Digital Inclusion Wales: 2008 Conference Report
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Keynote Address: Leighton Andrews AM Deputy Minister for Regeneration, Welsh Assembly Government
affect them, to consult them more effectively, to make technology more accessible for people to debate issues.
I have a blog and am now on Facebook. I joined Facebook because of a group established by a new Cardiff City FC supporters trust.
The conference’s keynote speech was delivered by Leighton Andrews AM, Deputy Minister for Regeneration, Welsh Assembly Government. A full transcript of the Deputy Minister’s speech is as follows:
“Good morning and thanks for inviting me to the Communities @One conference here today.
I am delighted to see Rhys Radio here today, from my own constituency of the Rhondda. I will say a bit more on them during the course of the speech.
I am pleased to be here to celebrate the work of Communities @One and highlight the important role that it has played in bridging the digital divide throughout Wales.
It goes without saying that the role of technology is vital in modern day society. As politicians, we are always told that we need to find new ways to reach out to the public, to make it easier for them to contact us, to make it easier for them to take part in decisions that
Communities @One is bringing technologies to people in ways that are of interest and relevance to them – to show them how technologies can help them do the things they want to do – so a computer is not simply a box on the desk that is inaccessible and difficult to use.
The Communities @One Initiative has been our flagship digital inclusion programme. I am delighted to be here today to celebrate the good work that has been undertaken.
• People living in the Valleys and south west Wales are less likely to have a home connection.
We know people still feel comfortable saying ‘I can’t use computers’ when they would be very uncomfortable saying they were illiterate or innumerate.
The danger is that people who don’t ‘get’ the new technologies, could become increasingly socially and economically disenfranchised. Those left behind risk not just digital exclusion, but exclusion from whole areas of life.
Bridging the digital divide is central to new ways of viewing inclusion and exclusion. The European Union sees this as one of its highest priorities.
As most of you will know from your involvement in the initiative, Communities @One seeks to
>Bridging the digital divide is central to new ways of viewing inclusion and exclusion
Research by the Welsh Consumer Council indicates that:
• People in social classes AB are twice as likely as groups in social classes DE to have a home internet connection.
• Only 25% of the over 65s have a home connection compared to 70% of the 35-44 year-olds.
ensure digital inclusion across the most deprived communities in Wales. The initiative aims to give individuals and communities access to and the support to ensure that they make the best use of the current and emerging digital opportunities.
Communities @One itself has built on the experience of the Welsh Assembly Government’s Communities First programme by putting in place Community
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