Could you be the Age UK Internet Champion of the Year 2013?

Age UK is running the Internet Champion of the Year competition for the fourth year running and this year the theme is ‘Why I love my life online’.

Have you attended any of our Connect <> Lockleaze IT training? Have you experienced a positive life change as a result of learning to use the internet? Are you are aged 55 or over?

Yes!

Well, why not visit the Age UK website for more information, competition rules and online nomination form. The competition closes on Monday 10 January 2013.

If you win you will be inspiring others to experience the wonders of the web for the first time, as well as enjoying a host of other exclusive prizes.

Good Luck.

Appreciating our Student Support

Connect <> Lockleaze is working closely with student volunteers from University of West of England (UWE).

They tell us that they are interested in volunteering opportunities for a number of reasons: useful experience to add to their cvs, an opportunity to be involved with their local community, to have fun and, last but not least, to help others.

Our volunteers chose Connect <> Lockleaze because they are IT literate, enjoy using the internet and, having spent a lot of time online, were confident they had the skills required to help someone less confident than themselves when using modern technology!

So far, students have helped out open access sessions on a Friday at Boing! as well as 1-2-1 sessions on a Wednesday at the Langley Centre.



Ben, one of our student volunteers, helping Ron and Robert improve their IT skills.



A variety of people have turned up or booked in for these sessions, all with their own individual questions and queries – some have been easily solvable, others less straightforward but all have been worked through successfully!

For example, we have helped people pay bills, order groceries, watch video clips, edit pictures, and navigate social media sites.



Anna and James enjoyed working together regularly over a 6-week period.



  

The students tell us that they have enjoyed the sessions and have left feeling like they’ve accomplished something!

Follow their excellent example - volunteer with Connect <> Lockleaze because as well as helping people gain confidence when using modern equipment, it is a beneficial process to all involved and is definitely enjoyable!

Email connectlockleaze@gmail.com now to get involved.

Learning through a lens

If you are currently attending the Connect <> Lockleaze / Learning Communities Digital Photography course at the Cameron Centre, why don’t you put what you are learning into practice… enter the Adult Learners’ Week photo competition.

They are looking for photos that reflect the many different types of learning available, from learning for work, family and community, to learning through sports, technology or arts, craft and culture. Your photos could inspire others to give learning a go.

Winners will be announced during Adult Learners’ Week in May 2013. The top three photos will win photographic vouchers worth £200, £100 or £50 and will be exhibited at photographic gallery for one week, as well as featured on the Adult Learners’ Week website.

As your photograph may be used for publicity purposes please ensure that you have consent from anyone being photographed and complete the Permission Form.

Submit your entries with an accompanying Permission form by email to alwcomp@niace.org.uk by Thursday 21 February 2013

Note: This competition is open to participants in England only. Terms and conditions apply.

Setting Out in Partnership with Outset!

Recently, Lydia Samuel, an Enterprise Coach at Outset Bristol, contacted us to see how they can work more closely with Connect <> Lockleaze to offer additional support in the Lockleaze area.

Their Introduction to Enterprise programme has been running successfully at The Cameron Centre since the beginning of October.

Gail Bowen-Huggett had a very productive meeting with Lydia yesterday and they agreed that

Lockleaze residents would definitely benefit from our organisations working together to raise awareness of the support they have available as well as their self employment courses.

As a result, we have agreed to run:

• a couple of trial foundation workshops at the Langley Centre.
• another Intro to Enterprise programme at the Cameron Centre in the New Year
• weekly drop-in sessions at North Bristol Advice Centre (Mondays) and Boing! (Wednesdays).

We will let you know as soon we have confirmed start dates for these events.

Celebrating with Quartet Community Foundation

Quartet Community Foundation aims to change people's lives for the better across the West of England. They do this by enabling a wide variety of donors to fund projects that make a difference where people live and work.

Each year they hold an Annual Celebration where they invite a number of community groups to showcase a sample of the work that has been done as a result of the generosity of our donors.

So on 16th October 2012, North Bristol Advice Centre (NBAC) took advantage of their invitation to this year’s annual celebration to showcase their services and latest initiatives to over 140 guests.

Naturally, the Connect <> Lockleaze project was highlighted as one of their most exciting new initiatives. Hopefully, the project’s co-operative nature will help to inspire individuals and organisations interested in supporting the wellbeing of their local communities.

Earlier in the day, NBAC attended ‘The Power of Partnership’, a free event held by Business in the Community and Bristol ProHelp to encourage businesses and community groups to meet and forge working partnerships.

