‘Seibercofis’ pushes the right buttons for Caernarfon community
Former Social Justice and Local Government Minister Dr Brian Gibbons visited the Seibercofis project at the Ty’r Ysgol Information Centre in Caernarfon in December. Seibercofis has received support as part of the Welsh Assembly Government’s Communities 2.0 initiative to tackle digital exclusion in Wales.
Seibercofis provides access to I.T. as well as advice and support, helping people in the Caernarfon area engage with new technology. Seibercofis has become a central place in the community where young people from Caernarfon can go to use the latest technology and surf the internet.
The Seibercofis project also provides a computer recycling business that extends the life of computers by stripping out their useful parts and reusing them. The computers are then loaded with software before they are given to families from Caernarfon who could not otherwise afford a computer.
Working with the Communities First partnership Ty Pobl Peblig, and the local housing association, the project is working to establish a Wi-Fi cloud over the Peblig ward which provides internet access for all the families involved in the project. The provision of new technology and access to the internet to people in Caernarfon is expected to produce economic, educational and community rewards.
Speaking at the centre, Dr Brian Gibbons said;
“It is great to visit Seibercofis to see how the project is helping to bridge the digital divide by providing access to new technologies to people who would otherwise remain digitally excluded. Modern technologies can help transform people’s lives. Digital inclusion initiatives, such as Seibercofis are about breaking down the social and economic barriers that can prevent some people from accessing technology.
“It is integral that we continue to help communities to engage with new technologies so that they do not miss out on emerging digital opportunities. Digital exclusion has a very real impact upon all areas of people’s lives; social, economic, educational and cultural.
“The Seibercofis project allows many more people from Caernarfon to access computers and the internet, gaining skills and knowledge as well as an increased enthusiasm for developing technologies.”
