What is SWADE?
The Seniors West Australian Digital Expansion project (SWADE) is just that, a project expanding digital literacy and support for a range of people throughout Western Australia. The result of a successful grant application by ASCCA to Good Things Foundation under the umbrella of the federal Department of Social Services and the Digital Literacy for Older Australians initiative, SWADE will deliver the Be Connected program under the UK based Good Things Foundation.
It sounds a little like a family tree in itself but the two people who will deliver on the required outcomes are no dead wood. ASCCA Director - WA, and former Manager of Walpole Community Resource Centre, Jennifer Willcox (Jenny) has teamed with Natika Hawes-Wright (Tik) former Manager of Kununurra Community Resource Centre to form the driving force behind the initiative. As these ladies know the WA CRC Network so well, having almost 40 years’ experience between them, they are perfectly suited to supporting digital engagement and literacy enhancement on a broad scale throughout Western Australia. Once CRCs are sufficiently engaged to help their communities, the project will expand to Neighbourhood Centres, Aged Care Facilities and Public Libraries.
While the program is primarily aimed at Seniors, it is also open to all folks disadvantaged by location, culture or health. This opens up a very wide spectrum and will be a huge undertaking given the size of Western Australia, the distances between towns and the sheer remoteness of many towns and communities. While Jenny and Tik are at opposite ends of Western Australia – Walpole is on the South Coast and Kununurra is in the Kimberley region at the Top End they are using high tech methods of research, communication and information sharing and really putting the program through its paces during the development stage.
In this digital age there are still many people who are not enlightened, (read computer literate) especially seniors, making them isolated, not only physically but socially and emotionally. SWADE’s goal is to reach out to these folks connecting through the networks mentioned and provide access to learning opportunities via resources such as video conferencing, webinars and face to face lessons delivered in their local centres, thereby taking the classes directly to them. The aim is to obtain new registrations of folk who are not already participating in such a program, and once they have been through the Be Connected program they too will be confident in dealing with Government departments online, keeping in touch with friends and family via emails and social media and generally staying abreast of what the rest of the world is up to. They may perhaps get to like this digital age and seek to join a Seniors Computer Club near them and continue to learn more of what technology has to offer.
SWADE will be launched to CRCs in February 2018 - keep an eye on our socials to keep up with what’s happening, how to get involved and more!
It sounds a little like a family tree in itself but the two people who will deliver on the required outcomes are no dead wood. ASCCA Director - WA, and former Manager of Walpole Community Resource Centre, Jennifer Willcox (Jenny) has teamed with Natika Hawes-Wright (Tik) former Manager of Kununurra Community Resource Centre to form the driving force behind the initiative. As these ladies know the WA CRC Network so well, having almost 40 years’ experience between them, they are perfectly suited to supporting digital engagement and literacy enhancement on a broad scale throughout Western Australia. Once CRCs are sufficiently engaged to help their communities, the project will expand to Neighbourhood Centres, Aged Care Facilities and Public Libraries.
While the program is primarily aimed at Seniors, it is also open to all folks disadvantaged by location, culture or health. This opens up a very wide spectrum and will be a huge undertaking given the size of Western Australia, the distances between towns and the sheer remoteness of many towns and communities. While Jenny and Tik are at opposite ends of Western Australia – Walpole is on the South Coast and Kununurra is in the Kimberley region at the Top End they are using high tech methods of research, communication and information sharing and really putting the program through its paces during the development stage.
In this digital age there are still many people who are not enlightened, (read computer literate) especially seniors, making them isolated, not only physically but socially and emotionally. SWADE’s goal is to reach out to these folks connecting through the networks mentioned and provide access to learning opportunities via resources such as video conferencing, webinars and face to face lessons delivered in their local centres, thereby taking the classes directly to them. The aim is to obtain new registrations of folk who are not already participating in such a program, and once they have been through the Be Connected program they too will be confident in dealing with Government departments online, keeping in touch with friends and family via emails and social media and generally staying abreast of what the rest of the world is up to. They may perhaps get to like this digital age and seek to join a Seniors Computer Club near them and continue to learn more of what technology has to offer.
SWADE will be launched to CRCs in February 2018 - keep an eye on our socials to keep up with what’s happening, how to get involved and more!
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Servicing Seniors Computer Clubs throughout Western Australia
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