Once again, Connect <> Lockleaze was mentioned (a perfect example of that the event was designed to encourage!) and the HR Manager at Rolls Royce (a Lockleaze boy himself!) suggested we contact their Head of Education to see if there were any opportunities that could be explored. We will!

Our First Radio Spot...

Tune in to Bristol Community FM on Friday morning to hear our very own, Jo Earl talking about Connect <> Lockleaze.

She has been invited to talk about the project on the Silver Sound program between 11am and midday. Although this show is aimed at the over 60's, Connect <> Lockleaze is open to everyone in the North Bristol area.

Jo will be encouraging as many people as possible to join us for ITea and Cake at the Cameron Centre, Gainsborough Square in the afternoon between 2pm and 4pm so we can find out what everyone wants to do with our free wifi and computers!

So, listen to her on BCfm at 93.2FM on your radio
or
online at http://bcfm.org.uk/wp-content/themes/atahualpa353/player.php

Volunteer Roles Defined

At our recruitment launch event yesterday in UWE’s Department of Computer Science and Creative Technologies we were able to tell students about the variety of roles available:

Connect<>Lockleaze Project

>Connect Lockleaze is about working with people who are digitally excluded. >UWE and HP have collaborated to support local people to access and use computers and the internet and get FREE help to improve their IT skills. >In an increasingly digital age, there is a huge need to help people take their first steps and discover the uses of computers and the internet! >Volunteers will be based at one of 3 community centres in Lockleaze, right next to Frenchay Campus. There are lots of ways to get involved!

Basic IT Skills Tutor

• Role Description - Volunteers will be helping people 1:1 to get more confidence using computers. You will help local people to find their way around a computer, use the internet and learn other basics like creating simple documents. There is a huge demand for 1:1 tutoring to encourage people to take their first steps using computers and the internet.
• Skills - If you would like to see people learn and grow in confidence, this is the role for you! If you have a particular interest like digital photos, social media, skype or online shopping, then you can help to lead a short session on a topic! Basic IT Skills are necessary. 
• Time commitment - Sessions will run on Wednesdays, 13:30-15:30 during term time. Generally you would be expected to attend every week. 

Community Hub Leaders

• Role Description - Assist local people to use open access, free computer facilities in the community. You will be responsible for welcoming visitors to one of the centres, showing first time users how to log on and get started and provide basic help and troubleshooting.
• Skills - You need to enjoy working with people, and be willing to help them get the most out of the facilities. You will need a good knowledge of IT though you do not need any particular expertise. You need to feel confident about helping with things like printing problems, basic formatting of Word documents and internet searches. Crucially you will be a friendly and welcoming face encouraging people to have a go. You will need to adapt to the different ages, abilities and needs of users.
• Time commitment - As you will be responsible for setting up the facilities and assisting users at open access drop in sessions, it is very important that you commit to the sessions you volunteer for. You would volunteer once a week for a maximum of 3 hours.  

Technical Support Team

• Role Description - As part of the tech support team, you would be responsible for providing regular maintenance of the PCs and laptops. This might include software updates, managing user accounts, adding and removing software programmes, deleting out of date files, adding devices to the network and providing troubleshooting support.
• Skills - You must be familiar with Windows 7, and familiar with the administrator functions. As part of the support team you will be required to work as a group to determine the best IT solutions to meet the needs of the 3 IT hubs and their users. A knowledge of internet security is also of value and a willingness to research and work together to solve problems.
• Time commitment - This is a flexible role though you will be expected to undertake the role on the 3 sites in Lockleaze, planning your time around the centre opening hours and preparing to volunteer in advance of courses and events to ensure the IT is set up in advance. Regular maintenance sessions will be planned with you. These would be scheduled once a month during term time, but other sessions will be required particularly around special events, and you will have the option of being on-call to help solve problems as they arise!

Web Designer/Web Master

• Role Description - Initially you will help to set up something with free hosting, like a google site. This is an opportunity to develop a web structure to accommodate a variety of content, including course listings, news, case studies and images. You will be working alongside the coordinators of the "Connect<>Lockleaze" project to develop and maintain a website as a useful resource for local people that could encourage people to get involved in community learning. We have bought our domain name so we are ready to get started! We need a few volunteers who can help to write copy for the site as well as design and build it! Depending on your strongest skills we can find a role for you in maintaining the site.
• Skills - You need to be confident in either your web design skills, including CSS and web standards, or in your ability to plan a structure or general writing skills. You'll also need to have good time management skills to meet relevant deadlines.
• Time commitment - This role is very flexible. We will arrange regular meetings/communication with you, and you can volunteer remotely too. You will need to prioritise your workload, particularly when adding/updating information that might be time/date specific. We expect you to volunteer for at least one term.

