Project Caia Park
Location Wrexham
Organised by Caia Park Communities First Partnership
Contact Nigel Davies or Hazel Evans Tel 01978 310984
Visit www.caiadigiproject.org

Digital inclusion initiative
Although many groups use the local community centre, the IT facilities were off-putting and there was little support to engage people with IT. Project Manager Nigel Davies worked with the local broker to plan a project that would engage and support the varied user groups in a friendly way that would meet their needs.

ICT outreach workers were recruited to focus on engaging with people who might be traditionally excluded from using computers, with special priority for young people and elderly people. The project plan included laptops and digital cameras so ICT could be delivered where there was greatest need in the community.

Key achievements

• 10 people who regularly attend the craft class but were digitally excluded, are now able to use the internet through introducing laptops to the lesson
• Polish residents see the appeal of using technology to keep in touch with friends and family at home and accessing it through local sessions helps them integrate into the local community. They now use the internet café one afternoon a week to do job searches.
• Mobile equipment has enabled housebound residents to try email to keep in touch with family and have a go at digital photography. Taking the equipment to the home of one 64 year old resident has removed financial and physical barriers for her and as her confidence increases over time she hopes to arrange to attend a computer class. Weekly sessions are now organised to 4 disabled people’s homes. 
• Visits to a local day centre for the elderly have become a weekly slot 
• Family learning sessions have benefited 3 adults and 5 children so far, giving parents the opportunity to learn from their children whilst increasing children’s self confidence and family communication
• Intergenerational and multi-cultural events have been sparked through the ICT project
  

Lessons Learned
1. Digital cameras are a great engagement tool as they are non-threatening, show instant results and bring satisfaction and confidence to the user rapidly.
2. Using a projector to show old photos in large format was a useful engagement tool with older participants.
3. Engaging with other local agencies has helped raise the profile of the project and lead to new fields of work being tested, such as the Day Centre for the elderly

From a personal perspective
Anne is a member of the craft group “I wouldn’t normally have tried ICT but seeing how easily I could get knitting patterns on the internet for free has given me an appetite for it”.

Next steps

• A DVD about the dangers of drug taking is the next project planned with the youth group
• 8 adults are preparing digital stories in the Standing Ground project
• Other inter-generational projects are in the pipeline
  

December 2006