Silver Surfers' Day 09 strikes gold in Surrey
Posted in All posts, Help & Resources, Learning, Schools, Silver Surfers
Rebecca Court, Community Learning Advisor for Surrey Lifelong Learning Partnership, here:
‘Nobody realised what had been started when Surrey Lifelong Learning Partnership (SLLP) and the Workers’ Education Authority (WEA) heard about the opportunity afforded by Silver Surfers’ Day, 2009 (SSD09). We learned that the ‘Day’ is organised annually by Digital Unite (DU) and resourced online with some neat and helpful resources that support both professional tutors and volunteers in organising, engaging and guiding older people on to the Internet. For most of these older people the Internet is a place they’ve never visited before.
‘DU offered phone support and some on-the-ground support from head office in the form of a talk. The first result was that the SLLP and the WEA organised a Silver Surfer event at the Longmead centre, Epsom on May 15th 2009.
‘The turn-out and enthusiasm of the Longmead invitees led to a 5 week course. To cater for increasing numbers, it was decided to have a morning and afternoon session and even these had 13 learners in each one, which proved quite a challenge to the tutor and volunteer.
‘Both courses were successful and Jerry Lewis, the centre manager, decided to advertise further. The result is that the WEA are now running three courses and Nescot have taken on one more. Forty or more learners go through the “computer room” on a Thursday and Friday, with more learners on the waiting list.
‘The interest shown prompted SLLP to help constitute the InterGenEpsom group which bid for Councillors’ Allocation Funding from Cllr Jan Mason and Cllr Colin Taylor. Their £2,000 contribution means that InterGenEpsom can buy lap-tops which will be available to other community groups – hence the name: which indicates all generations of learners in the Court & Ruxley Wards. The lap-tops will also be available at Cox Lane community centre and The Wells centre.
‘The SLLP lap-tops in use at Longmead, will be needed in places where the U3A and Age Concern are gently coaxing their members to realise what the computer and internet can offer those who might otherwise feel isolated or be left behind in Digital Britain.
‘The Box Hill Village Hall Project continues to flourish with the WEA coming in one afternoon a week to provide for those who have been on a waiting list for some time.
‘At Age Concern, Dorking, the Committee have now passed a motion which allows Joyce Riley-Smith to go ahead and realise her dream of Silver Surfer sessions at the Christian centre there.
‘In Bookham, Joan Gillingham and in Fetcham, Dr.Tony Cox, are hoping to use the lap-tops at the Old Barn Hall, Bookham or to access the state of the art IT suites at St. Andrews School, Leatherhead, Leatherhead Trinity School and Children’s centre, Woodville Site and also West Hill Special Needs school.
‘With greater access to the internet via computer courses in community settings, SLLP hopes to tackle the social exclusion that is caused by the Digital Divide.’
October 2nd, 2009 gilladams | No Comments »
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