How to get involved

Contact Jo, the Volunteer Co-ordinator for the Project: e-mail jo.earl@uwe.ac.uk, phone 0117 328 2513 or drop into the Octagon on Frenchay Campus.

Volunteer Recruitment Starts

Earlier today, North Bristol Advice Centre and Boing! visited the Frenchay campus to present the Connect <> Lockleaze Project to students at UWE.

In a world where IT knowledge is increasing an essential skill, there is a huge need to help people take their first steps and show them how computers and the internet can be of real benefit to them. Connect <> Lockleaze has the venue and the equipment and now needs volunteers to help us put it all into practice.

Volunteers will be based at one of 3 community centres in Lockleaze, near to Frenchay Campus and there are lots of ways to get involved – in fact you can even volunteer remotely!

If you are interested in finding out more about the different ways you can get involved, email us at connectlockleaze@gmail.com

If you are a student at UWE, contact volunteering@uwe.ac.uk

Lockleaze looking for entrepreneurs

Working with Outset Bristol, Connect <> Lockleaze is putting on an 8-week program of workshops entitled 'Introduction to Enterprise'.

Designed to show what self-employment is all about, the workshops allow you to develop personal and business skills. They are great way to increase confidence and knowledge in a supported and friendly environment.

When:  Friday 5th October from 11am-1pm, and for the following 4 weeks
Where: Cameron Centre, Gainsborough Square, Lockleaze, BS7 9XB
Contact Person: Lydia Samuel

Tel: 0800 032 2903 E: Lydia.samuel@outsetbristol.co.uk

Birthday Celebrations for Boing!

An open day at Boing! Soft Play Centre on Saturday 22nd September to celebrate their 1st Birthday provided Connect <> Lockleaze with the perfect opportunity to meet local parents.

Jo Earl with two student volunteers, Jeannette and Joanna, were there to talk about Boing!’s new IT facilities, find out how familiar everyone was with computers and ask what activities they would find of interest.

In keeping with the party mood, Jo had organised T-Shirt printing and this proved incredibly popular – a wonderfully demonstrable example of what technology can do!

Boing! have been a keen advocate of Connect <> Lockleaze to date – full of enthusiasm and ideas with a tight knit group of supporters keen to spread the word.

We look forward to developing a great set of courses and sessions with them.

A bit about Boing!

Having taken on the lease of the Blake Centre, Lockleaze Primary School & Early Years Centre (LPSEYC) has transformed it into ‘Boing!’ - a community multi-activity and soft play venue for 0-5 year olds and their families.

Boing! consists of a multi-activity play room, containing various sections of ‘messy play’, ‘building’, ‘home corner’ and ‘soft/baby’; a soft play room complete with custom built structure and a cafe area, which will serave refreshments, and where parents can sit and relax whilst their children play within view. Our Stay & Play Groups have relocated to Boing! along with our Childminders Support Group, and local mums have even started a breastfeeding group, the HoneySuckle Cafe. 

For further information about Boing!, please contact Georgie Batt on 0117 377 2840 or gblockleazep@bristol.gov.uk

Getting Connected!

It's an exciting time to be in Lockleaze at the moment. There is so much happening and so much more to look forward to...

As well as the new Gainsborough Square Development (14 flats, 12 houses, 2 business units and a purpose built community building), a group of local partners have been working with HP and UWE to get volunteers, computer skills and greater access to the internet into Lockleaze.

This will mean: 

• advice workers using IT & the internet with clients.
• computer classes on three sites around the area.
• UWE students and HP staff supporting IT classes
• group sessions to help fill in forms or apply for jobs online
• support for families and older people to get online and have fun

...and much more!

Naturally, we are keen to announce this project, which we are calling Connect <> Lockleaze to the world!

For this reason we are planning a launch event at the Cameron Centre - we want to have a chat to about what activities you fancy trying as well as finding out how confident you feel about using computers.

We are looking for ideas and suggestions while we share a nice cup of tea and a piece of cake.

Don’t worry if you have never used a computer before, we have already planned some basic IT and internet courses to get you started.

So…join us on Friday 12th October 2012 from 2pm and be inspired!

Connect Lockleaze attend the launch of the West of England Community Learning Partnership

At Ashton Court Mansion last night Gail Bowen-Huggett and Jo Earl (more about them and their roles in future posts) attended the launch of the West of England Community Learning Partnership – one of only 15 pilot partnership in the UK and the result of a successful bid to government earlier this year.

