Nov 17, 2011

Project Update

Di’s previous Computers in Homes Pilots have been amalgamated into the new regions, with Waiheke becoming part of Auckland CIH with Cara Sefuiva. Cara is currently beginning the Rejuvenation family surveys and warrants of fitness on the computers. Cara has a vast area from Franklin to Northcote, and Waitakere to Tamaki, so has long waiting lists of eager schools.

Cara Sefuvia

Hutt City schools Pomare and Tui Glen are now part of Wellington region with Briar Kopa, and Pomare School hosts the new Wellington CIH Steering Committee. The region covers Wellington, Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt cities, and Briar’s new schools for 2011-12 are Berhampore, Petone Central and Taita College.

Briar at Tui Glen with Hon Tariana Turia

Palmerston North took off like a rocket and has grown to become Manawatu / Horowhenua under the stewardship of Sarah Lee-Rautahi. Terrace End, Roslyn and Somerset Crescent have been joined by Monrad Intermediate. And next year a second Monrad intake, Awatapu College and St Joseph’s Levin will complete by June.

Sarah with InspireNet team

Please see their CIH Regional Blogs which will now record all activity in these areas.

Di Das has also been working with the Correspondence School Te Kura, to extend services to students who are studying outside school. A team effort between Computers in Homes and our hardware supplier RemarkIT Solutions in Wellington has seen CIH sponsor 4 workstations into the Highbury Whanau Centre and RemarkIT sponsor 12 laptops for student and tutor use. Their Youth Worker and tutor Sandra Carroll is over the moon about our donation and says this will make a world of difference to her students.

Alistair Fraser of Wanganui CIH has also been helping Te Kura families get on board with digital literacy via the Whanganui Learning Centre. We have had other enquiries from Dannevirke, and our work to support Te Kura will continue as more and more of their teaching modules go online.

New Pilots 2011-2012

Coromandel

Di visited Coromandel Area School and Tapu School in October to arrange the CIH rollout for Term 1 2012. Everyone is really excited and Tapu School appreciates the opportunity to be involved as they are so small with only 13 students. They have identified 3 families without computer or internet and Coromandel Area School has kindly relinquished 3 spaces for them. Coromandel will now train 22 families although they have identified around 40 eligible. So we will have to see what we can do for them in the future! Happy to also report that our Waikato CIH team is arranging CIH for 10 families in Thames via the local Beneficiaries Support Trust. Their families will train at Wintec. So we are making inroads into more remote communities that are often passed by, and what a beautiful drive to get there. Waikato CIH have also worked with Paeroa and Te Aroha schools so check out their blog.

Coromandel Area School

Tapu School

Nelson

Di has had a close relationship with Victory School in Nelson since 2006 through the Refugee Computers in Homes programme for Burmese, Chin, Nepali, Bhutanese and Kayan families. Principal Mark Brown, CIH liaison Dianne Goodwin and Di have often thought it would be great to extend the opportunity to other Victory families. In 2010 Victory Village received the families Commission Award for Best NZ Community, and this year 2011 Victory School hosted a national conference the Victory Village Forum, so the time seemed right to push for funding a CIH pilot intake. We have installed a new 10-pod for training all CIH families. Refugee families are training now, with other due to begin 1^st Term 2012.