52 Whangarei families celebrate new digital skills
Thursday, 17 December 2009 15:00
14 December 2009
52 more families from the Whangarei region are celebrating completing the Computers in Homes programme this month.
Parents received 20 hours of computer training including word processing, emailing and using the Internet, conducted at their local school or community centre. The training aims to empower parents to become actively involved in the online world and their children's learning, as well as increase their own employment opportunities and confidence.
Computers in Homes has now reached over 80 families in Whangarei. Since the programme began in 2000 the programme has supported almost 5,000 New Zealand families nationwide with refurbished computers, six months of free internet access, computer training and technical support via their local school.
A graduation ceremony is being held today at Te Kura o Waikare for the 14 families who have completed their training in Kawakawa. The celebration will be attended by Labour List MP Kelvin Davis and National Computers in Homes Coordinator Di Das.
Local Computers in Homes Coordinator Sue Kini says the programme has made a huge difference to participating families in the Northland region. "Feedback from the participants has been overwhelming, with some saying it's helped them in their part-time jobs and others saying they would go onto further training. The children have been proud to see their Mums and Dads up on stage graduating from their training, and all families are so grateful to receive a computer to call their own. It's during the training that they truly realise the benefits of having a computer within the home. The kids can complete their homework with the aid of the Internet and Mum and Dad are excited about using their new skills to help them!" she says.
Other local families have celebrated their new digital skills this month with graduation ceremonies at Bream Bay College, Totara Grove School, Te Kura Kaupapa o Te Rawhitiroa, Manaia View School and 155 Community House.
A key goal of Computers in Homes is to bring computer and internet technologies within reach of all New Zealand families with school-aged children and allow parents and grandparents to connect and be more involved with their children's learning.
Although the programme has made good progress, there are still an estimated 100,000 New Zealand families with school-aged children in low income communities who don't have a computer and the Internet at home. This includes over 2,700 Whangarei families.
This year Computers in Homes launched the ‘100,000 Challenge' which aims to connect the remaining families without a computer in their homes and encourage digital literacy and competence. "The announcement of the Government's Community Partnership Fund earlier this year has boosted our challenge by allowing us to reach a further 1,500 New Zealand families including 192 Whangarei families. We encourage the Government to continue this funding so we can support more communities to improve their digital literacy," Ms Das says.
Sue says she is excited about delivering Computers in Homes to even more local families. "We look forward to 2010 where another 140 families from throughout Northland will benefit from the programme," concluded Ms Kini.
Computers in Homes is an initiative of the 2020 Communications Trust with support from the Ministry of Education, Housing New Zealand and the Community Partnership Fund. The 2020 Communications Trust seeks funding and support to expand Computers in Homes to all low income communities where children do not have access to computers and the Internet in their homes.
For more information visit the Computers in Homes website.