The Partnership will coordinate a huge range of courses ranging from financial management, learning English, using information technology and parenting to pottery, languages and local history. Providers of local learning, like Connect Lockleaze, are being encouraged to participate and contribute to this coordinated learning network.

Jane Taylor from Bristol City Council thanked everyone for their help and support with the bid and hoped that our commitment to the partnership would help Bristol to be a learning city for all people of all ages.

She then introduced speakers from a variety of organisations (Hartcliffe & Withywood Ventures, Wessex Water, Whitchurch Health Centre, TUC and B&Q) – all of whom shared their reasons for being involved with the community learning in general and the Partnership in particular.

Following their talks, each table was allowed to nibble crisps and chocolates as we devised new and exciting ways of encouraging people to participate in training courses and how to create some excitement about adult learning as a whole.

Bristol City Council Cabinet Member for Skills Cllr Clare Campion-Smith summed up by saying, “This new partnership will help deliver more learning opportunities to more people close to where they need it.  By tapping into rich expertise from businesses, colleges and community groups the Trust will be able to share more resources where they are needed the most. Some parts of the region will want to boost literacy rates, some might want to offer parenting or home improvement skills this new model will help co-ordinate targeted training where it is needed most.”

Everyone was very enthusiastic and Connect Lockleaze look forward to working in partnership with many of the people and organisations we met last night.

Never too old to learn something new

A 72 year old lady attended one of our basic IT courses recently – when asked why, she said “I wanted to try something new and to stop getting bored, and maybe to meet others too.”

At the end of the course she said “Well, it was my first time I’d ever used this computer, I didn’t even know how to switch it on! I left work at 25, so after more than 40 years, I haven’t even used a typewriter since…I like using emails, I have people abroad who I can contact. I’ve done some competitions too! I like to stay in touch with people, that’s important to me.” 

Join us for a basic computer course

Working with Get IT Together, a national programme promoting access to computers, Connect Lockleaze is running a 4-week basic course to introduce people to the world of IT and its benefits!

New to the internet? Come and find out how to get online.Then you can learn to search for your favourite hobby, save money on bills, communicate with friends and family using Skype, e mail, and get easy access to local services.
Our volunteers will be here to keep you company, take you through the basics and help you discover the wonders of the internet.  

When:  Wednesday 12^th September from 11am-1pm, and for the following 4 weeks

Where: Langley Centre, Gainsborough Square, Lockleaze, BS7 9XA

Contact Person: Lizzie Woodall

Tel: 0117 951 5751   E: lizzie@northbristoladvice.org.uk                        

UWE and HP pilot new project to digitally reconnect North Bristol communities

Communities in Lockleaze, Bristol have been the first to benefit from a new initiative from neighbours University of West of England (UWE) and (Hewlett Packard) HP aimed at reconnecting groups that are digitally excluded in a rapidly expanding technological age.

“Connect Lockleaze” is available at the Langley and Cameron Community Centres and Boing! in Lockleaze and North Bristol. The project aims to help a range of groups including older people, young families and those that are looking to return to work connect with the outside world through providing access to technology and developing new skills.

The scheme is being co-ordinated by UWE Volunteering and all the Centres have been kitted out with a HP donation of desktops, PCs, laptops and all in-one-printers.


So far, Connect Lockleaze and Bristol City Council's Learning Communities have worked together to deliver basic ICT and Money Matters courses to motivate and instil confidence in those who may be accessing training and technology for the first time.

Richard Reddrop, Chair of Lockleaze Neighbourhood Trust and Head of Community Services at Lockleaze Primary School and Early Years Centre, said, “I am really excited that the Lockleaze community is partnering with UWE and HP; the training is something that is constantly being requested and sought and we now have the opportunities to deliver it in a quality fashion. Interest in the training is really growing in the communities and feedback so far from the participants has been really positive.”

UWE students will be leading consultations this Autumn with the community to tailor the training programme to meet the diverse needs of the local community. This could range from helping people to trace their family tree and shop online, to better social interaction through Facebook and Twitter and improved access to learning and job opportunities.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor John Rushforth, who is leading the initiative, said, “In this technological age we can take access to computers and the internet for granted. Connect Lockleaze is an excellent example of what partnership working is all about. We are delighted to be working with HP to engage with a local community just 15 minutes' walk away from the University by equipping them with the access to technology and skills needed to make a positive contribution to their daily lives.”

“We believe that providing people with technology skills is a very effective way they can enhance their employment prospects and make a difference to the community in which they live. We are proud to support this project and have been inspired by the dedication of the Bristol community and the UWE students,” commented Nick Wilson, Vice President and Managing Director of HP UK and Ireland.