A trip to Sunderland…
A busy day was had in Sunderland on Thursday,4th June.
Our day began at 9.30 at the Digital Challenge offices where Steve Gowland, Programme Manager, Sunderland Digital Challenge gave us an interesting presentation on the background of Sunderland and the work of the Digital Challenge team, highlighting some of the key projects and programmes and providing an overview of their “where people matter” approach to the programme.
We then jumped into the car for our first visit: Washington Church of Christ.
Washington Church of Christ is not only a church on Sundays but during the week it forms a thriving Community Centre that plays host to many of the area’s community groups. It is a local community hub which now has ICT at its very heart thanks to the delivery of two laptops through the equipment loan scheme set up by the Digital Challenge team. Organisations such as Sunderland Wood Turners, Washington Asylum Seekers Project, Yorkshire Online, WEA, Age Concern, Women’s Integration Craft Group, Brownies, and Guides use the busy EVH (Electronic Village Hall) which has nine computers with internet access. Church pastor Joseph Hannan became a Community e-Champion and recognised how ICT could be used to increase learning, inclusion and social and cultural opportunities. This is a good example of how the City Council has liaised and consulted with members of the community to find out their needs. Washington Church of Christ is run by local people to help others to integrate into the community. Between 500 and 1,000 people from the Community use the building every week for a variety of purposes.
Washington Church of Christ is currently a very busy Community Centre, and the installation of an electronic village hall brings a whole new dimension to the work they do with the community. As well as all the courses they plan to run in conjunction with Sunderland College and the Learning Partnership such as ESOL (English for speakers of other languages), the installation of the equipment will give the Centre wider appeal to new as well as existing users in the community. On our visit we saw first hand how the facilities in the IT suite benefited the members of the community where people were learning English through programmes set up on the computers.
We then travelled to Blue Watch in Ryhope. Blue Watch is a youth centre club which encourages young people to participate in a range of activities including sports, cooking, film nights and trying their hands at music. There are also plenty of opportunities for the youngsters to try activities outside the youth club, from ten pin bowling and laser quest to cycle maintenance. Blue Watch is amongst one of the projects who have benefited from the equipment loan scheme set up by the Digital Challenge team. The youth centre has been able to have access to an extensive range of IT equipment. Blue watch has an IT suite available to all Blue Watch youth members to use.
Our last trip was to Amble Tower which consists of 16 social housing blocks which all have IT suites available for residents. By communicating with residents about the sort of facilities they would like they were given an IT suite in each housing block. The IT suite we looked at had around 8 computers with free internet provided. The IT suite is accessible for all the residents to use freely. They were also looking into having IT sessions to teach residents how to use the facilities effectively.
Demonstration of Portal and Telesafe
After our three visits, we all jumped back into the car and made our way back to the Digital Challenge office where we were lucky enough to be shown a demonstration of the new Digital Challenge Portal ( based on the popular networking site, Facebook) which is being developed by the team and due to be launched soon. The Digital Challenge portal is an online network relating to digital challenge/inclusion/engagement. It is aimed to be used by a variety of different groups and communities who have been involved in the Digital Challenge work to collaborate and share information and ideas.
We were then given a demonstration of Telesafe. This is a tracking device which can be used on any mobile phone and on any network. The project is designed specifically for ‘ at risk’ staff in case of an emergency. It is also being trialled by a 16 year old boy, Scott with ADHD and his mum who was afraid to give him independence in case there was an emergency. This device allows his mum to track via her mobile where he is at a specific time which is shown on a map. If Scott does get into any difficulty all he has to do is press a button on his mobile phone to let his mum know he is in trouble and the map will show his exact location.
This was another great example of how technology has been used as an enabler to really make a difference to people’s lives, giving Scott his much needed independence, saving the family money and time and ensuring less stress for Scott and his mum.
Another exciting development which we were informed about was the launch of their Community Health Information Point (CHIP)which are going live this Friday. The Health Points allow the measurement of a persons weight, body mass index and blood pressure etc) and take them through an (optional) health questionnaire that will produce personalised advice with regards a healthier lifestyle The kiosks can be used to provide health related information and also site specific content (opening times, contacts, events, etc) and are being placed where the community go such as youth centres and pubs. We where told one of the first CHIP’s will be placed in the Washington Church of Christ.
Our Sunderland visit was very insightful. The places we visited have all in some way benefited from the use of technology. Some people used it to learn news skills such as learning English, or to research important information, others used it to buy presents for their grandchildren and friends. The presence of technology has acted as an enabler for people in the community in terms of social inclusion, learning new skills and developing confidence in their own ability.
For more info on Sunderlands digital challenge projects please click here