now graduated to date. This is 90% of the NZ Government's Digital Strategy Community Partnership Fund’s (CPF) project agreement deliverables for 150 families.

Final classes to complete the CPF agreement have started for 17 families at Wanganui East School and 6 at Aberfeldy School. Graduation celebrations for these classes will be in October/November (Wanganui East School’s is 28 October). After these, families with computers at home will total 158.

Surveys of CIH families have been undertaken with 41 surveys obtained from the 107 families who had graduated up to the end of July 2008, this is 38%. A comprehensive knowledgebase has been obtained, individual responses have been consolidated and summarised identifying outcomes of the families’ experiences.

Wanganui CIH Mums completing Rejuvenation surveys at Castlecliff School on 10 September 2008


Donna Ngatai is thrilled to be the lucky draw winner for the Castlecliff session.

Key findings identified so far are 39% of families reporting they have undertaken other training and education since becoming a CIH family. This is 4 times the assumed level for tertiary uptake and will considerably increase the in-kind contribution estimations to match and better CPF cash funding. Another positive result of the survey is that 29% of the families reported having a computer at home helped them find work.

Strong evidence that the project has reached its objectives has been obtained. 90% of the respondents reported using email and the internet. This is a good indication that ongoing family uptake of the first 6 months free internet cost is perceived to be worthwhile by them.

The Wanganui Computers in Homes Project will be submitting an expression of interest (EOI) to the CPF for operating more Wanganui CIH initiatives in 2009/10. The EOI is due to be submitted by 10 November 2008.

Final CPF agreement requirements to complete the project by 31 December 2008 are a project completion report due on 30 September, and a project evaluation report on 30 November. The outstanding issue to be resolved is agreement with the CPF to carry-forward project funds in 2009 to cover on-going project costs for support.

Sample comments from CIH family rejuvenation surveys:

“In my eyes thee is nothing that I would want to improve. This was an awesome course that built my confidence up.”

“I don't think there is much more CIH could do. Having the opportunity of a computer in the home is really fantastic. Without CIH we would not have a computer at all. Thanks”

“I felt the programme was run very well. Doing the 20 hours a couple of hours at a time was great as it worked in well with working and the kids. When I contacted the virus I was contacted back quickly and the computer was back in the home just over a week later, we were all very pleased and grateful.”

“The computer is mainly used for my 6 year old who has verbal apraxia. It has taught him to concentrate and try to use his speech.”

“Child helps parents!”

“Confidence using a computer. My teenage son has learnt heaps and has used these skills to help other kids on his course. My 7 year old daughter loves to Google all topics and has learnt a lot as a result”

“We got connected with Watchdog Net at a very cheap rate and it has all the basics we require. Very happy and have been still with them for the last year.”

Wanganui's Digital Strategies Exciting Concepts That Lift the Spirit

Congratulations to the Wanganui District Council for getting in behind the Digital Strategy and ensuring we have our digital connectivity enabled. Here is Wanganui Deputy Mayor, Dot McKinnon's Council Comment publised in the River City Press on 11 September 2008. Thanks for your leadership Dot and here's to us making the most of the ICT juggernaught.

Wanganui River City Press - Good News for CIH

Here is a summary of Wanganui Computers in Homes progress published by the River City Press on 28 August 2008. Thanks to the River City Press for all your support enabling us to get our messages out there.

"Awesome" CIH Tuition received at Wanganui East

Our 15th Graduation at Wanganui East School on 31 July 2008 was described as "Awsome" by Tracey Rapana. Here she is with her whanau at the celebration in a scan of the Wanganui Chronicle's story on 2 August




Click here for more photos by Ian Jones from Maxilabs and photos by Alistair Fraser