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Digital Inclusion Wales Conference 2008

“Community Engagement is Key to Bridging the Digital Divide”, says Leighton Andrews

Engaging with deprived communities so that they can make best use of current and emerging digital opportunities is key to tackling social exclusion Deputy Minister for Regeneration Leighton Andrews will tell a conference in Cardiff today (Friday 14 March).

Mr Andrews will say that the approach taken by the Assembly Government’s Communities @One initiative is one that potentially could be used as a model for other community engagement programmes in other countries.

“Communities @One provides a package of support that sets it apart from being a grant scheme and makes it much closer to a supported community development experience,” he said.

“It has built on the experience of the Communities First programme by putting in place Community Brokers to work with Wales most deprived communities to determine local need and the best way to address those needs. This may range from establishing digital storytelling courses to the community running their own digital radio station.”

The programme, which is administered by the Wales Co-operative Centre on behalf of the Welsh Assembly Government, has supported more than 200 community groups and voluntary organisations in Communities First areas since its launch in 2006, providing more than £6m in grant funding.

Mr Andrews said that he had agreed to provide an additional funding for the Wales Co-operative for a period of a further 3 months to the end of September 2008.

Mr Andrews said: “I have agreed a further £235,000 to fund the core staff in the Wales Co-operative Centre including the Community Brokers working in the field. This will hopefully give some further time for them to continue their good work and seek match funding for the successor project to Communities@ One which they are developing.”

The Deputy Minister added the programme had helped bridge the digital divide in helping people in the most disadvantaged areas of Wales engage with new technology in a way that is directly relevant to their lives.

Simon Harris, Chief Executive of the Wales Co-operative Centre said: “The impact that Communities @One has had on so many people throughout Wales has been astonishing. The initiative has helped to expand the potential for digital inclusion and what it can do for people in Wales who would otherwise remain isolated, excluded and outside of the ‘online generation’ that we live in.

“At the Wales Co-operative Centre we are now aiming to build on the success of the last few years by continuing to work with community groups and voluntary organisations and to help them set up social enterprises and to generate income, all through engaging with technologies.”

Further information on Communities @One and the ‘Digital Inclusion Wales’ Conference is available online at www.communitiesatone.org and by calling the Wales Co-operative Centre on 029 2055 6950.

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