Computing Awards: Community Project of the Year shortlist

Computing Awards for Excellence: Community Project of the Year shortlist

Buchan Information Technology E-Learning Service

Buchan Information Technology E-Learning Service (Bites) provides IT training to improve education for the benefit of the community.

Bites aims to reduce the digital divide in Buchan, a rural community in Scotland where IT skills are becoming increasingly important.

Bites is also committed to including people with disabilities, offering one-to-one sessions for people with special needs, or who are unable to follow more formal courses.

The Bites client base has grown from 30 people to 154, ranging from primary school pupils to senior citizens. Thanks to Bites, the local community can make better use of opportunities such as lifelong learning, sports and volunteering.

Computer Aid International

Computer Aid International has teamed up with Sightsavers International and the Kenyan Union of the Blind to help blind and visually-impaired (BVI) people in Kenya to access IT.

Kenya suffers from a high unemployment rate, and nearly 90 per cent of BVI people in the country are out of work.

Teaching has become the leading profession for BVI people in Kenya, since the government guaranteed employment to all fully-qualified teachers. Computer Aid supplies BVI teachers with laptops and software, allowing teachers to use special adaptive software loaded on a USB stick that also enables them to use any other computer, including those in internet cafes and at school.

Charityshare

Charityshare was set up in 2005 as a joint initiative between the NSPCC and The Children’s Society. They planned to save £800,000 in three years and improve IT services by sharing operations such as technical support and training; other confidential databases were kept separate.

Charityshare now estimates that the equivalent level of savings was achieved in about half the time anticipated. The cost per desktop is down 22 per cent from £1,151 to £898, 11 per cent of which goes on special projects for development and improvement.

Several other charities are considering following the example of the Alzheimer’s Society, which joined Charityshare this year.

Holmesdale Technology College

The E-learning Foundation is working to close the UK’s digital divide, which leaves 2.5 million of the country’s most disadvantaged children excluded from computer technology.

Holmesdale Technology College is working with the Foundation to develop a sustainable e-learning project for its pupils, half of whom come from socially deprived homes.

The project benefits from the government’s Gift Aid scheme, as well as receiving a small monthly contribution from parents who can afford to pay. Motivation among previously underperforming children has increased and the number of A* to C exam grades have improved since the introduction of the scheme.

Equipmentdirect.org.uk

Equipmentdirect.org.uk encourages and helps disabled and older people to live more independently.

Users can customise the look and feel of the web site, self-assess for equipment and self-refer to their local social care service.

When social care services struggle to reach everyone in need, Equipmentdirect.org.uk can offer the next step to those who would not receive high priority in such circumstances.

The web site provides a high level of accessibility, accommodating a wide range of impairments. It was initially designed to serve residents of Hampshire, but plans were adapted to create a system which could easily integrate with any social care service and potentially benefit every authority in the country.

PDSA

PDSA is the UK’s leading veterinary charity, promoting responsible pet ownership and providing about 40,000 preventative treatments and 1.8 million free treatments.

PDSA’s new low-cost IT system has reduced administration costs, saved resources and boosted sales, allowing more funds for treatments. PDSA operates 182 charity shops across the UK and is supported by 4,800 volunteers. The use of Amstrad e-mailers has improved communication across the organisation, improving accuracy and flexibility.

The inclusion of regular stock checks has taken the project beyond its original scope, improving stock handling and inventory control. The improvements across the business have inevitably transferred human and financial resources to the core objectives of the organisation.

Riding for the Disabled Association

Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) offers opportunities for riding and carriage driving for people with disabilities.

As part of the Knowledge Transfer Partnership, RDA worked with the University of Reading to design and implement an IT infrastructure that would modernise the organisation and improve efficiency.

Collaboration with student volunteers allowed member groups to develop their own web sites, and social networking tools were introduced to encourage and enhance communication.

Improved visibility and a more modern image has earned RDA a sponsorship deal with Mitsubishi Motors and inclusion in advertisements by the London 2012 Olympic Committee.

YouthNet

YouthNet, the UK’s first exclusively online charity, runs two award-winning web sites: TheSite.org and do-it.org.uk. TheSite.org is funded by the Vodafone Foundation and provides 16-to-24-year olds with guidance about issues ranging from careers advice to self harm.

Research shows that 96 per cent of 16-to--24-year olds own at least one mobile phone and 49 per cent have used them to access the internet. YouthNet launched a three-phase project in August 2006, making selected areas of content accessible via mobile devices.

The project has shown YouthNet the skills required to operate in a progressive market, ensuring the organisation’s technical sustainability.

For more details on all the Computing Awards shortlists and to book a table at the awards ceremony on 7 November, visit: www.computing.co.uk/awards