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DATA Issue 6 - NetWorks For You in South Australia
DATA Issue 6 - NetWorks For You in South Australia
Howard Hendrick thought the Internet was hi-tech and of little relevance to a war veteran in his 80s. That was until his wife asked him to drive her to an Internet awareness session at the Loxton library in the Riverland region of South Australia two years ago. At the session Howard insisted he was not interested in the Internet but the NetWorks For You project officer elicited that he'd been a member of the Lancaster squadron in World War 2. The project officer showed him how to find a Lancaster Bomber website with his picture on it. Now he regularly corresponds via email with friends he renewed acquaintance with through that site. He has invested in an Internet-connected computer at home and also communicates via email with his daughter in Africa.
This story is typical of many regional South Australians thanks to the unique Internet awareness program, NetWorks For You, a joint initiative of the Commonwealth Government's Networking the Nation program and the South Australian Government aimed at 'turning the light on' to the Internet.
Project Manager for the northern half of South Australia, Wendy Golder says, 'We try to make people realise there's something in it for them when they access the Internet. Having done that we encourage them to take the next step, whether that's investing in a home computer, taking more advanced courses or simply accessing their email account at a local library or NetWorks Centre.'
Flexible
40 staff from regional communities around South Australia, each with a strong understanding of local community and industry needs are employed in the program. Wendy Buck, Project Manager for the southern half of South Australia says that in any week in the South East region the coordinator could deliver a presentation to parents at Keith Area School, run a session for vignerons in the Coonawarra, and help farmers in Lucindale build confidence with Internet banking. 'A lot of our success is due to our flexibility and our practice of being available where the help is needed.'
People accessing the program can get free assistance at any of the 200 NetWorks Centres throughout the state. Community libraries, health centres, neighbourhood houses, telecentres and some schools have allowed their Internet facilities to be used as NetWorks Centres for NetWorks For You to regularly run Internet awareness sessions.
High demand
The project started in February 2000 with two Project Managers and a staff of six regional coordinators delivering Internet sessions for community groups such as Apex, Lions, Parents and Friends and agriculture bureaux. The word quickly spread about the value of the program and NetWorks For You secured extra funding from Networking the Nation in 2001. With the extra funds more staff were employed to deliver targeted sessions on email, effective searching, e-business and assorted topics aimed at building Internet confidence.
Practical outcomes
According to Wendy Buck skills achieved by community members may seem basic to more confident Internet users but they can change a person's life, especially for someone living in a rural or remote community, as the following examples illustrate.
A Riverland woman in her 60s has one son living in Western Australia and the other in Papua New Guinea. With the help of a local project officer she set up an e-mail address and after a few sessions is regularly communicating with her sons. In Whyalla, a woman who had long suffered with a rare and debilitating skin condition learnt how to search for the condition on the Internet at a NetWorks For You session and is now in contact with an online international support group. For these people, and many others, learning to use the Internet has put them in touch with a wider, indeed global, community.
For more information about NetWorks For You visit www.iepo.sa.gov.au/networks/ or call 1800 155 559.