HRC NZ Diversity Award

21 Aug 2011

2020 Communications Trust have been awarded a NZ Diversity Award from the Human Rights Commission for an outstanding contribution to the NZ Diversity Action Programme through Computers in Homes and Stepping Up.

Find attached a scan of the award.

" The 2020 Communications Trust began in 1996, aiming to bridge the Digital Divide.

Their Computers in Homes programme began in 2000, in the lowest-income community in the country, to raise the literacy level of children from low decile schools. It provides a recycled computer, internet access, parent training and technical support to families who would not otherwise have the opportunity to be part of the online world.

As the scheme has developed, parents have also embraced the learning experience for themselves, so the focus has broadened to family literacy and community literacy, with some parents completing qualifications in teaching, social work, computing and the arts.

The Ministry of Education incorporated CIH into their education strategy for newly arrived refugees, with the additional support of interpreters, family liaison workers, transportation and babysitting to remove barriers to participation. Access to information for new settlers and the engagement with their children's schools assists families to readjust to a new country and become part of the wider community.

Any families wanting further training have access to the free Stepping UP programme which builds ICT skills in a more focussed way towards employment readiness and upskilling. Computers in Homes and Stepping UP have become notable contributions to social capital in marginalised communities. "